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| First Presbyterian Church of Jackson | |
|---|---|
| The First Presbyterian Church of Jackson | |
  First Presbyterian Church of Jackson | |
| 32°19′05″N90°10′41″W / 32.318°N 90.178°W /32.318; -90.178 | |
| Location | 1390 North State Street,Jackson, Mississippi |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Presbyterian Church in America |
| Previous denomination | Presbyterian Church in the United States |
| Churchmanship | Evangelical,Reformed |
| Website | www.fpcjackson.org/ |
| History | |
| Founded | 8 April 1837 (1837-04-08) |
| Administration | |
| Presbytery | Mississippi Valley |
| Clergy | |
| Senior pastor | Rev. David Strain |
TheFirst Presbyterian Church is a historic congregation currently housed at 1390 North State Street inJackson, Mississippi. It was founded in 1837.[1]
First Presbyterian Church is the largest Presbyterian church inMississippi and a flagship and founding congregation of thePresbyterian Church in America. Its communicant membership is over 2,500.[2]
With 3,100 members, it has become the largestPresbyterian congregation inMississippi and one of the largest in theUnited States. It has played a significant role in the establishment of thePresbyterian Church in America (PCA), and the congregation has remained one of the flagship congregations of that denomination.[3] Its pastor at the time of the PCA's establishment in 1973, Rev Donald Patterson, was Chairman of the Steering Committee for a Continuing Presbyterian Church and preached at the inaugural PCA General Assembly.[4]
The church played a significant role of establishing the Winter Theological Institution in 1962, which becameReformed Theological Seminary.[5]
In the 1950s and 1960s, FPCexcluded black people from the sanctuary.[6] The church published a statement of repentance over this in 2016.[7] The minister and some members of FPC were very influential in the 1992 formation of Mission Mississippi, an ecumenical racial reconciliation initiative. Soon afterwards, however, there was a backlash against the organization within this congregation, dues to the church's historic resistance to thecivil rights movement.[8][9]
Ligon Duncan served as Senior Pastor from 1996 to 2013.
The congregation adheres to theWestminster Confession of Faith.[10]
The church describes itself " A steadfast witness to historic Reformed Christianity for over 175 years".
It is a member of the Mississippi Valley Presbytery.[11]
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Jackson Preparatory School serves the Jackson area but is in nearbyFlowood. | |||||||||
