First Presbyterian Church of Arlington

About

Welcome to First Presbyterian Church of Arlington, Virginia!

Story

First Presbyterian Church is a fellowship of believers united under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, whom we acknowledge as Lord of all and as Head of the church. First Presbyterian is also a part of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the largest Presbyterian/Reformed body of believers in the United States. As such, the members of First Presbyterian are guided in our beliefs by the historic creeds and confessions contained within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Book of Confessions, which includes The Apostles’ Creed, The Nicene Creed and nine other statements of faith. These expressions of faith help define our common faith even as we welcome and celebrate our theological diversity.

While individuals within our faith community may hold different views on such matters, the following beliefs are central to our understanding of the Christian faith:

~ We believe in the sovereignty of the Triune God, who exists as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

~ We believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, fully human and fully divine, who came into our world to proclaim the good news of the gospel and to offer himself as the means of salvation for the world.

~ We believe that all persons, even the most virtuous, have sinned and are in need of the salvation which Christ made possible when he died on the cross.

We believe in the gift of eternal life, which God revealed for all persons when God raised Jesus from the dead on the first Easter.

~ We believe in and practice two sacraments, which are the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper (communion). We believe that these sacraments are the visible signs of the invisible grace of God at work in us and the church.

~ We believe that the church is a welcoming community of forgiven sinners who live and celebrate God’s renewing power at work equally in all of us. Therefore we welcome into the life, membership and leadership of our fellowship all persons regardless of race, gender, social status, nationality, sexual orientation, denomination or other distinctions that may exist with our world.

~ We believe that God sends the church into the world as ambassadors of grace, peace and justice after the example of Jesus.

~ We believe that the Holy Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, are inspired by God and are the unique and authoritative witness for matters of our faith and practice.

~ We believe that no individual or church has a complete grasp of God’s truth and that there is room within the church for differences of opinion and practice even in matters of faith.

Mission

The Mission of First Presbyterian Church is to:

INVITE the world into the church to seek and worship God, be formed in faith, and be nurtured by the congregation;

EMPOWER the people to live God's love through Jesus Christ; and

EMBODY God's grace in deeds of justice and compassion.