Our passion and work is to glorify
God and make faithful and devoted
followers of Jesus Christ.

The following is the platform from which we understand and live out our ministry as a church. In this platform we express our understanding of faith and specific discernment of who God asks us to be. Each element is listed in priority order, each building upon the previous and further defining what makes us unique as a church.

 Affirmation of Faith
We affirm the central teachings of our denominational confessions and specifically we affirm the following…

THE SCRIPTURES are given by divine inspiration and are the Word of God. The Holy Spirit speaking through the Scriptures is the supreme judge in all matters of church and life, standing above tradition, reason, and experience.

THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, whom alone we worship and serve.

GOD MADE MAN AND WOMAN IN HIS IMAGE that He might have fellowship with them and be glorified by them. Sin entered into the world and brought estrangement from God. Only through divine grace are humans capable of a right relationship to God.

OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, fully human and fully God, was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, and lived a sinless life. By His death in our place, Jesus revealed the divine love and upheld divine justice, removing our guilt and reconciling us to God. He was raised bodily from the dead and ascended into heaven where he now rules as Lord over all and intercedes for us as our great high priest.

REGENERATION BY THE HOLY SPIRIT is essential for the salvation of the lost and new life in Christ. This new life in Christ will be marked by the fruit of the Spirit-love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

We recognize THE PRESENT MINISTRY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, by whose indwelling the Christian is renewed in the heart, enabled to repent of sins, confesses Jesus as Lord, trusts in divine mercy, is justified by faith through Christ, adopted into God's family as His children, and enabled to live in the world so that through our discipleship all may see God's good works and glorify the Father in heaven.

People are called by God into the fellowship of Christ's body, THE CHURCH. Christ creates and is head of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church. Members of the Church are united by the Spirit in the bonds of love, endowed with the gifts of the Spirit, charged to restore unrepentant sinners, and summoned by Christ to preach the gospel, administer the sacraments, serve those in need, and strive for social justice.

God's redemptive purpose will be fulfilled by THE RETURN OF CHRIST to raise the dead, judge all people, and establish His glorious kingdom. Those who are apart from Christ shall be eternally separated from God's presence, but the righteous shall live with Him forever.

Top of page

  Our Vision
The First Presbyterian Church is a body of believers committed to a vision in which, empowered by the Holy Spirit, all are glorifying God by

• GROWING into the likeness of Jesus Christ
• SERVING after the example of Jesus Christ
• INVITING others to know Jesus Christ
• CELEBRATING the work of Jesus Christ
• LOVING because of the love of Jesus Christ

Top of page

 Core Beliefs
In carrying out the ministry to which God calls us, we have certain core beliefs. We believe…

• All people need a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
• Every person is valued and loved by God and so must be valued and loved by us.
• In a world of constant distractions, every believer must find regular times of silence and solitude for prayer, contemplation, discernment, listening to God, and communion with God.
• A Christian life without joy is no Christian life at all.
• It is the role of every believer to proclaim the Good News of salvation and the role of the Holy Spirit to convict and convert sinners.
• Every believer has been given at least one spiritual gift by God to be used for the glory of God in the Church and world.
• Every believer needs to be connected to a group of believers for study, fellowship, care, and accountability.
• The churches will accomplish more in service and evangelism working with one another as God’s agents.

Top of page

• We are committed to living like Christ individually and together.
• We have our hearts and heads in the Scriptures.
• We have a passion for youth ministry.
• We serve sacrificially, sacrificing our wants in order to serve the needs of others.
• We don’t “shoot our wounded.” We give them hope and friendship, not condemnation.
• We are intentional about reaching those uncommitted to or disinterested in the faith.
• We make great music for God.
• We value biblical and practical preaching.
• We like to celebrate God’s presence among us.
• We are a church for all ages.
• We think of “family” differently. Our church family is our family.
• We are down-to-earth, real people who like to laugh.

Top of page

Why We Exist
All churches exist to express love to God and others (the Great Commandment, Mark 12:29-31) and to make disciples (the Great Commission, Matthew 28:19-20). We understand this to mean we exist…

• To glorify and love God through regular worship and service in His name.
• To preach the gospel in order to bring salvation to the people of our community.
• To show our community the kingdom of Heaven through our example and witness.
• To be instruments of God’s love, compassion, justice, and grace with all people in order to transform our community for Christ.
• To make informed, obedient, and joyful disciples of Jesus Christ.

Top of page

Our Commitments
Our passion is to see our community transformed for Jesus Christ. We will do what it takes to equip Christians to be effective witnesses, leaders, worshippers, and humble servants of Christ. To that end, we commit to…

• Tirelessly strive to give God our best.
• Be intentional in increasing spiritual and relational vitality.
• To continually make clear the priority of people over program.
• Invest energy into equipping people for evangelism.
• Teach for knowledge and transformation, for the head and the heart.
• Encourage creativity, enthusiasm, laughter, and freedom within the church.
• Work for unity and strength in the church.
• Lovingly encourage and challenge one another in our personal lives and ministries.
• Seek friendships and joint ministry efforts with the churches of our community.
• Support the ministry of our larger body, the denomination, through prayer, giving, and active involvement. Challenge them when needed.

Top of page

Our Plan
To work toward everything above it takes individuals committed to the vision. To get individuals committed to the vision takes energy and resources in “equipping the saints.” Our strategy, therefore, is to concentrate our ministry attention on the spiritual strengthening of the believers in three areas.

• Inner growth. Prayer, Bible study, experiencing God, spiritual disciplines, pursuit of personal holiness, learning spiritual gift(s).
• Worship. Creating various expressions of worship to allow many to express their love for God.
• Outward action. Caring for one another in the church, volunteering in ministries of the church, looking beyond the church to serve.

Top of page

Ministries
We are organized around six core ministries listed below and two support ministries (personnel and property). The ministries do their work through…

Top of page

Church Profile

• First organized in 1829
• Merged with Mount Carmel Presbyterian Church in 1839
• Reorganized as First Presbyterian Church in 1851
• Current sanctuary completed in 1924
• Mount Carmel Presbyterian Church merged with FPC in September 2000
• Over 370 members with regular visitors each week
• Part of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) with over two million members nationwide
• Member church of the Presbytery of Memphis
• Governed by 12 elders forming a group called the Session
• Nine deacons serve on the Service Ministry Team
• Current staff
  R. Jefferson Coker, Interim Pastor
  Ricky Lyle, Youth Director
  Ron Goforth, Choir Director
  Eddie Mack Owen, Organist
  Sherrie Yarbro, Pianist
  Lane Howard, Administrative Assistant
• Annual budget or other information available through church office

Top of page

Webmaster