What We Believe

What do you believe at Jackson First Presbyterian?

We are a Christian church holding to the great traditions of the faith.

What if I am not sure what I believe – am I welcome?
 

Yes. Jesus said ‘come.’ So do we. People come seeking to have a deeper, more meaningful relationship with God.

Does that mean that you have differences of opinion?

Yes. We believe that people of good will can and do disagree on things. St. Augustine once said, “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, freedom; in all things, love.”

What are the essentials?

To love God and one another and to follow the teachings and example of Jesus.
 

What about Jesus being our personal Lord and Savior – do you also believe that?

Yes, but because it is personal it will be expressed and experienced by each of us in unique ways. Again, one size does not fit all because God made each to be different. We value and treasure that each one of us is on a journey. Jesus is ‘the way’ – we are seeking to find that way.

What is a Presbyterian?

The word Presbyterian means ‘elder’ – we use democratic principles to elect elders who make decisions for the church based upon their own personal conscience after praying and reading Scripture. We are a Christian church formed around the principles of a representative democracy.

How are you different from other churches?

Recently we celebrated the 500th birthday of John Calvin. Calvin had a unique understanding of the church – he believed there should be checks and balances (not a hierarchy), that each person was a priest/minister, and that salvation was a gift from God (not something we earn). His followers called themselves ‘reformers’ or ‘protestants’. Today more than 70 denominations around the world, including Presbyterians, apply these principles.

If I attend Jackson First Presbyterian, what should I expect?

Expect to be challenged. We are not here to play nice or to be a social group. We gather because Christ has called us to gather and to become his disciples. We gather to grow as Christians and human beings. We gather to receive spiritual nourishment so that we go out as Christ's 21st Century disciples.

It’s not our job to save you.

We couldn’t even if we wanted.

What we can do is tell you the good news of the gospel – 2,000 years ago

Jesus died on a cross for the salvation of the world.

He saves, not us.

We worship him – more importantly, we try to follow him.