Mission Statement

In order to develop direct, inspired wisdom within each of us, FPCC provides a welcoming, safe place to explore alternative views of Christianity. We move beyond a unified belief in creeds and church authority as each person takes responsibility for their own inquiry and spiritual development. We come together to learn from each other by questioning common assumptions of Christian theology, exploring alternative interpretations of the Bible, and discovering a variety of expressions of Christian spirituality.

At First Postmodern Christian Church we understand “religious truth” as grounded in the universal within all of us and expressed uniquely through each of us. Therefore, we envision part of everyone’s spiritual path is to reexamine one’s own individualized truths as a lifelong evolutionary journey. Scripture can play a key role in this process with a never-ending goal of developing wisdom. Therefore, at FPCC, we do not teach a “right way” to interpret the Bible, nor a “right understanding” of the Bible, whether it is literal, metaphorical, historical, moral, or otherwise. At FPCC, the Bible is not conceived as a rulebook, instead, the Bible is seen as a tool that contributes to a lifelong process of developing wisdom and of developing our individual and collective consciousness. We encourage individuals to develop wisdom in part by examining Biblical texts, self-study, sharing, and listening in community.

• Our sacred celebrations reflect our openness and welcoming spirit.
• We affirm that individuals are responsible for their evolution in the search for truth and meaning.
• We respect each person’s spiritual path and spiritual practices.
• We are committed to individual transformation and the maturing of understanding throughout a lifetime.
• We support people in practicing their spiritual values and being a beneficial presence in the world.
• We honor our interdependent oneness by supporting each other within a safe and compassionate fellowship.
• We are Open & Affirming and celebrate diversity. How could it be otherwise?

Some of the values that we hold in our gatherings include:

• • Safety to allow people to express their vulnerability, doubts, frustrations, beliefs without being given advice, preached at, condescended to, told how things should be, or made wrong in any way;
  • A listening space where people can try on ideas, feelings, and forms of self-expression without being concerned about having to take care of the listener;
  • Respect for the right of each person to be exactly where they are and to have their own perspectives, beliefs, and experiences;
  • Self-Responsibility for our own actions, choices, development, and empowerment to meet our needs within the group and in our lives;
  • Freedom to change our minds, choose our level of participation, and to decline any suggestion that does not fit for us;
  • Taking Action in the world to apply our spiritual values, learn what we are here to learn, and develop the capacity to live in a way that is heart/mind congruent;
  • Compassion for the challenges, difficulties, and seeming failures that we all face;
  • Sharing what we have learned is an offering to each other when it comes from a sincere desire to share rather than trying to fix or give advice;
  • Speaking our truth, for our own benefit, to heal and dissolve the internal barriers we have placed on ourselves in order to be safe and receive love, and to begin to allow the truth of who we are to show up in the world;
  • Skillfulness developed through practicing authentic speaking, open listening, and compassionate holding in fellowship with others;
  • Humility in thinking that we know the Truth, accepting that we have limited knowledge of other perspectives, letting go of arguments about our opinions and judgments of others, and giving up insistence on being right;

Given that Postmodernists:

• tend to question assumptions that are taken for granted in Christian theology, and
• understand that the reader/interpreter of scripture influences the interpretation,

FPCC provides a welcoming and safe fellowship to explore alternative views and expressions of Christian spirituality in order to support postmodernists in taking responsibility for the meaning they make, the interpretations they accept, and the evolution of understanding throughout a lifetime.