Who We Are - Highlights
First Presbyterian Church (FPC) is a church of approximately 1900 members, located in the heart of Boulder, Colorado. Our church facilities are adjacent to the city’s primary commercial district and four blocks from the University of Colorado’s 25,000-student campus. Of our membership, 57 percent live within the city; the rest live in Boulder County and other surrounding counties. By most standards, we are considered an affluent church.
First Pres was born of the extraordinary skills and passions of Reverend Sheldon Jackson in 1872. Through the end of the 19th and into the 20th century, the Boulder church grew in “stature and favor with God and man,” but not without fits and starts. Formative decisions were made in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s as pastors, sessions, and congregations united in determining that First Presbyterian Church would be identified as a church which embraces the person and work of the risen Christ Jesus, commits to His Lordship, and proclaims the Good News of grace, salvation, and love. This aligned the church with the central core of the Reformed Christian faith. In the 1970s and 80s, the church ministry expanded in many areas, especially in adult classes, greater emphasis on youth programs, church choirs, and senior adults. During this time, the professional staff increased to accommodate the expanded programs. In May of 1992, Dr. Peter Barnes was called to First Pres as senior pastor. Within seven years, major expansion and remodeling were completed, and by 2002 or so, First Pres Boulder was at new heights of membership.
Six years later, membership was down by 400 to 500 people, mostly through loss of many young families. A new building program was cancelled and staff layoffs were necessitated by declining financial support.
Many servants soldiered on. The church’s service to the community was largely uninterrupted. Missionaries continued to be sent. The Word was preached. Some new ministries were formed and prospered. Adherence to core values and a powerful mission statement was affirmed, but dissension took voice and morale deteriorated.
A few months after the resignation of the senior pastor in 2009, an interim senior pastor, Dr. Gary Stratman, arrived and provided a calming presence. An era of reexamination and transition began as the church sought its new identity.