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First Presbyterian Church is a member of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (epc.org). The following statement of faith is adapted from the EPC's "Essentials," which you can find here:  the Essentials.


The perfect, eternal God, who created the whole universe, created us (humans) for relationship with himself (Genesis 1-2). Unfortunately, we rejected God (Genesis 3). This rejection, called sin, separates us from God (Romans 3.23). No matter how hard we try, we can't bridge this gulf between us and God, because God is perfect, and we are not. But God had a plan to restore our relationship with Him, and this plan is called the Gospel.

The Gospel is the good news that Jesus Christ, God's own Son, has restored our relationship with God through his death on the cross. Jesus lived the perfect human life that we could not, and then died the death we deserved for our sin (Romans 6.23).   Jesus' bodily resurrection from the dead is proof that everything he said and did is true, and also proof that all who believe in him will have eternal life (1 Corinthians 15). Right now, Jesus reigns at the right hand of God the Father, and he will return to restore and remake all of creation forever.

For much more on the Gospel, and to learn how you can know Jesus, check out this link:  Who is Jesus?


We believe that the Bible - the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments -  is God's infallible revelation of Himself, culminating in Jesus Christ, the "Word made flesh" (John 1). The Bible is uniquely the Word of God, fully inspired by the Holy Spirit, and the supreme and final authority on all matters on which it speaks. As the Word of God, it requires our complete submission in all areas of life. Everything else we believe is built upon this sure foundation.


We believe in one God, who created everything and continues to sustain everything. He is the King of the universe and nothing happens outside of His authority. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, and perfectly good. He has always existed and will exist forever in three persons:  the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. To Him be all honor, glory and praise forever!


We believe that Jesus Christ is the perfect revelation of God. When we look at Jesus, we see God in the flesh.  In Jesus Christ, the Son of God became a man. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He is fully God and fully man, united in one person forever. As promised throughout the Bible, he died on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins, and on the third day after he died he rose again bodily from the grave. Then he returned to heaven where right now he reigns with God over the universe. He continually prays and intercedes for his people as our High Priest and Mediator.


We believe God has sent the Holy Spirit to continually remind us of Jesus and to apply his saving work in our lives. He convicts us of our sin and draws us to the comfort of the Savior. He is "God in us," dwelling in our hearts from the very moment God saves us. He gives us new life, and empowers and gifts us to follow Jesus Christ. He teaches us the truth, and his presence in us is an eternal guarantee of our salvation.


We believe that all humanity has been separated from God because of sin. We are spiritually dead due to our sin, so our salvation is completely dependent on God's free gift (called "grace"). Jesus took our punishment for sin on the cross, and God credits those who trust Jesus alone for their salvation with his righteousness. This is called "justification," meaning that God declares us righteous because of Christ's work on our behalf. Only those who are born of the Holy Spirit and receive Jesus Christ by faith become children of God and heirs of eternal life.


We believe that the true Church is made up of all people who through saving faith in Jesus Christ and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit are united together in the body of Christ. The Church finds its visible, but imperfect, expression in any local congregation where 1)  the Word of God is preached accurately and truthfully, 2)  the sacraments are administered rightly, 3)  scriptural discipline is practiced, and 4)  loving fellowship is maintained. For her perfection, the Church waits for the return of her Lord Jesus Christ.

The Return of Jesus

We believe that Jesus will return again to the earth personally, visibly and bodily. He will come to judge the living and the dead, and to bring about the perfect, eternal plan of God. Come Lord Jesus!

LIving for Jesus

We believe that Jesus has commanded all of his followers to share the Good News about himself throughout the world and to make disciples of every nation. This is called the "Great Commission" (Matthew 28. 16-20) and is a mandate for all believers. We do this because Jesus loved us and gave himself for us, and so in thanksgiving we seek to live a life of self-denying love and service to him. "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2.10).


As historically orthodox, Evangelical Christians, we fully hold to the classic confessions of Christian faith, including the Apostle's Creed and the Nicene Creed. As Presbyterians, committed to Reformed Theology we are in agreement with the standards of the Westminster Confession of Faith, always keeping in mind the motto of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, "In Essentials, unity, in Non-Essentials, liberty, in All Things, charity." If you have any specific questions about our faith commitments, you can contact Assistant Pastor Isaiah Nordhagen at email@example.com.