There are several things about the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) that you may not know or understand so we thought it might be helpful to share some of the questions we receive from first time visitors and others that are interested in our church.

If you would like more information about any of the questions covered, or if you have a question that is not answered on this page, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Q: What "kind" of church are you?

A: First Christian Church of Louisville is part of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) which can best be described as a main-line protestant church. If you were to visit our church, you would find many similarities with other church experiences you have had. The following quote is representative of many of these similarities:

"The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has beliefs and practices in common with all sorts of Christians. These apparent similarities sometimes are superficial, sometimes fundamental. We baptize by immersion, so we look like Baptists. We have Communion every Sunday, so we look a bit like Roman Catholics. We stress the ministry of the laity, so we look a little like Quakers. Our congregations call their pastors rather than accepting assigned ministers, so in that respect we look like Presbyterians. We rely heavily on preaching and teaching, so we look somewhat like Methodists. We have congregational government, so we look a lot like the United Church of Christ."

Excerpted from We Call Ourselves Disciples,
by General Minister and President Emeritus Dr. Kenneth Teegarden

For more information on our denomination, please visit our national web-site at www.disciples.org.

Q: What do you believe?
A: Like most Christians, we believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God whose grace provides the forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with God and with one another. In fact, the only affirmation one must make in order to become a member of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is that he or she believes that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and that he or she proclaims him as Lord and Savior.

This allows for a tremendous diversity of theological understanding within our congregation and members of our congregation represent almost every theological and political position imaginable.

Through our common belief in Christ, we are able to learn from our differences instead of argue because of them. This open minded approach helps us to build a truly diverse and deeply committed body of believers who truly reflect God's glory.

To learn more about our beliefs, please click here.

Q: When was your church established?

A: The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) was established on the American Frontier in the early 1800's by a group of Christians seeking to start a church dedicated to unity based on the New Testament. First Christian Church of Louisville traces its history to 1834. For more details on our history, please click here.

Q: How large is your church?

A: The denomination now counts nearly 850,000 members in the United States and Canada. Numerically, the strength of the Disciples of Christ runs in a broad arc that sweeps from Ohio and Kentucky through the Midwest and down into Oklahoma and Texas.

First Christian Church of Louisville currently has over 300 members and we average between 225 and 250 in worship on Sundays.

Q: What qualifications do your pastors have?

A: Our denomination generally requires its ordained ministers to receive a Master of Divinity Degree from an accredited seminary before they can be ordained. This means our pastor has a minimum of three to four years of education past their Bachelor's Degree. Non-ordained, or lay ministers who have not completed seminary but who have experienced the call of God and have undergone ministerial preparation through the regional and general church may also serve on staff. All staff members have been required to undergo thorough background checks as well as courses on creating a safe church environment free of any form of abuse.

Q: Are women allowed to be pastors?

A: The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) was one of the first denominations to ordain women, doing so in 1888. This tradition of strong female leadership continues to be an integral part of our church. In fact, women experience full inclusion in every aspect of the church, including pastoral leadership, as elders and as teachers.

Q: What are your worship services like?

A: We have three worship services each Sunday morning. Our 8:30 service is traditional in nature and has hymns and organ as its primary musical form. Our 9:30 and 11:00 services are both contemporary and resemble each other almost identically. These services are led by a worship band that leads praise songs and offers a weekly special that shares a message related to our service themes.

All services include communion, prayers, offering, and message. For more information about our worship services and their times click here.

Q: Who is allowed to take communion?

A: Just as the love of Christ is open to all who would receive it, so is our communion table. In our service, everyone who is present is invited to receive communion without exception. While we do allow children, including those who have not been baptized, to receive communion, we believe the choice to do so or not should be made by parents.

Q: How does a person join your church?

A: Believing that anyone should be able to commit themselves to the Christian faith at any time, we provided an opportunity to join our church at the end of every service. This can be done in one of two ways: Those who have not yet been baptized may make their confession of faith ("Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God and do you accept him as Lord and Savior?" -- "I do.") and then be baptized through full immersion. Those who have been baptized (either by immersion, sprinkling or christening) may transfer their membership from another congregation to become a permanent member of our church family. If you would like to talk with a staff person regarding membership please contact the Reverend Brian Gerard.