What We Believe
Unified with Christians around the world, we believe in the Triune God- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
-We believe in God, the Father, Creator of Heaven and Earth.
-We believe in Jesus Christ, the Son, fully God and fully human. And in the gift of salvation through faith in him.
-We believe in the Holy Spirit, our guide and advocate, and the presence of God in the world.
We hold to the historic Christian faith as outlined in the Apostles' Creed.
"A Methodist is one, who has the love of God shed abroad in their heart, by the Holy Spirit given to them: one who loves the Lord their God with all their heart, and with all their soul, and with all their mind, and with all their strength."
-Rev. John Wesley, founder of the Methodist movement
Put simply, a United Methodist is a Christian. The name "Methodist" is more a descriptor of how we practice our faith, rather than what we believe. If you want to explore more of what we believe, we recommend checking out this website. In addition to the historic Christian faith, some of the unique characteristics of many Methodists and of Wesley UMC in particular are:
A Tolerant Faith
We believe that we are part of the Church Universal.. We follow the dictum, "In the essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, charity.” Though we believe in all of the core teachings of the Christian faith, we also recognize that faithful Christians throughout the centuries have had differences of opinion concerning a number of issues. We recognize Trinitarian baptisms from any Christian church and baptize infants, children, youth, and adults. We do not practice re-baptism. We seek heartily to respect the conscience of every believer.
A Growing Faith
As Methodists, we believe that Christians are to “go on to perfection.” This simply means that we are called upon by God to grow in faith, knowledge, holiness, and love. We can become more like Jesus in this life.
A Cooperative Faith
We long for the day in which all Christians are fully re-united just as they were long ago. Therefore, we joyfully seek out cooperation and fellowship with churches of other denominations. Jesus prayed, “That they may all be one.” In keeping in the spirit of Jesus’ prayer, we work effortlessly to see to fruition the uniting of heart, mind, font, and table with all the followers of Jesus.
A Dedicated Faith
Ours is a church best expressed beyond the typical Sunday worship service. We are dedicated to making a difference in the lives of people. We support a variety of work beyond the walls of the church building, such as Christian camping programs, outreach to college students, inner-city centers for the poor, residential centers for abused and troubled youth, nursing homes, programs for the chemically dependent, mentoring programs for struggling children, leadership development, schools and hospitals in Africa, South America, and Asia, a major university, and advocacy for the marginalized.
A Connected Faith
We believe that our faith in Jesus will connect us, one to another. There is no solitary religion. We demonstrate this connectional faith in a variety of ways. In practical terms, we embody the connection through our various Small Groups and gatherings. Fellowship, growth in love and knowledge, and service are all marks of our connectional system. We become responsible for each other. Covenant accountability is a distinguishing mark of our tradition in which we empower one another in works of mercy and acts of piety.