What We Believe

Our congregation is part of the United Methodist denomination, the second largest Protestant denomination in America, and we uphold the belief of this tradition.  We seek to be fully devoted to God our Creator, wholly surrendered to Jesus Christ our Savior, and generous and service minded through the Holy Spirit.  We strive for personal holiness by inviting people into a life-transforming relationship with Jesus Christ, and we pursue social holiness in our communities by proclaiming the Good News to key issues of our time so that our world will look more like the Kingdom of God.

United Methodists share a common heritage with other Christians, holding to the historic essentials of the Christian faith. 

• We believe in the Triune God, three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
• We believe in the Bible as divinely inspired aware that the Holy Spirit who moved in the original author is active in the lives of readers today.  We are committed to live by its words, by learning and listening to God’s instruction.
• We believe in God’s good creation, that human beings are made in the image of God.
• We believe in sin, that humanity is broken, the image of God is distorted, and relationship with God neglected.  
• We believe in salvation through Jesus Christ, that through his life and teachings, death and resurrection we are made right with God, forgiven of our sin, and liberated from the chains of regret and failure.
• We believe in the free gift of God’s grace, that awakens us to our need for God, that blesses us with God’s mercy for a fresh start, and which moves us towards a life of deeper faith exemplified in our love for others.
• We believe in the sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion.

We believe the goal of the Christian life is to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and to love your neighbor as you love yourself.  From the beginning of the Methodist movement, we were known as “reasonable enthusiasts,” those who are both emotionally and intellectually engaged. We value passionate worship, relevant preaching, small groups to hold Christians accountable to one another, and serving those who are in need.  We value the spiritual disciplines and take a “methodical” approach to growing in the faith.  United Methodists value the full participation of women and men, people of all backgrounds in every facet of fellowship and leadership within the church and society.