As Disciples of Christ, we are part of a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world. The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is one of the oldest church movements with its beginnings in the United States.
Here at First Christian Church, we are also one of the oldest congregations in Montgomery County. But don’t let our age fool you. We are a vibrant and welcoming community with active members of all ages and life stages. As a congregation of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) we celebrate God’s grace by welcoming ALL to the Lord’s Table as God has welcomed each of us. This approach informs everything else we do. We practice unity and inclusion at the Lord’s table and in our community. We honor all baptisms and embrace a community-centered approach to studying scripture, with each person bringing their own unique experiences and perspectives to bear. When is all is not well for all of us, it is not well for any of us, so we are active in seeking justice, peace, and reconciliation for all. We recognize that we are just one part of Christ’s Universal Church and we seek opportunities for celebrating and honoring our given unity among all Christians across denominations and around the world.
All that to say… you—yes, you—are welcome here!
You are
welcome here!
We come from many places, differing in ethnicity, race, orientation, politics and even our religious history and upbringing. We celebrate diversity, anticipating everyone’s interpretation of the Bible or of the Christian life to be varied. We believe that God provides spiritual gifts to all; thus, we embrace the leadership of persons with varied backgrounds and gender. As we come together, we discover that our differences are indeed a blessing. The greater the differences we bring, the more we encounter the depth of Jesus’ love. We celebrate God’s reconciling and healing gift of Jesus Christ, who informs and inspires our mission to welcome and love others through service with our community and world.
We celebrate the fact that each person’s unique presence, life, and experiences will change and transform our community. We welcome your gifts, your struggles, your questions, your perspectives, your hopes, and your dreams for building a Christ-centered community together.
So come children of God, just as you are. Wherever you are on this journey of life, you are welcome here, here in this place, here in this community, here at First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)!
Our Faith Principles
Open Communion
When Jesus had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” (1 Corinthians 11:24)
As a congregation of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), we joyfully celebrate open communion. This means that ALL are welcome to participate regardless of church background or denominational affiliation. If you desire to experience God’s grace, offered in Jesus Christ, you are unconditionally invited to participate in the Lord’s Supper. Communion is an opportunity to embrace Jesus’ life of mission and loving service to all, a willingness to surrender shortcomings and burdens to God, and an openness to a new way of Christ-like living. The Lord’s Supper or Communion is celebrated in weekly worship.
Freedom of Belief
Disciples come together around one essential: faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Persons are free to follow their consciences guided by the Bible, the Holy Spirit, study, prayer, reason, and experience—and are expected to extend that freedom to others. We hold the centrality of scripture, recognizing that each person has the freedom, and the responsibility, to study God's Word within the community of the Church.
Baptism by Immersion
In baptism the old self-centered life is set aside, and a new life of trust in God begins. Although Disciples practice baptism by immersion, other baptism traditions are honored.
The Oneness of the Church
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. (2 Corinthians 5:18-19)
All Christians are called to be one in Christ and to work together to demonstrate God’s love through witness and service. Responding to that special calling is an important way in which we live out our faith. We celebrate our diversity, knowing that we all belong to one another because we commonly belong to Christ. By engaging in ecumenical relationships with all church expressions around the world, we honor our covenant to be one Church. In addition, and in conjunction with faith partners on nearly every continent, the Disciples’ homeland and overseas humanitarian response ministries stretch around the world. As we seek to embody the Good News of God’s love for the whole human family, we join together to help dig wells, train pastors, immunize children, care for refugees, rebuild war torn communities, provide seeds for crops, educate, and equip nurses and doctors, and much more. We respond in times of natural disaster, economic and violent upheaval, and global crises. We work together with interfaith partners to deepen our extent of care to all people, as Jesus did, to build loving relationships with one another, and to be a hope filled sign of God’s love that makes us all one human family.
The Ministry of All Believers
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. (1 Cor. 12:4-7)
Both ministers and lay persons lead in worship, service and spiritual growth. We affirm the ministry of all believers, rejoicing in the gifts of the Holy Spirit—including the gift of leadership—that God has given for the common good. We are stronger and richer, more compassionate and loving, when we embrace opportunities within our congregations to ask honest questions, share experiences and perspectives, and explore ways to deal with challenging issues from our personal lives and the events happening in the world in order to grow in faith.
General Disciples Resources
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Identity of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
History of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Common Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ
Week of Compassion: Humanitarian response, relief, and development ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Justice Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Council on Christian Unity: Interfaith and Ecumenical Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Colleges, Seminaries, and Higher Education affiliations of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Regional Disciples Resources
Indiana Region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)