What We Believe

At First Christian Church Katy, we don’t have a set of religious beliefs that we impose or require others to believe in order to be part of our community. We strive to break down barriers that divide us by discovering ways to express love, peace, justice and compassion.

While we do not have a an official list of subscribed beliefs, there are some things that are very important to us as a church community.

1. We believe God is a mystery to be explored, not a dogma to adhere to. God is not limited to one faith expression and cannot be explained by any system of theology.
2. The Dignity and inclusion of all people: We believe all people are created in the image of God and are worthy of love and inclusion. With the exception of those who are unsafe, we don’t create any barriers for inclusion in the life of First Christian Church Katy. For clarity; women, men, and non-binary folx, people of color, gay and straight persons, transgender and cisgender persons, christians and atheists, old and young persons, and people of all abilities can AND DO serve in any position here.
3. Open table: We take communion every week and ALL are welcome to the table.
4. Centrality of Scripture: While we do affirm truths and wisdom available in all religious texts, as a Christian Church our services are centered around texts from the Christian Bible. We do not place labels on Scripture such as “inerrant” or “ultimate authority”. We affirm 2 Timothy 3:16 that Scripture is USEFUL for teaching so we are committed to be in conversation, and wrestle with the text to find truth and meaning for us today. We believe that a multitude of interpretations for Scripture exist and are needed. We invite each person to read and study Scripture for themselves and come to their own conclusions and convictions.
5. Justice: When Jesus preached, he claimed, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” We believe this is the work that was important to Jesus and it’s the work that is important to us.
6. Baptism: We practice adult baptism by full immersion as a symbolic representation of one’s new life found in Jesus. However, having been baptized as an infant, or not having been baptized at all, does not prevent anyone from being part of the community at First Christian Church Katy.
7. Love: When asked the greatest commandment, Jesus said, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.” We believe that our love for God should manifest in loving our neighbors, including those who have been historically marginalized by the church and society as a whole.
8. Fullness of life: Jesus said, “I have come that you would have life and have it to the full.” We believe that following Jesus should result in a fullness of life for all people. We are committed to both pursuing this for ourselves and fighting for a world where all can experience this fullness of life.
9. “Everything means EVERYthing” and “Nothing means NOthing”: Colossians 1: 19-22 says For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.

   Romans 8: 38-39 says, And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

10. What about all the stuff I’m used to seeing on a “what we believe” page? Things like heaven and hell, sin and salvation, end times, the divinity of Jesus, etc…? While people who lead at, and attend, our church certainly have opinions on these topics, we recognize that there have been a multitude of beliefs on all of these and more throughout Church history. We do not believe that being a Christian equals believing “correct” beliefs and no one in leadership at our church believes that their view is the only “right” one. Therefore, our Church does not hold official stances on these topics.