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Tacoma's First Christian Church is part of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), an American church that traces its roots back to 1809 when 30 people, including Thomas and Alexander Campbell, organized the Brush Run Church in Washington County, Pennsylvania.  The early founders of the church were disillusioned with the division found among the denominations and wanted to find a way to re-unite all Christians.  The Christian Church, since its beginning, has endeavored to increase respect, understanding, and unity among the believers of Christ.  As Disciples, we strive to remain obedient to the teachings of Jesus and the New Testament by practicing a faith that is socially relevant and intellectually sound.  Members are bound together in fellowship and service by the belief in the central confession of the New Testament "that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16).   On other matters, the church recognizes the right to exercise freedom of opinion.  "Where the scriptures speak we speak; where the scriptures are silent, we are silent."  This principle is a sustaining force in the life of the church.  We hold that there should be "in essentials, unity; in opinion, liberty; and in all things, LOVE".

The congregation can be identified as moderate in its theology - neither conservative nor liberal, although individual members within the congregation cover the entire conservative to liberal spectrum.  The congregation is strongly committed to affirming Jesus Christ as Savior, prayer as a discipline of life, and the Bible as a personal guide for living.

Unlike some other denominations, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has no creeds that must be followed.  There are two basic ways in which our faith is expressed in the Christian Church.  We practice believer's baptism and open communion.

BAPTISM
We practice "believer's baptism" by immersion for those mature individuals who wish to make a commitment to Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.  The service of baptism is symbolic of our sins being washed away and being born anew in life with Jesus Christ.  For those interested in transferring their membership into our church, we accept other forms of Christian baptism.  If you have been baptized in another tradition, it is not necessary to be immersed.

COMMUNION
For the Christian Church, the heart of worship is the Lord's Supper, which we celebrate every Sunday.  The Lord's Supper (or communion) is the re-enactment of Jesus' last supper with his disciples.  In this act we are called to remember Christ, his life on earth and his death on the cross for our sins.  We practice open communion; it is not necessary to belong to this congregation to take communion.  All who accept Jesus as their Savior are invited to share in communion.