The United Methodist Church is an 11-million-strong global church that opens hearts, opens door and opens minds through active engagement with our world.
John Wesley and the early Methodists placed primary emphasis on Christian living, putting faith and love into action. This emphasis on what Wesley referred to as “practical divinity” has continued to be a hallmark of United Methodism today.
United Methodists share a common heritage with all Christians. According to our statement of beliefs in the The Book of Discipline, we share the following basic beliefs:
TRINITY
- We describe God in three persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
GOD
- We believe in one God, who created the world and all that is in it.
- We believe God is sovereign; that is, God is the ruler of the universe.
- We believe God is loving. We can experience God’s love and grace.
JESUS
- We believe Jesus was human. He lived as a man and died when he was crucified.
- We believe Jesus is divine, the son of God.
- We believe God raised Jesus from the dead, and the risen Christ lives today.
- We believe Jesus is our Savior. In Christ we receive abundant life and forgiveness of sin.
THE HOLY SPIRIT
- We believe the Holy Spirit is God with us.
- We believe the Holy Spirit comforts us when we are in need and convicts us when we stray from God.
- We believe the Holy Spirit awakens us to God’s will and empowers us to live obediently.
HUMAN BEINGS
- We believe God created human beings in God’s image.
- We believe humans can choose to accept or reject a relationship with God.
- We believe all humans need to be in relationship with God in order to be fully human.
THE CHURCH
- We believe the church is the body of Christ, an extension of Christ’s life and ministry in the world today.
- We believe the mission of the church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ.
- We believe the church is “the communion of saints”, a community made up of all past, present and future disciples of Christ.
- We believe the church is called to worship and to support those who participate in its life as they grow in faith.
THE BIBLE
- We believe the Bible is God’s Word.
- We believe the Bible is the primary authority for our faith and practice.
- We believe Christians need to know and study the Old Testament and the New Testament.
(The above statements were taken from www.umc.org website, which you are welcome to access for further information about the United Methodist Church and beliefs concerning the Sacraments and The Reign of God.)