Vision, Mission, and Values

Our Vision

A church deeply formed by the Good News of Jesus Christ,

experiencing and expressing God’s grace together in Hattiesburg.

 

Our Mission

To make disciples of Jesus Christ who live in His hope, walk in His love, discover His peace, and multiply His grace in others.

Expressed through:

Worshiping Together

Regular, joyful worship that celebrates God’s glory and truth.

Living Together

Deep community life marked by fellowship, spiritual formation, and mutual care.

Serving Together

Mission and outreach initiatives that serve our city and the world with humility and love.

 

Our Core Values

Gospel-Centered Truth

We celebrate and submit to God’s Word as the anchor of our lives.

Joyful Community

We believe transformation happens through authentic, shared life.

Formation over Performance

We value deep, patient spiritual growth over superficial activity.

Grace and Hospitality

We aim to be a place where the broken are welcomed and restored.

Kingdom Mission

We exist not for ourselves but to serve others, reflecting Christ’s love.

What We Believe
First Presbyterian Church is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA).
God

There is one living and true God who eternally exists as three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We believe these three are one God, and each possesses the full nature, attributes, and perfections of deity. He is infinite in holiness, all powerful, and all knowing.

Jesus Christ

Jesus is the eternal Son of God. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking upon Himself human nature with its demands and necessities and identifying Himself completely with mankind, yet without sin. Through His death on the cross, He made provision for the redemption of men from sin. He was raised from the dead with a glorified body, ascended into heaven, and is now exalted at the right hand of God. He will return to Earth one day to reign as King.

Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. He enables humanity to understand their need for Jesus. The Holy Spirit cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows the spiritual gifts by which they serve God through His church. His presence in the Christian is the guarantee that God will bring the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.

The Bible

We believe the Holy Spirit of God inspired and guided the authors of Scripture to reveal His truth, His will, and His counsel to all believers, of all times, including us today. As it is authored by God, the Bible is without error and defect in its wisdom and authority. We, as individuals and as communities of faith, are led by the Holy Spirit to submit to the authority of Scripture and apply the wisdom of Scripture to our daily lives. It is through God’s word that we are led to salvation in Christ and guided to live our lives for Christ and His purposes.

Man

Mankind was created by God in His own image for the purpose of bringing glory to God. However, man sinned, which resulted in both physical and spiritual death, i.e.; separation from God. This spiritual death has been transmitted to the entire human race (except for Christ), with the result that every person is born into the world with a sinful nature that rebels against God and is under His condemnation. Outside of trusting Jesus for salvation, man’s sin nature prevents him from having a relationship with God. Only the grace of God can bring man into His holy fellowship and enable man to fulfill the creative purpose of glorifying God.

Salvation

Due to man’s sin nature, he is eternally separated from God and dependent on God for salvation from his sins. No amount of good works will enable man to have a saving relationship with God. Salvation is available through faith alone based solely on the death of Jesus Christ as the substitute for sinful man. Christ’s resurrection demonstrated God’s full acceptance of His death as payment for sins and foreshadows the final resurrection of all believers. All who are born of the Spirit through faith in Christ can have assurance of salvation and are eternally secure in Christ.

Other Resources
If you wish to learn more about our beliefs, use the links below for further reading.
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