We believe in the PRIMACY OF GRACE – Much of the distinctiveness of the Methodist movement begun by John Wesley in 18th century England grows out of Wesley’s insight into grace. Grace, simply defined, is God’s gift-giving nature – the powerful, undeserved, loving activity of God in human existence. Out of his love for us, God gives us every good and blessed aspect of our creation. Therefore, grace pervades our entire understanding of Christian faith and life. We understand that grace is expressed in our lives in three basic ways: bringing us to faith (prevenient or preceding grace) and transforming us (justifying grace), then nurturing us and drawing us toward perfect love (sanctifying grace).

We believe in the CENTRALITY OF JESUS – God’s initiative of love is uniquely and ultimately expressed in Jesus Christ. Jesus is literally “grace personified”: the most indispensible gift with which God ever gifted God’s creation, especially humanity. It is the Jesus of scripture – the Jesus of the rugged cross and the empty tomb – that reveals and defines for us who God truly is, what God truly desires, and how we can blessedly relate to God.  Everything necessary to know about God, grace, and ourselves is offered in the gift of Jesus.

We believe in the NECESSITY OF CONVERSION – If Jesus is God’s ultimate gift of grace, then conversion is consciously saying “yes” to the Gift and “thanks” to the Giver.  Conversion – which John Wesley called “new birth” – claims the gift of Jesus by offering one’s personal thanksgiving and obedience to the living God.  While conversion takes place in many ways with varying expressions, it always results in both a cognition and admission that Jesus Christ has controlling authority over one’s life.

We believe in GOAL OF MATURITY – The goal of the Christian life is to look to Jesus for guidance and look like Jesus in lifestyle.  United Methodist Christians call that goal “discipleship.”  Maturing in discipleship – what John Wesley call “sanctification,” or “growing in grace” – is a lifelong journey wherein we recognize our need for Jesus, we learn the news about Jesus, and we take on our call from Jesus. Worship, prayer, Bible study, Christian community, and acts of mercy and justice are the primary ways United Methodist Christians mature in their faith.

We believe in the PRIORITY OF MINISTRY – Ministry is more than charity; ministry is meeting the needs of people with the power of Christ.  As faith in action, ministry is the outward and visible sign of our inward and spiritual faith – ministry’s concrete deeds of compassion verify and reinforce the reality of Jesus within both the world and the life of the believer.  Ministry, therefore, is the primary way that a believer demonstrates to others and to himself/herself that the gift of Jesus is active in his/her life.

We believe in the GUIDANCE OF SCRIPTURE – John Wesley called Methodists “the people of The Book.”  United Methodist Christians hold the Bible as God’s inspired and essential witness to God’s redeeming work toward God’s creation.  As “God’s good news for our bad news,” the scriptures are the Spirit-breathed source of all things necessary for living out the Christian life.  We read the scriptures with the assistance of earlier Christian commentary (tradition) through the lens of our own personal life-encounters (experience) in order to make mindful conclusions (reason) for our life decisions.

We believe in the ROLE OF THE CHURCH – The Bible describes the church as “the body of Christ;” that is, the visible and communal expression of Jesus in the world.  Local congregations – which are individual “outposts” of God’s universal and eternal Church – are God’s chosen instrument for the redemption of the world; a community for inspiring Christian living, expressing Christian identity, educating Christian understanding, accounting for Christian behavior.  Because it is the body of Christ, the church is a required and necessary component of one’s commitment to Jesus – one cannot say “yes” to the Head of Christ if one says “no” to the Body.

We believe in a CONCERN FOR SOCIETY – Just as an individual sins and knows brokenness, so do marriages, families, neighborhoods, corporations, cities, states, governments and nations, and the whole earth.  Jesus, therefore, is God’s indispensible gift not only to individuals, but to all levels and expressions of human community.  We believe the Bible when it says, “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son (John 3:16). United Methodist Christians therefore, express concern for a society’s soul by witnessing to business interests, evangelizing community and political structures, ministering to the environment, pronouncing Biblical insights upon cultures and their values, and extending acts of mercy into people groups who are needy, broken, and/or disenfranchised.

We believe in a TOLERANCE FOR DIVERSITY – We have inherited our central beliefs from Christians who have gone before us and we respect diversity in theology. The God of scripture is far larger than any one person or personal viewpoint; God’s size, therefore, invites and requires a multitude of perspectives. As long as our different beliefs are rooted in the essentials of the Christian faith and are consistent with the Scriptures, then these differences will enhance our understanding of God and challenge us to grow in Christ.  John Wesley himself said it best in two ways: “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity (love)” and “As to those things that do not strike at the heart of the gospel, we think and let think…If your heart is as my heart, then give me your hand.”