In response to God’s call, we strive to be Christ’s presence as an authentic, vital, and growing community where lives are changing, inspiring hope and curiosity.
This purpose will be accomplished through relevant, multigenerational worship, deepening discipleship, and living as a blessing of God into the community and the world.
A Ministry Initiative is a statement describing a large block of ministry we believe God is calling Spokane F.P.C. to pursue. Our ministry initiatives are grouped into two categories: inside and outside. Inside initiatives refer to things we want to do internally, inside our congregation. Outside initiatives deal with how we relate and interact with our community.
For more information on ministry initiatives, please see the Self Study Team's report.
Inside Initiatives:
- Plan and provide distinct worship experiences that connect deeply with different 'heart languages' and core identities of all generations. Past worship studies and our reformed tradition should guide this process.
- Research, strategize, and develop a network of Small Groups devoted to Bible study, mutual encouragement, authentic relationships, and service.
- Create a culture that raises up and empowers lay leaders for ministry, eliminating the barriers that have frustrated these efforts in the past.
- Incorporate in our church life ways to demonstrate the relevance of Jesus Christ to a post modern culture.
- Reflect on the existing ministries of our congregation to prayerfully make decisions regarding those that are most critical to fulfilling the Vision, including reallocation of resources.
- Encourage a ministry by and with post-high school young adults to build experiential opportunities within our faith community that address their unique needs.
Outside Initiatives:
- Build a strategy and implement a plan to equip, mentor, and encourage people for ministry in their day-to-day life experiences.
- Link specific community needs with congregational gifts and assets to define the scope and content of our urban ministry.
- Establish cooperative partnerships between FPC and other community churches, agencies, and organizations in order to better serve our community.
- Create experiences that will reach out to cultivate relationships with individuals and families who are presently without a church.
Beliefs
As a community we are both joyfully and fearfully orthodox – rooted in the Reformation tradition and passionate to share Jesus with our world today.
We believe in the one God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – who created and redeems the universe, and sustains life through his power. Out of great love, God in Jesus Christ became flesh and blood and lived in this world. Through his life, death on a cross, and resurrection, God opens the doorway into eternal life for all. Jesus sets about to heal our sinful and broken lives, and transform us here and now if we but ask. We believe Jesus calls us, not just to mental assent to truth, but to a journey of discipleship and service where God’s amazing love fills us where we live, work and play.
In a culture where self-focus reigns, we dare as a community to call each other toward the kingdom of God that Jesus says is near: a kingdom where joy and sacrifice challenge the rules of our world and offer a home and safety for all who are hungry to know a God of love and justice.
The Bible is our guide. We believe it stands alone in all of history as God’s inspired word with power through the Holy Spirit to transform our lives. The standards God sets for us in scripture are high, but the grace offered as we pursue God’s call is sufficient for the road before us.
Community Life
In addition to participation in worship, we invite you to find a place to grow and a place where you feel called to serve. Consider getting involved in a class, a small group, or a mid-sized group as a way to grow in your faith. Find a place to give back either through one of our many mission partnerships in the city or in the life of the church. Relationships come out of life spent with others in big churches like First Presbyterian just as they do in smaller congregations.
You'll find several ways to get involved listed below. For more information on what options are available, take a look at 60-plus Ways to Connect.
Initial Places to Connect
- Alpha Course - A Practical Introduction to Christian Faith
- CORE Class - Introduction to Spokane First Presbyterian Church
Classes & Groups for Children, Youth, & Adults
First Presbyterian Church offers a wide variety of programs for growth and fellowship. These include Sunday morning classes for children, youth and adults, mid-week junior and senior high programs and adult classes, fellowship groups, Bible study groups, and annual events.
Mission Partnerships
First Presbyterian Church is located in the downtown area of Spokane . This location helps shape our service and outreach within our community. As a congregation, we sponsor programs that reach out to many within our community, we support our members in the work they are doing, and we encourage each other to serve where God is calling us.
In addition, we are actively involved with a number of global efforts by supporting and maintaining relationships with mission workers in other countries, and by regularly sending out groups to work on short-term projects.
History of Spokane First Presbyterian Church
The congregation was organized with just 19 people under the leadership of Rev. Thomas Watson in 1883 before Washington was a state in the union. Watson arrived in the area as a "home missionary" with the assignment to plant churches throughout what was then the Washington Territory , and he pushed hard for the first congregation in the eastern part of the territory to be here in " Spokane Falls " rather than out in Cheney which was the county seat at the time.
Our current building is not the original building, which was located for a number of years on the corner of Monroe and Riverside where the current Spokesman Review Tower stands. The oldest section of our current building, which includes the sanctuary and the towers, was built in 1910. The educational wing stretching west along Fourth Avenue was completed in 1951, and the most recent addition, which houses the fellowship hall, the gym and the preschool in the basement, was finished in 1995.
Pastors and Staff
We currently have a pastoral team with three Pastors. In addition, we have approximately 12 laypersons in leadership roles on program staff as well as numerous administrative and support staff.
- Rev. John Sowers (Senior Pastor, Head of Staff)
- Rev. Kevin Finch (Associate Pastor)
- Rev. Janeen Steer (Associate Pastor)