About Us

FCC -SM

A Place To Belong, A Place To Become

We are First Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, San Marcos

We truly believe that everyone should feel welcome here.

We confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and proclaim him Lord and Savior of the world.

WE ARE a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world. As part of the one Body of Christ, we welcome all to the Lord’s Table as God has welcomed us. We are rooted and grounded in scripture. God’s Word of love and reconciliation equip the church with direction, mission and spiritual food for each person’s growth and maturity in the Christian Faith. We are called to love one another by Jesus Christ and our mission is to reach out to our community in love, faith and service.

Jesus commands us in John 13:34-35 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Paul tells us in Galatians 5:13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. (ESV)

We Are Disciples of Christ

Our Beliefs

Our congregation governs itself, but has chosen to partner with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) for increased missions effectiveness, mutual support, and community with other congregations.

We are called together around two essentials of faith.

A belief in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
A belief that Christians are free to follow their own conscience guided by Bible study, the Holy Spirit, and prayer.

Beyond that, we value the old mantra, “In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, and in all things love.” Therefore, to be a member of our church you simply need to profess a faith in Jesus Christ, and understand that not everyone is going to see things the same way you do.

While we do not have creeds or statements we expect our members adopt, there are some practices we have that reflect specific theological beliefs. This does not mean that all of our members hold the same beliefs on any of these topics (they don’t), but that our church has chosen this way to function.

We partake in Communion every Sunday with an open table. It does not matter if you are a member of our church, or any church, everyone is welcome to participate in Communion with us. We celebrate Communion every week to affirm the presence of the living Lord in the world, and to proclaim that Jesus is the dominant power in our lives. The importance of Communion as a reminder of Jesus’ transforming presence and act of Christian unity has led the Disciples of Christ to use a Communion Chalice as our logo.
We baptize people by immersion after they confess their faith in Jesus. Baptism is a public act by which the church proclaims God’s grace as revealed through Jesus Christ. It is a visible sign of God’s transforming work in someone’s life and that person’s public proclamation of their faith in Christ. Therefore, baptism occurs after a person has made a choice to follow God’s call rather than the choice being made for them as an infant. While we do not perform infant baptisms, we do recognize other forms of baptism as valid when someone seeks membership in our church.
All Christians are ministers. There are some people who are ordained for specific roles in the church such as a pastor, but we believe that every Christian has the responsibility to witness, serve, and lead. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, our members lead in worship, missions, spiritual formation, and governing our church. Men, women, and youth are all encouraged to serve in all facets of congregational life and leadership, and we do not limit any Christian’s involvement based on their demographic identity.

To learn more about the Disciples of Christ, visit their website: https://disciples.org/

Our History

First Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, San Marcos was formed by the Reverend Henry Thomas in 1853 with only two members. The congregation had grown to 50 members by 1856. After the Civil War, the church was reactivated by Reverend W.H.D. Carrington.

A new church building was built in 1893 when some members withdrew because of doctrinal conflicts. Designed by Architect Edward Northcraft, it was erected on land donated by Edwin J.L. Green. Membership increased after a revival led by J.B. Boen in 1895.

A New Sanctuary was added in 1910 and the original building was turned 90 degrees to face Comanche Street . It was largely a “do it yourself” project with church members providing most of the labor. The original building would later be subdivided into activity room for the church members.

The church was further expanded into a two-story wing in 1953. The church was damaged by fire in 1984, and the church acquired property Ranch Road 12 in 1985 to relocate.

A new stone building was competed in 1988. The Ranch Road 12 building includes a sanctuary, staff offices, meeting rooms, a fellowship hall and an education wing that includes a playground. There are numerous stained glass windows, and rock architecture throughout the building. The 15 acre grounds have large oaks, a large back deck and strolling grounds.