What We Believe

• About God
  • We describe God in three persons – The Trinity. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are commonly used to refer to the threefold nature of God. Sometimes we use other terms, such as Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer.
• About God the Father
  • We believe in one God, who created the world and all that is in it.
  • We believe that God is sovereign; that is, God is the ruler of the universe.
  • We believe that God is loving. We can experience God’s love and grace.
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• About Jesus
  • We believe that Jesus was human. He lived as a man and died when he was crucified.
  • We believe that Jesus is divine. He is the Son of God.
  • We believe that God raised Jesus from the dead and that the risen Christ lives today. (Christ and messiah mean the same thing—God’s anointed.)
  • We believe that Jesus is our Savior. In Christ we receive abundant life and forgiveness of sins.
  • We believe that Jesus is our Lord and that we are called to pattern our lives after his.
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• About the Holy Spirit
  • We believe that the Holy Spirit is God with us.
  • We believe that the Holy Spirit comforts us when we are in need and convicts us when we stray from God.
  • We believe that the Holy Spirit awakens us to God’s will and empowers us to live obediently.
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• About Humanity
  • We believe that God created human beings in God’s image.
  • We believe that humans can choose to accept or reject a relationship with God.
  • We believe that all humans need to be in relationship with God in order to be fully human.
  • We believe Sin keeps us from that relationship
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• About Salvation
  Salvation cannot be earned. There’s no behavior, no matter how holy or righteous, by which we can achieve salvation. Rather, it’s the gift of a gracious God. This process of salvation involves a change in us that we call conversion. Conversion is a turning around, leaving one orientation for another. It may be sudden and dramatic, or gradual and cumulative. But in any case, it’s a new beginning. 
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• About Grace
  Grace is central to our understanding of Christian faith and life. Grace can be defined as the love and mercy given to us by God because God wants us to have it, not because of anything we have done to earn it. Our United Methodist heritage is rooted in a deep and profound understanding of God’s grace. This incredible grace flows from God’s great love for us. John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, described God’s grace as threefold: 
  • Prevenient Grace – God’s active presence in our lives that doesn’t depend on our actions or response. It is God seeking us out even before we are aware of him.
  • Justifying Grace – reconciliation, pardon, and restoration. Through the work of God in Christ our sins are forgiven, and our relationship with God is restored.
  • Sanctifying Grace – Salvation is not a static, one-time event in our lives. It is the ongoing experience of God’s gracious presence transforming us into whom God intends us to be.
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• About the Bible
  • We believe that the Bible is God’s Word.
  • We believe that the Bible is the primary authority for our faith and practice.
  • We believe that Christians need to know and study the Old Testament and the New Testament (the Hebrew Scriptures and the Christian Scriptures).
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• About the Church and Christian Life
  Faith always includes a social dimension. One cannot be a solitary Christian. As we grow in faith through our participation in the church community, we are also nourished and equipped for mission and service to the world. Because of what God has done for us, we offer our lives back to God through a life of service. As disciples, we become active participants in God’s activity in the world. Love of God is always linked to love of neighbor and to a passionate commitment to seeking justice and renewal in the world. 
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• About Christian Discipleship
  The Christian life is our response to God’s love and grace – we call that process Discipleship. Discipleship focuses on actively following in the footsteps of Jesus. As Christian disciples, we are not passive spectators but energetic participants in God’s activity in the world. Because of what God has done for us, we offer our lives back to God. We order our lives in ways that embody Christ’s ministry in our families, workplaces, communities, and the world. 
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• About our Mission and Ministry
  Why does the church exist? According to Matthew’s Gospel, the risen Christ made it clear: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you” (28:19-20).
  Based on this “Great Commission,” our United Methodist Church has stated its purpose: “The mission of the Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” 
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• About a life of faith
  Christian faith is trusting and believing in God, giving God our devoted loyalty and allegiance. Faith is following Jesus, answering the call to be his disciples in the world. Faith is hoping for God’s future, leaning into the coming kingdom that God has promised. Faith is active; it involves trusting, believing, following, hoping. 
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• About the Reign of God
  • We believe that the kingdom or reign of God is both a present reality and future hope.
  • We believe that wherever God’s will is done, the kingdom or reign of God is present. It was present in Jesus’ ministry, and it is also present in our world whenever persons and communities experience reconciliation, restoration, and healing.
  • We believe that although the fulfillment of God’s kingdom–the complete restoration of creation–is still to come.
  • We believe that the church is called to be both witness to the vision of what God’s kingdom will be like and a participant in helping to bring it to completion.
  • We believe that the reign of God is both personal and social. Personally, we display the kingdom of God as our hearts and minds are transformed and we become more Christ-like. Socially, God’s vision for the kingdom includes the restoration and transformation of all of creation.
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To learn more about the United Methodist Church:
http://www.umc.org/site/c.lwL4KnN1LtH/b.1355347/k.2F4F/Our_Church.htm

To learn more about the people of the UMC:
http://www.umc.org/site/c.lwL4KnN1LtH/b.1355351/k.2E2B/Our_People.htm

To learn more about Stories of Faith in Real Life & Resources for Faith in Action:
http://www.umc.org/site/c.lwL4KnN1LtH/b.1355355/k.FAC7/Our_World.htm

To learn more about the Three General Rules that have guided our church practice:
http://archives.umc.org/interior.asp?mid=1658

To learn more about our Social Principles:
http://archives.umc.org/interior.asp?mid=1686