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VALUES

As members of First Christian Church we confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and proclaim Him Lord and Savior of the world. As a bridge church bringing together persons from many religious backgrounds in Chattanooga, Tennessee, we minister to our community from the following values.

1. One in Jesus Christ: We confess the unity of the church given in the one Lord Jesus Christ as God and Savior. The unity given in Jesus Christ makes of one blood all nations (Acts 17:26), and we seek to treat all persons without discrimination and with love and respect. The unity we experience in Jesus Christ precedes any differences that distinguish us one from another.

2. Ecumenical: Because the church of Jesus Christ is "essentially, intentionally, and constitutionally one," "Christian unity is our polar star." We confess our share of guilt for a divided church which hinders the message and power of the gospel, and in our quest for Christian unity, we seek to be a sign of that unity as a "bridge church."

3. Worship: We are a biblical people with a twin focus in our worship: proclaiming the word of God and celebrating the Lord’s Supper each Lord’s day. We praise God’s glory by richly proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ through music and prayer, preaching and sacraments.

4. Spiritual Growth: We seek to grow in discipleship–to witness to Jesus Christ in the world and follow his teachings through acts of compassion, justice, worship, and devotion under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

5. Ministry of Laity: The slogan, "the priesthood of all believers," has been a strong historic affirmation of Disciples of Christ and First Christian Church. Disciples understand all Christians to share in the ministry given by God to the church for the salvation of the world, sharing responsibility in the church’s worship, witness, and service.

6. Theologically Diverse: God has called us in Jesus Christ from many varied backgrounds. These differences enrich the church by providing us opportunity to learn various aspects of a many faceted gospel from one another.

7. Hospitality: Because God has called and accepted us in Jesus Christ, we foster an atmosphere of acceptance that reflects God’s hospitality to all. We provide space for any desiring to join us in the journey of faith and discipleship.

8. Caring: First Christian Church is a naturally warm, loving fellowship that seeks the welfare of all.

9. Progressive: We are united in seeking a faith that is intelligent, practical, emotionally meaningful, service-filled, and responsive to life in our changing world. With flexibility, tolerance, and spiritual depth, we seek the wholeness of Christ in mind, body, and spirit.

10. Community Minded: First Christian Church is a downtown church, and we seek "the welfare of the city," realizing that "in its welfare [we] will find [our] welfare." (Jeremiah 29:7) First Christian Church seeks to serve from our doorstep "to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8) through acts of compassion and justice.

11. Continuity: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever." (Hebrews 13:8) In continuity with the historic claims of Christian faith, we affirm that God exists and may be known, that Jesus Christ reveals God to us in his works and ways, and that this living God revealed to us in Jesus Christ seeks us in love and mercy.

12. Change: While the good news of God’s love in Jesus Christ does not change, the ways in which it is proclaimed effectively in our rapidly changing world do. We embrace appropriate change in forms of worship, fellowship, education, and service that empowers us to share more effectively the love of Christ with all people.