We Believe
As United Methodists, we believe that faith is never isolated from action. We seek and promote both personal and social holiness. We trust God’s grace and the Holy Spirit’s power to make us more like Jesus on a personal level. That same grace and power promotes in us the desire to bring justice and mercy to the world around us. The mission of the United Methodist Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
As United Methodist Christians, we unite ourselves to the commitments of our faith that we find in scripture, historic confessions of faith, and our theological tradition.
We believe in the one true, holy and living God, who is the Creator of heaven and earth. God is infinite in power, wisdom, justice, and rules with gracious regard for the well-being and salvation of humanity. We believe the one God has been revealed as the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, distinct but inseparable, eternally one in essence and power.
We believe in Jesus Christ, truly God and truly man. He is the eternal Word made flesh, the only begotten Son of the Father, born of the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit. He was crucified, buried, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven to be with the Father, from whence he shall return. He is the eternal Savior through whom the Father seeks to redeem the world.
We believe in the Holy Spirit who proceeds from and is one in being with the Father and the Son. The Spirit convinces the world of sin and leads us through faithful response to the gospel into the fellowship of the Church. The Spirit comforts, sustains and empowers the faithful and guides us into all truth.
We believe the Holy Bible, Old and New Testaments, reveals the Word of God so far as it is necessary for our salvation. It is to be received through the Holy Spirit as the true rule and guide for faith and practice.
We believe the Church is the community of all true believers under the Lordship of Christ. We believe it is one, holy, apostolic, and catholic. It is the redemptive fellowship in which the Word of God is preached and the sacraments duly administered. The Church exists to worship God, to uplift the believers, and for the redemption of the world.
We believe in two sacraments: Holy Baptism and Holy Communion (the Lord’s Supper), which were both practiced by Jesus. The sacraments are to be celebrated within the gathered Church. Holy Baptism and Holy Communion are both signs and means of God’s grace, meaning that they help us remember and experience the love, acceptance, and forgiveness of God through Jesus Christ. We believe Baptism signifies entrance into the household of faith, and is a symbol of repentance and cleansing from sin, a representation of the new birth in Jesus Christ and a mark of Christian discipleship. We believe children are under the atonement of Christ and are eligible for baptism at any age. The children of believing parents through Baptism become the special responsibility of the Church. They should be nurtured and led to a personal acceptance of Christ in confirmation of their Baptism.Holy Baptism is the sacrament a believer receives once during his or her life. Baptism connects us with God’s mighty acts of salvation and His Church. We are not “saved” at the moment of Baptism; rather, salvation happens when we invite Jesus into our life as our personal Savior and Lord. We do not need to be re-baptized even though we will still sin after Baptism. Rather, we renew our faith by confessing our sins to God, turning away from that sin, and reaffirming our faith in Christ alone. We affirm the practice of baptism by sprinkling, pouring, or immersion.
Holy Communion is the sacrament we participate in regularly. Communion reminds us of the Last Supper Jesus shared with His disciples in the Upper Room as He prepared them for His death on the cross. The bread and fruit of the vine (we use grape juice out of respect for those in recovery) are symbols of Jesus’ body and blood, which were broken and shed for our sin. Communion is not only a time to remember Christ’s death, but it’s also an anticipation of the time when we will sit at His table and enjoy fellowship with Christ and His Church in the Kingdom of Heaven. Furthermore, in Holy Communion, the Holy Spirit meets us where we are and administers grace—forgiveness, mercy, and the power to be God’s people in the world. Holy Communion is open to anyone, regardless of church membership,
We believe that all persons have sinned and fallen short of God’s best intentions for us. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God has offered the world redemption and reconciliation. Those who accept this free gift are forgiven their sins and invited into eternal and abundant life. We believe that good works spring forth from a true and living faith and that every believer, through the gift of the Holy Spirit, continues to grow toward perfection in love.
We celebrate Unity in Christ and diversity in God's Kingdom,