What United Methodists Believe

link to interactive presentation; Open Hearts, Minds, Doors; The United Methodist ChurchUnited Methodists profess the historic Christian faith in God, the Creator, Jesus Christ, the son, and the Holy Spirit, at work among us. We believe that God's love is available to all through grace, God's undeserved love, not earned by our good works nor withheld because of our weaknesses. We identify ourselves as part of the universal church, a community of faith established by Christ to worship and serve God and to share the good news of God's love by word and action.

United Methodists recognize the authority of Scripture in matters of faith. We believe that Scripture is the primary way that God is revealed to us, and it contains all things necessary to salvation and reconciliation of persons to right relationship with God. To aid in our study of Scripture, we call on the traditions of the church established by mothers and fathers in the faith, our forebears who have lived and served throughout the church's 2,000 year history. We believe that God gifts us with personal and collective experiences, which interact with Scripture to help us interpret our beliefs and our calling to live them out. Additionally, we believe that our understanding of God and our relationship to God is mediated by reason, the "common sense" that helps us relate teachings of Scripture to our own call to discipleship.

United Methodists invite all persons to participate in our worship services and ministries, receive the sacraments of baptism and communion, and become members members of a local congregation. Baptism is an essential step in church membership, as we recognize baptism to represent the remission of our sins and our incorporation into the Christian family. United Methodists believe in one baptism, so that baptized Christians from other denominations are not re-baptized upon joining a United Methodist church.

More, from the national web site of the United Methodist Church...