What We Believe

Welcome to our "What We Believe" page. Here, you'll discover the core values and guiding principles that shape our church community. Whether you're new to faith or have been on this journey for a while, we hope this page offers insight into the heart of who we are and what brings us together.

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Our beliefs include:

• Sovereignty of God: God is the supreme authority in the universe, working out everything according to God's purpose and love.

• Justification by Grace through Faith: Salvation is a free gift from God. People are saved by God's grace rather than by their own achievements or good works. We can neither earn or lose salvation. It is a gift freely given through Jesus Christ. Because God chooses us long before we can ever choose Him, we believe there is nothing that can separate us from God’s love (Romans 8:38-39).  

• Authority of Scripture: The Bible is the supreme and trustworthy guide for faith and life. Our understanding of Reformed theology means we use Scripture as the lens for everything–our worship, our beliefs, our practices. If it doesn't align with Biblical teaching, we need to make changes. 

• The Priesthood of All Believers: Everyone—ministers and laypeople alike—has a role to share the "Good News" and participate in the church's mission. At First Presbyterian Church of Tullahoma, all believers are encouraged to serve as they have been called by God.

• Faith as a Community: We believe that faith is communal and we need each other. We believe that we don't become more like Christ alone but through a community of faith who will pray for us, teach us, encourage us, serve alongside us, and even correct us.

• The Sacraments: The church recognizes two sacraments: Baptism and the Lord's Supper (Communion). 

  • Baptism is the sign of God's covenant and is offered to both infants and adults. We baptize infants, because we believe God chooses us long before we ever choose him, and His grace does not begin at a particular moment in time. When we baptize a baby, the entire congregation makes a promise to help raise the child in faith. Adult baptism works similarly. Someone comes forward professing faith, and we welcome them into Christ's body.

  • We celebrate the Lord’s Supper (Communion) through intinction, where we dip a piece of bread in a cup of grape juice. We believe Christ is spiritually present in communion. The bread doesn’t literally become Christ's flesh. Instead, the Holy Spirit allows Christ to join with us in this meal. Through the act of taking communion, we recognize the mystery of the faith–Christ has died, Christ has risen, and Christ will come again.

• Shared Governance: We are governed by congregationally-elected elders, who serve three-year terms. Elders are church members who've shown spiritual maturity and leadership gifts. These men and women are responsible for working together to make  decisions about church life. Elected leaders and the pastor seek God's will together.

• Mission in Action:  Because Presbyterians believe God has saved us, we want to share that grace with others through our actions. For our congregation, that means actively engaging in the world around us through both local, national, and international missions.​​​