Mission
Our mission is to send well-equipped disciples of Jesus into the world—compassionate, generous, resilient and wise.
“The gifts Christ gave all serve to equip the saints for the work of ministry.”
– Eph. 4:11-12
Core Practices
Worship, Learn, Connect, Serve and Invite.
These core practices are commitments we share with the earliest believers:
“Awe came upon everyone [WORSHIP] as they devoted themselves to learning [LEARN], sharing fellowship, meals and prayer [CONNECT], and selling their possessions, extending selfless generosity toward everyone in need [SERVE]. Day by day, they met together in the temple and in their homes, breaking bread with deep joy and humble hearts, praising God and demonstrating God’s goodness to everyone. And day by day, the Lord brought more who were being saved [INVITE].”
—Acts 2:42-47
Theology
The good news of the gospel is that God, who created us, also loves, transforms and equips us for life.
In creation, God’s breath brought order out of chaos, and charged us to be stewards of this world that God loves. And in spite of human weakness, from the beginning God has reached out in a trustworthy covenant relationship with us.
In Jesus Christ, God invites everyone to experience God’s love, and welcomes us to be Christ’s hands and feet in loving service to others. Through the Holy Spirit, God breathes new life into us. Again and again, we are renewed in spite of our failures, and encouraged to bring God’s justice, compassion and hope to the world. Through the Bible, God continues to guide us to this life-giving way of Jesus Christ.
The church is not an exclusive club we need to earn a right to join, but rather God’s own family where all of us are invited to belong, as we seek to follow Jesus out into the world he loves so much.
First Presbyterian Church of Lake Forest is a congregation within the Presbyterian Church (USA). To learn more about our denomination's beliefs, visit the PCUSA website.