About

Mission Statement

First Presbyterian Church Florence worships God in the Reformed traditions of theology and worship. Embracing our rich history and seeking to discern God’s will for us, we move into the future with hope. We serve the congregation and the community with ministries grounded in a strong belief in God’s love and grace, as revealed in Jesus Christ; and, we serve God through traditional worship and music, teaching, and prayer. Our mission is to nurture spiritual growth, encourage family worship, practice stewardship of our resources, and serve our community and the world.

 

Covenant of Membership

We, the members of First Presbyterian Church, Florence, Alabama, have expressed with one voice, in the “Covenant of Membership” printed below, our desire to actively seek God’s will and purposes for us through our Presbyterian Church (USA) forms of government, worship and discipline. We believe our Reformed Traditions of faith and order offer unique pathways that enable us to engage in Holy Conversations with one another. In the various group deliberations of our community, we commit ourselves to dialogue, listen, study and pray together, as we seek to discern God’s will for us.

With God:
We promise to pray, alone and together, to thank God and to ask for His help in our lives and in our work for First Presbyterian, Florence. We promise to listen for God’s answers to us.

With Our Church Leadership:
We commit ourselves to the life and work of Christ through First Presbyterian, Florence, and we promise to support our elected leadership. We promise to support our pastor and staff, that their efforts might be most productive. We commit ourselves to the discernment of what is best for the church as a whole, not just to what might be best for particular groups within the church.

With Each Other:
We promise to respect and care for each other. We promise to treat the time we commit in our work at First Presbyterian, Florence, as a gracious opportunity to offer our unique gifts to the mission and service of the church. We promise to listen to the thoughts and opinions of one another with open, non-judgmental minds. We promise to discuss, debate and disagree openly in meetings, expressing ourselves as clearly and honestly as possible, in order to understand our various points of view, to the best of our ability. We promise to support the final decisions of the session and congregation, mindful that “Synods and Councils may err,”* in accordance with the polity of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A).

*The Book of Confessions, Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter XXXIII/XXXI, 6.175.3