Our mission

First Lutheran Church is called to be the Body of Christ and to build God’s kingdom in Pecatonica and surrounding communities by proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ in word and deed. Our mission is to love God and all people, to make disciples of Jesus Christ and to provide for growth in faith and ministry.

We strive to offer meaningful worship in which people experience God’s holy presence, know God’s grace through Jesus Christ and hear Christ’s call to discipleship. Through lifelong Christian education, fellowship and small group ministries, we help God’s people know the Bible, foster in each person spiritual and discipleship growth, help all members identify their spiritual gifts, equip them for ministry and help them live in unity through Christ-centered relationships. We tend and care for all God has entrusted to us by using our time, talents and possessions for God’s purposes.

Our vision
A world experiencing the difference God’s grace and love in Christ makes for all people and creation.
Our values
Our values are grounded in faith, in our biblical and Lutheran confessional sources and our love of God and neighbor. They speak to the way this church lives and practices our faith, and they will guide how we journey forward in Christ as church together.
Forgiveness and reconciliation

We are reconciled to God by God’s forgiving mercy. Forgiveness and reconciliation flow from what God has made us to be in Jesus Christ and what God is doing with us in the world. As a people of God, we embody forgiveness in speech, action and relationships, and our ministry in reconciliation is foundational.

Dignity, compassion and justice

Each person is created in God’s image. We respect this God-given right to dignity and, inspired by the life of Jesus, show love and compassion for all people. Through proclamation of the gospel, through worship and as servants of God working for healing and justice in the world, we uphold and seek to protect the dignity and human rights of all people.

Inclusion and diversity

As Christ’s church, we value the richness of God’s creation and offer a radical welcome to all people, appreciating our common humanity and our differences. We are a church that does not view diversity as a barrier to unity. We recognize and will challenge dynamics of power and privilege that create barriers to participation and equity in this church and society – for women, people of color, minority ethnic groups, people with disabilities, people who are marginalized or living in poverty, and the LGBTQ community.