It all started when…
"An inclusive family of God, creating and inspiring Christian discipleship through fellowship, community mission and love of Jesus."
-First Christian Mission Statement
Welcome to First Christian Church of St. Paul located in the suburb of Mahtomedi, Minnesota. We are a congregation of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and part of the Upper Midwest Region of the Christian Church. First-St. Paul strives to be a place that is welcoming, loving and nurturing.
First Christian started ministry in 1882 in downtown St. Paul and has had a long and active ministry in the Twin Cities. In 1996, we moved to Mahtomedi, a suburb north of St.Paul. As we enter a new phase in our long ministry, we seek to be a missional and disciple-making congregation making an impact in Mahtomedi, St. Paul and the Twin Cities Metro area. First Christian-St. Paul is a small congregation with a big heart for God and the world.
Our Values
First Christian Church is a suburban congregation, united in Christ and grounded in the values of diversity, fellowship and witness.
First Christian Church of St. Paul is a 130-year-old congregation that is centered in three important values: diversity, fellowship and witness.
Diversity:
As a congregation, we try to live out Galatians 3:26-28, that we are all children of God in Christ:
26 You are all God’s children through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither slave nor free; nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Our congregation is racially and ethnically diverse. We voted to become openly welcoming to LGBT persons in 2015. The church has a history of welcoming immigrants, especially from Southeast Asia.
In a time when people are singling out various groups to blame society’s ills, we try our best to live out the inclusiveness that Jesus and the early followers lived out.
Fellowship:
The word fellowship is defined as “friendly association, especially with people who share one's interests.” That's a good definition, but a better one is found in the the Greek word for fellowship, koinonia. Koinonia is defined as “communion, joint participation; the share which one has in anything, participation, a gift jointly contributed, a collection, a contribution, etc. It identifies the idealized state of fellowship and unity that should exist within the Christian church, the Body of Christ.” The biblical example is found in Acts 2:42-47:
42 The believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the community, to their shared meals, and to their prayers. 43 A sense of awe came over everyone. God performed many wonders and signs through the apostles. 44 All the believers were united and shared everything. 45 They would sell pieces of property and possessions and distribute the proceeds to everyone who needed them. 46 Every day, they met together in the temple and ate in their homes. They shared food with gladness and simplicity. 47 They praised God and demonstrated God’s goodness to everyone. The Lord added daily to the community those who were being saved.
Our congregation is one that shares in joys and sufferings. We are there for each other at times of crisis or sadness, and are willing to share what we have to help a fellow member. Being church means being the people of God together, in good times and in bad and that is what we try to live out here at First Christian-St. Paul.
Witness:
Being a witness simply means testifying that you have seen something. The disciples of Jesus were considered witnesses because they had seen Jesus do miracles and sit with the stranger and outcast. But like fellowship, the Greek has a better understanding. The word kerygma means “the apostolic proclamation of salvation through Jesus Christ.” We continue to tell the world how God works on our own lives. We place an emphasis on teaching people to be disciples, followers of Jesus who tell the world in word and in deed that Jesus is alive and offers love and forgiveness to all. Some of Jesus’ final words to his disciples in Matthew commonly called the Great Commission describe this growing edge. Matthew 28:19-20 says the following:
19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to obey everything that I’ve commanded you. Look, I myself will be with you every day until the end of this present age.”
This means we share the good news of Jesus in how we feed the poor or pray for friends. It is about witnessing what we have seen in our own lives and in the lives those before us: that Jesus Christ brings salvation to all of creation.
First Christian Church of St. Paul is part of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). We are an American-founded movement with its origins on the American frontier during the Second Great Awakening during the early 19th century. Since its beginning, the Disciples of Christ have endeavored to increase respect, understanding and unity among all believers in Christ.
Disciples strive to remain obedient to the teachings of Jesus and the New Testament by practicing a faith which is socially relevant intellectually sound. Members are bound together in fellowship and service by belief in the central confession of the New Testament “that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16).
On other matters, the church recognizes the right to exercise freedom of opinion. This principle is a sustaining force in the life of the church. We hold that there should be “in essentials unity; in opinion, liberty; in all things, LOVE.”
Character of our Church . . . Freedom and Diversity
This phrase goes a long way toward describing who we are as a church. Christian unity is one of our important callings, so we in turn allow for a tremendous amount of diversity within the church.
You will find people within our congregation and movement who cover the spectrum from right to left in theology, politics, and philosophy in general. We are a diverse group that finds our unity around the Lord’s Table and in our efforts to further the work of Christ on earth.
You will not be told what you have to believe on specific issues. We trust that through your own spirit-inspired study of Scripture and the gift of reason, you will be able to make up your own mind. New members are simply asked if they believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and accept Him as their Lord and Savior.
So What Do Disciples Believe?
Beliefs and practices usually associated with the Disciples include:
Belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We affirm Jesus Christ as the Messiah, the Son of the living God. (Matthew 16:15-17, Luke 9:20)
The priesthood of all believers. We believe that all Christians are capable of proclaiming the Christian faith and showing others the goodness of God. (1 Peter 2:4-5)
Inclusive, weekly Communion. The Lord’s Supper is celebrated each week and is open to all who believe in Jesus Christ as the Messiah. (Matthew 26:28, Mark 14:24)
Freedom of belief. Disciples are called together around one essential of faith: belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. People are free to follow their consciences guided by the Bible, the Holy Spirit, reflection, and prayer, and are expected to extend that freedom to others.
Baptism by immersion. In baptism, the old self-centered life is set aside, and a new, ever growing life in God begins. We believe baptism is into the whole church--the whole Body of Christ--and so while Disciples practice baptism of believers by immersion, as was practiced by John the Baptist and Jesus Christ, other traditions are also recognized. (Matthew 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11)
The oneness of the church. All Christians are called to be one in Christ and to seek opportunities for common witness, testimony, and service. (Romans 10:12-13, 1 Corinthians 12:13)
The ministry of all believers. Both ministers and lay people lead in worship, service, and spiritual growth ministries as a means of expressing their faith. (James 1:22)
Covenental relationships. Each Disciples congregation is autonomous, and we choose to be related as a distinctive movement in a covenant of passion and compassion to carry the Good News of God's love in Jesus Christ to all the world. (Matthew 28:19-20)
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