The First Christian Church is one of more than 10,000 congregations identified with a movement known as the "Restoration Movement". Leaders of this movement, early in the 19th century, surveyed the religious situation in American and were disturbed in finding a fragmented church, each segment claiming to represent Christ. They saw the question of authority at the heart of a divided church. Over the years many man-made traditions, interpretations and practices had been added to the doctrine and worship of the church. The answer to the problem, as they saw it, was TO RESTORE the authority of Christ and His apostles for the faith and practice of the Christian church.
Our Aim
Such restoration pleads for the unity of God's scattered people in many churches to make visible Christ's one Body. There is only one Church of which Jesus is the Head. His church, according to the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 4, has "one Lord, one faith and one baptism". Thus, the movement to restore the church is also a movement TO UNITE the church again on the basis of its God-given fundamentals. "We are not the 'only Christians', but we seek to be 'Christians only'". We invite all who love the Lord Jesus Christ to join forces with us here in proclaiming the good news of salvation to all who will listen.
Our Name
AS INDIVIDUALS we use the name, "Christian", preferring to wear the name of Christ (Acts 11:26). We belong to Him and wear His name even as a wife belongs to her husband and wears his name. The name CHRISTIAN CHURCH stresses our relation to Jesus the Christ and brings Him honor.
Our Kenosha Legacy
The First Christian Church family began with a vision to reach those beyond our selves. Five people met in a home in 1923 with a vision to begin a Christian Church in Kenosha. Early services began in a tent until winds blew it down forcing them to move into a vacant store front and finally into an empty church building.
Though the early years were difficult, the congregation continued to grow to the point that in 1946 the decision was made to purchase land on 75th street nearly touching the open fields of Kenosha's then far South-side. God blessed First Christian with some forty years of impact on Kenosha's South-side at that location. During the seventies, church leadership assisted in starting a new church work in Winthrop Harbor and again in the early nineties started a church in the city of Racine.
By 1994 the Elders appointed a Long-Range Task Force to begin developing plans for the much-needed church building facilities. After a great deal of prayer, study, and evaluation with the help of church growth consultants, the congregation voted to relocate to facilitate the continued growth of First Christian. The decision was really a part of our historic vision to reach those beyond our selves. God "stretched" us to take a step of faith to minister in the growing Southwest corner of Kenosha!
We celebrated our "75th anniversary" as a congregation in May of 1998 with an outdoor, "ground-breaking" tent service on our new acquired 20-acre Hwy C site. Construction began in October of 1998 on the first phase multi-purpose building with completion and first worship services held in October of 1999.
The building was simply a God-given tool for the real "church" that was being built. Our church family has more than doubled since our move into the new building. Three more full-time ministers have been added to our staff to minister in the area of Youth, Children and Adult ministries. Plans are already in place to begin construction of a children's and youth building addition in the Fall of 2005. This is part of our master plan leading to a phase three worship facility in the future. God continues to bless this vision to reach those beyond our selves.
