Celebrating Identity

Notes from the Pastor...

Who is First Christian Church?  

Is our reputation and identity the same?  

When I talk with visitors and people in our community I attempt to succinctly provide our congregational identity.  The statement I have settled on is as follows:

We are First Christian Church, an open, inclusive, Christ-centered family of faith.

Even though this statement is well received; sadly it is often a surprise to people who know us only by our reputation.  We’ve been called “the country club church,” “Alto Christian Church,” and “the old people church.”  Such statements may, or may not, have been true in the past; however, they are not true today.  From my assessment, we are more than our reputation  – We are Frist Christian Church, an open, inclusive, 
Christ-centered family of faith.

It is that last clause in our identity that is the most often misunderstood by our neighbors: “family of faith.”  In congregational life, we seem to naturally inhabit “brothers and sisters in faith,” or “friends in faith” more than “FAMILY of faith.”  With very little exception most of our congregation is of a single generation; thus, we fall short of the desired “family of faith.”

In the coming weeks, we will be discussing what it means to be a “family of faith.” Seldom do I directly request your attendance, but over the next two weeks,  February 12th and 19th, I sincerely desire everyone who considers First Christian Church their spiritual home to please come, worship, and see what God is doing in this place. I especially invite all the parents of children attached to our congregation; when we talk about “family of faith,” we have you in mind.  Further, I draft you, our faithful members, to invite families who crave spiritual formation in their child’s life.  

It is time for our congregation to proclaim and live out our identity  – we need to celebrate who we are, and our neighbors desperately need us to be ourselves.  We are First Christian Church, an open, inclusive, and Christ-centered family of faith.  Through the work of worship, the sacrifice of discipleship, and the healing of hopelessness, we participate in the Kingdom of God!  

Grace, 
Pastor Ryan