A Church in Pana, IL Pana First Church of the Nazarene Logotype

ABOUT US

Learn about Pana First Church

Rooted in the call of the Great Commandment and the Great Commission (Matthew 22:37–39; Matthew 28:19–20), our mission is to help people belong in loving community, believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and become fully devoted disciples who love God, love others, and go into the world to make more disciples.

Pursuing God, together.

At our church, everything we do is centered around helping people take their next step with Jesus—to belong in a genuine community, believe in the life-changing truth of the Gospel, and become who God has created them to be. You’ll find a welcoming, down-to-earth environment where people of all ages and backgrounds can grow in faith together. Through engaging worship, practical teaching from God’s Word, and meaningful opportunities to serve and connect, we strive to make faith both real and relevant to everyday life. Throughout the week, there are ways to build relationships and go deeper, whether through small groups, ministry teams, or church events. No matter where you’re starting from, you’re invited to come as you are and discover a place where you can grow, connect, and experience God’s grace in a real way.

Church of the Nazarene Statement of Mission

The mission of the Church of the Nazarene is to make Christlike disciples in the nations.

We are a Great Commission church. As a global community of faith, we are commissioned to take the Good News of life in Jesus Christ to people everywhere and to spread the message of scriptural holiness across the lands.

 

The Church of the Nazarene bonds together individuals who have made Jesus Christ Lord of their lives, sharing in Christian fellowship, and seeking to strengthen each other in faith development through worship, preaching, training, and service to others.

 

We strive to express the compassion of Jesus Christ to all persons along with our personal commitment to Christlike living. While the primary motive of the church is to glorify God, we also are called to actively participate in His mission — reconciling the world to himself.

 

The statement of mission contains historical essentials of our mission: Evangelism, Sanctification, Discipleship, Compassion. The essence of holiness is Christlikeness. Nazarenes are becoming a sent people-into homes, work places, communities, and villages as well as other cities and countries. Missionaries are now sent from all regions of the world. God continues calling ordinary people to do extraordinary things made possible by the person of the Holy Spirit. 

Statement of Beliefs

TRINITY
SCRIPTURE
SINFUL NATURE
ETERNITY
SALVATION
SANCTIFICATION
THE HOLY SPIRIT
CHRIST'S RETURN

Nazarene Church Core Values

A Christian People

As members of the Church Universal, we join with all true believers in proclaiming the Lordship of Jesus Christ and in affirming the historic Trinitarian creeds and beliefs of the Christian faith. We value our Wesleyan-Holiness heritage and believe it to be a way of understanding the faith that is true to Scripture, reason, tradition, and experience.


 

We are united with all believers in proclaiming the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We believe that in divine love God offers to all people forgiveness of sins and restored relationship. In being reconciled to God, we believe that we are also to be reconciled to one another, loving each other as we have been loved by God and forgiving each other as we have been forgiven by God. We believe that our life together is to exemplify the character of Christ. We look to Scripture as the primary source of spiritual truth confirmed by reason, tradition, and experience.


 

Jesus Christ is the Lord of the Church, which, as the Nicene Creed tells us, is one, holy, universal, and apostolic. In Jesus Christ and through the Holy Spirit, God the Father offers forgiveness of sin and reconciliation to all the world. Those who respond to God’s offer in faith become the people of God. Having been forgiven and reconciled in Christ, we forgive and are reconciled to one another. In this way, we are Christ’s Church and Body and reveal the unity of that Body. As the one Body of Christ, we have “one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” We affirm the unity of Christ’s Church and strive in all things to preserve it.
(Ephesians 4:5, 3).

A Holiness People

God, who is holy, calls us to a life of holiness. We believe that the Holy Spirit seeks to do in us a second work of grace, called by various terms including “entire sanctification” and “baptism with the Holy Spirit”-cleansing us from all sin, renewing us in the image of God, empowering us to love God with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength, and our neighbors as ourselves, and producing in us the character of Christ. Holiness in the life of believers is most clearly understood as Christlikeness.



 

Because we are called by Scripture and drawn by grace to worship God and to love Him with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength, and our neighbors as ourselves, we commit ourselves fully and completely to God, believing that we can be “sanctified wholly,” as a second crisis experience. We believe that the Holy Spirit convicts, cleanses, fills, and empowers us as the grace of God transforms us day by day into a people of love, spiritual discipline, ethical and moral purity, compassion, and justice. It is the work of the Holy Spirit that restores us in the image of God and produces in us the character of Christ.

 

We believe in God the Father, the Creator, who calls into being what does not exist. We once were not, but God called us into being, made us for himself, and fashioned us in His own image. We have been commissioned to bear the image of God: “I am the LORD . . . your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy”

A Missional People

We are a sent people, responding to the call of Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit to go into all the world, witnessing to the Lordship of Christ and participating with God in the building of the Church and the extension of His kingdom (Matthew 28:19-20; 2 Corinthians 6:1).

 

Our mission begins in worship, ministers to the world in evangelism and compassion, encourages believers toward Christian maturity through discipleship, and prepares women and men for Christian service through Christian higher education.

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Pana First Church Leadership

Meet the Pana First Church team

Todd Holman

Lead Pastor

Pastor Todd Holman has faithfully served in ministry for over 30 years, including 20 years as a youth pastor, investing deeply in the next generation. For the past nine years, he has been serving in the Pana community, where he has developed a strong love for the people and the town. Pastor Todd is passionate about building relationships and helping others grow in their faith. In his free time, he enjoys collecting vinyl records and playing disc golf.

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Sarah Rochkes

Church Administrator

Sarah Rochkes serves as the Church Administrator, helping ensure the day-to-day operations of the church run smoothly and efficiently. She supports communication, organization, and coordination across ministries, creating a welcoming and well-structured environment for both members and guests. Sarah is dedicated to serving the church with excellence and care.

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Pana First Church history

Serving the Pana community for more than 100 years!

Pana First Church of the Nazarene was established in 1924, beginning in a humble house affectionately known as “the sheep shed.” Over the years, the church has met in various locations throughout Pana before settling at its current location on 6th Street and Fairgrounds Road. For more than 100 years, the church has built a strong legacy of community involvement and has been a supportive partner alongside other churches in Pana and the surrounding communities. Rooted in faith and committed to serving others, it continues to be a place where people can belong, believe, and become.