God

We believe in God as the Trinity--one God made of three, distinct and equal persons that we know as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Jesus

We believe that Jesus is our Lord and Savior. He was born of the Virgin Mary and was perfect in this life. He is both fully human and fully God. While on earth, Jesus did more than die on the cross for our sins. Jesus showed us how to live, how to worship in all that we do, and set apart the sacraments as a means of grace to connect with Jesus in this life.

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is present with us today. The Spirit is our guide, our help, and our comfort. It is the Spirit who causes change in us and gives us gifts for ministry.

The Church

We believe the Church is the body of Christ, called to be Christ's hands and feet out in the world today. The Church meets in a building, but the building is not the church. The Church is a group of people who are bound together in Christ's love and grace, working together to help others come to know Christ. This work of the church is, therefore, not restricted to a building but extends beyond the walls of a building, out into the community in which we serve.

Sin, Free Will, and Grace

We believe that all human beings have inherited original sin, that is, the capacity to sin against God, others, and ourselves. God has also given us the gift of free will--the ability to make choices about what we do, what we say, and how we act. As human beings with original sin, something is needed in order to have our sins forgiven and made right with God. God's divine grace is freely given to each and every human being on this earth and it is each person's choice as to whether or not we will accept God's grace.  Even when we choose to not accept God's grace or follow God, God never gives up and continually reaches out to us our entire lives.

The Bible

As United Methodists, we believe the Bible contains all things we need to know for salvation. We also believe that each scripture should be considered using the Wesleyan Quadrilateral--we should weigh it against other scriptures, look at the tradition of the church in interpreting it, use our reasoning skills to weigh it against what we know, and use our own personal experience as we find ways to best interpret scripture thousands of years after it was written.

Baptism

We believe that Baptism is a sign of God's grace and an act that recognizes God's grace in an individual's life. We baptize infants, children, youth, and adults. Those who are in the 5th grade or below who are baptized will have a sponsor, typically their parents, state the baptismal vows for the child. Their sponsors, as well as the church community in which they are baptized, agree to raise their child in the church and put them in a class when they are older (called Confirmation) so their child can then confirm their faith and take on the vows and promises made at baptism for themselves. Baptisms can be done by sprinkling, dunking--you name it! However, we can only baptize once because we believe it is God who does the baptizing and God doesn't make mistakes!

Communion

We believe that Communion is a tangible way in which we can receive God's grace. We have an open table, which means anyone can receive communion--you don't have to be a member of any church to receive the bread and grape juice. The only requirement for receiving communion is wanting to know and grow in God's grace and love. We celebrate Communion on a regular basis and we believe it is by receiving Communion that we are renewed by the Spirit and made able to do the good work God has called us to do out in the world.

Missions

Matthew 28:19 has given us the great commission: "Go into the world and make disciples of all nations." As United Methodists, we take that a step further by saying that our call is to: "Make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world." It is our collective calling from God to reach out to those around us who do not know the Good News that Jesus Christ came to this earth, lived, died, and rose again so that we may have salvation and live with Christ forever.

Doctrines and Teachings

The United Methodist Church embraces the basic doctrines affirmed by the wider Christian Church through the ages. Our theological statements are in general agreement with “mainline” Protestant churches and contained within the Book of Discipline. Two of the most widely accepted Christian doctrinal statements, the Apostles’ and the Nicene creeds, are included in our liturgies.

United Methodists have two sacraments – Baptism and Holy Communion.

While some United Methodists have written lengthy volumes of theology, we prefer to emphasize more the living out of our faith in our words and actions. This emphasis is highlighted each year in our Covenant Renewal Service which outlines standards for our conduct with one another and with the world.

Another way to understand what it is to be a United Methodist is a quote often attributed to one of the ancient church fathers, St. Augustine: “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; and in all things, love.”

Our early leaders stated that the essentials are that we respond in faith, love and hope to the goodwill of God the Father, the saving work of Christ, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Non-essentials would include matters such as the amount of water used in Baptism or the sort of bread used in Holy Communion.

Above all is Christ's commandment that we love one another.