Our Beliefs - What is a United Methodist?
The tradition of openness among us, first expressed by John Wesley, permits United Methodists to declare a wide variety of beliefs.
However, the importance of Scripture and the centrality of the life and ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are core beliefs.
United Methodist churches are connected with one another via conferences because together we are able to do more ministry than any one congregation can do alone.
Tradition: God did not stop speaking once the Scriptures were completed, but has continued to communicate through the people of God. An appreciation of the past 2000 years of tradition, customs and insights of those who went before us in the Christian faith helps to keeps our faith grounded and consistent.
Experience: Our individual and corporate experience helps to confirm the realities of God's grace attested in Scripture. Our religious experience affects all human experience; all human experience affects our understanding of religious experience.
Reason: Faith is God's gracious gift through the witness of the Holy Spirit. We believe that any disciplined thinking about God calls for the careful use of reason. God has given us the ability to use both science and religion to make sense of our world. However, we know well that reason is limited and distorted by its very nature of being human knowledge.
History, Beliefs, Structure
What Does Membership Mean?
Those who join the United Methodist Church:-
Confess Jesus Christ as Lord, and pledge to be faithful members of God's kingdom
Profess the Christian faith as contained in the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments
Promise, according to the grace given them, to live a Christian life and remain faithful to the Christian Church
Promise to support the United Methodist Church by their prayers, presence, gifts and service
What are the guidelines for our beliefs?
Scripture: United Methodists believe that scripture is the primary source and criterion for Christian doctrine.
As we open our minds and hearts to the Word of God through the words of human beings inspired by the Holy Spirit, faith is born and nourished,
our understanding is deepened, and the possibilites for transforming the world become apparent to us.Tradition: God did not stop speaking once the Scriptures were completed, but has continued to communicate through the people of God. An appreciation of the past 2000 years of tradition, customs and insights of those who went before us in the Christian faith helps to keeps our faith grounded and consistent.
Experience: Our individual and corporate experience helps to confirm the realities of God's grace attested in Scripture. Our religious experience affects all human experience; all human experience affects our understanding of religious experience.
Reason: Faith is God's gracious gift through the witness of the Holy Spirit. We believe that any disciplined thinking about God calls for the careful use of reason. God has given us the ability to use both science and religion to make sense of our world. However, we know well that reason is limited and distorted by its very nature of being human knowledge.
Additional Questions
Either Pastor Teri Johnson or Pastor Duane Coates will be delighted to talk with you about United Methodist beliefs, and practices, and structure.
They will also do their best to assist you in finding a place within this congregation.
Links with More Information
Frequently Asked QuestionsHistory, Beliefs, Structure
