About Us
First Presbyterian Church (FPC), Dyersburg, TN is a congregation of Christ's Church that strives to glorify God by calling people to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ and equipping them to serve Him. We seek to understand, apply, and live out the Scriptures in every area of life - at home and in the workplace, in the public square and in private, individually and corporately. We believe the Church is called to impact and influence the culture, not hide from it. We believe God's purposes are global, and therefore seek to participate in the discipling of the nations, beginning in our own community.
We believe that five things are necessary to the well-balanced Chrisian life: regular corporate worship; prayer; ongoing education in the Scriptures; fellowship; and active involvement in ministry. We embrace the Reformed faith as set forth in the Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms, believing that they are a faithful summary of the teaching of the Word of God. We further believe that Presbyterian government (rule by elders elected by the congregation) is the most biblical and most wise.
Our corporate worship is built around the expository (verse by verse) preaching of God's Word, accompanied by the singing of psalms and hymns that are rich in scriptural content. Our worship is not market-driven or seeker-driven, but Bible-driven. Our style of worship fits more into the category of conservative/traditional. We realize this goes against modern trends of entertainment and marketing, but we are committed to the philosophy that Christians are built up in the faith by steady exposure to the whole counsel of God. Therefore content is the crucial factor in worship, not style of music or what "markets" well in the culture. Unbelievers are converted, not by worship services that grab and entertain them, but by hearing all the truth of the Scriptures. "Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ." (Romans 10:17) Therefore our philosophy of worship is simple. We preach the Bible, sing the Bible, pray the Bible and "see" the Bible's message of redemption through the two sacraments: baptism and the Lord's Supper.
FPC is a member congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). The PCA was founded in 1973 as an effort to maintain faithfulness to the Scriptures and to the historic truths of the Reformed faith. Also, as a member of Covenant Presbytery, FPC and her leaders are in a relationship of doctrinal and moral accountability with other PCA churches in west Tennessee, north Mississippi, and Arkansas.
We believe that a Biblical worldview requires us to see all of life through the lens of Scripture. Therefore our ministry to the community has included a Christian school since 1995, now serving approximately 150 students, K-3 through 8th grade. Our goal is to prepare children to engage the culture as thinking Christians and prepare them to be salt and light in a nation of increasing spiritual and moral confusion. Christ Classical Academy is fully accredited by the Association of Christian Schools International.
FPC celebrated 150 years of service in 2004. We are committed to the authority and sufficiency of Scripture and to the Great Commission, believing that through Word and Spirit, and the faithful labors of His people, Christ will build His Church.