What we believe

As United Methodists, we have an obligation to bear a faithful Christian witness to Jesus Christ, the living reality at the center of the Church’s life and witness. To fulfill this obligation, we reflect critically on our biblical and theological inheritance, striving to express faithfully the witness we make in our own time.

Two considerations are central to this endeavor: the sources from which we derive our theological affirmations and the criteria by which we assess the adequacy of our understanding and witness.

Wesley believed that the living core of the Christian faith was revealed in Scripture, illumined by tradition, vivified in personal experience, and confirmed by reason.

Doctrinal Standards and Our Theological Task
United Methodists profess the historic Christian faith in God, incarnate in Jesus Christ for our salvation and ever at work in human history in the Holy Spirit. Living in a covenant of grace under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, we participate in the first fruits of God's coming reign and pray in hope for its full realization on earth as in heaven.

• Our Doctrinal Heritage
• Our Doctrinal History
• Our Doctrinal Standards and General Rules
• Our Theological Task

The Ministry of All Christians
The mission of the Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ. Local churches provide the most significant arena through which disciple-making occurs.
 

• The Churches
• The Ministry of All Christians
• Servant Ministry and Servant Leadership
• Servant Ministry
• Servant Leadership
• Called to Inclusiveness
• The Fulfillment of Ministry Through the UMC

Social Principles
The United Methodist Church has a long history of concern for social justice. Its members have often taken forthright positions on controversial issues involving Christian principles. Early Methodists expressed their opposition to the slave trade, to smuggling, and to the cruel treatment of prisoners.

• Social Principles Preface
• Social Principles Preamble
• The Natural World
• The Nurturing Community
• The Social Community
• The Economic Community
• The Political Community
• The World Community
• Our Social Creed

From The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church - 2004.
Copyright 2004 by The United Methodist Publishing House. Used by permission.