What We Believe
As United Methodists, our beliefs are based on Scripture, the ancient traditions of the earliest church, our reason, and our personal experience of the Holy Spirit. Scripture has revealed to us the living God in the doctrine of the Trinity, God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
We believe in God the creator, the sustainer and ruler of the world.
We believe that Jesus is the full revelation of God, who was both truly human and truly divine. It is that revelation which reveals him as Lord. Through his life, ministry, death and resurrection Jesus took away our sins and gave us a pathway to eternal life.
We believe that the Holy Spirit of the Scriptures is present in our daily lives and is the guidance and strength we receive from God in our spiritual journey.
We recognize the two sacraments ordained by Christ in our sacred Scriptures: Baptism and the Lord's Supper. These sacraments are outward and visible signs of an inward, spiritual grace. Baptism marks us as brothers and sisters of Christ and calls us into a new relationship. The form of baptism, whether sprinkling, pouring, or immersion, is not as important as is the symbolism of the sacrament. The Lord's Supper, instituted by Christ, is Christ's table. In the United Methodist Church Communion is offered by Open Table to all who come in faith seeking community with one another and a deeper relationship with God through Jesus Christ regardless of denominational affiliation or profession of faith. You need not be a member of this or any church to be a welcome participant in Holy Communion at any United Methodist Church. We partake of this sacrament in memory of Jesus' death and his promise of forgiveness of our sins. We believe, as we eat the broken bread and drink from the cup, we are united with Christ through the Holy Spirit.
We have inherited a rich and varied tradition that has evolved into a diverse unity rather than a rigid uniformity. We confront the social, spiritual, and moral issues of the day by thoughtful debate with open minds. We believe all truth comes from God and recognize empirical knowledge and scientific discoveries as part of God's world. We use the gifts of reason and logic God has given us in all matters of faith. Our life experiences bring us to a greater understanding of God's truths as revealed in Scripture and through the ancient traditions of the church.
We believe the faith we profess should be confirmed by the work we do in God's kingdom here on earth. Faith and works are therefore inseparable. We believe grace is the unmerited, undeserved gift of God's love that is necessary for us to experience the life God has for us. Saying “yes” to this grace leads us into both a new life and a new identity. We believe in the power of prayer: God listens to our prayers and answers in accordance with God’s will.
We believe in an inclusive church and we welcome all people who are seeking fellowship with one another and with God. While we worship in our church, the walls of our building do not determine the limits of our church. We know the Kingdom of God extends throughout the world and our ministries include not only worship but also evangelism, stewardship, education and missions. As individuals willing to become members of The United Methodist church, we promise to support the local church through our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service and our witness.
While we use liturgies in our worship that include traditional creeds, we believe that our living God cannot be contained or reduced to a creed. The historic creeds contain the truths that are testimonies of our heritage and we believe these truths can be restated in new forms of worship in our modern world. Our commitments to The United Methodist Church is therefore not accomplished through the declaration or signing of a creed. Our commitments are made through our membership vows and through our daily living as we integrate faith into our ordinary days. In this way, we believe that we are engaging our faith as Christ himself did.