United Methodist Beliefs

Our Latest Vision Statement from the UMC

The United Methodist Church forms disciples of Jesus Christ who, empowered by the Holy Spirit, love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously in local communities and worldwide connections.

Each part derives from Scripture.

Love boldly, inspired by Matthew 22:37-39 and John 13:34-35, means: United Methodists passionately love God and, like Jesus, embrace and include people of every age, nation, race, gender and walk of life.

Serve joyfully, inspired by Psalm 100:1, Nehemiah 8:10, John 13:14-15 and 1 Peter 4:10, means: With a Christ-like heart, journey alongside the most vulnerable, offering care and compassion with joy.

Lead courageously, inspired by Joshua 1:9 and Ephesians 6:10, means: Follow Jesus’ example by resisting and dismantling all systems of evil, injustice and oppression, striving for peace, justice and reconciliation.

Scroll down and follow the path to learn about United Methodist Beliefs

WE BELIEVE that God is understood in three distinct forms. 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.
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.
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. 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.
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.
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 that the church is the body of Christ, an extension of Christ’s life and ministry in the world today. We believe that the mission of the church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. We believe that the church is “the communion of saints,” a community made up of all past, present and future disciples of Christ. We believe that the church is called to worship God and to support those who participate in its life as they grow in faith.
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).

From The United Methodist Handbook

A glossary of United Methodist terms can be found here.