First Presbyterian Church is a multi-generational, family-oriented church located in the heart of downtown Aurora, Illinois. 

We believe we are sent to Aurora so that hundreds of families will know Jesus Christ, grow in faith, care in love and share His hope. That's our vision.  

Our mission is to glorify Jesus Christ by making Christ-following, kingdom-minded ambassadors and missionaries to the city of Aurora and beyond.

You'll notice two big things about our vision and mission: We're about Jesus, and we're about our city. We want everything we do to draw us closer to Jesus and to serve our city.  

The best way to get to know us for the first time is to join us for Sunday morning worship.     

LEADERSHIP

First Pres is an elder-led church, which means that major decisions are made by a team of godly men and women elected by the congregation. We call this team the "session". We currently have ten active elders on the session:  nine "ruling elders" (lay leaders from the congregation) and one "teaching elder" (ordained pastors). The session oversees our staff team.  

Beliefs

First Pres is a member of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC). We are committed to the Bible as the perfect, authoritative Word of God and to the historic beliefs of orthodox Christianity. To learn much more about our beliefs, click on the link below.   

History

First Pres has a long and storied history. By God's grace, we have been meeting for over 150 years and are still going strong! First Pres was founded on June 13, 1858, when a small group of believers met in Aurora, Illinois and organized as a Presbyterian Church located at Fourth and Downer.

Here are some highlights from over the years:

  • In 1874, a building was occupied on the present site and remained in use until 1916.

  • The present Sanctuary was built in 1901, to which a three-story addition was made in 1916 to house classrooms and a gymnasium.

  • As membership grew, an education unit was added to the basic building in 1966, providing much-needed classroom and office space.

  • In 1967, the Sanctuary was remodeled and air-conditioned.

  • Our PTL House was purchased in 1974 and is now a transitional living home from graduates from the Master’s Touch Program of Wayside Cross Ministries.

  • The John R. Harkness Recreation Fellowship Family Center was built in 1978.

  • The south entrance of our main building was remodeled in the fall of 1997 and an elevator was installed.