Mission

Old First Reformed Church is a community of Jesus Christ in Brooklyn, offering a space of unconditional welcome, a practice of worship and service and a vision of God’s love and justice for all.

We are a diverse, open and supportive church community. Our 200 members and adherents are from all walks of life and reflect a diversity of backgrounds.

Old First is part of the Reformed Church in America (RCA), a mainline Protestant denomination with direct roots in the Reformation of the 16th Century. We are one of the founding congregations of the RCA, the oldest Protestant denomination in America with a continuing ministry, and were established in 1654, making us – with our sister congregations in Flatbush and Flatlands – the oldest in Brooklyn.

We embrace the historic doctrines of the Apostles and Nicene Creeds as well as the unity and reconciliation of the Belhar Confession. We embrace the following five missions:

  1. To offer God’s word, prayer, the sacraments, and discipleship;
  2. To offer outreach, education, fellowship, and music;
  3. To offer sanctuary to anyone seeking spirituality and hope;
  4. To offer hospitality to community groups and the arts; and
  5. To care for the gifts we have been given through our Reformed Church, including our historic sanctuary and building.

Whoever you are and whatever your story, we have a place for you and are ready to welcome you.