What We Believe

We here at Aldersgate United Methodist Church know we don’t have all the answers at our finger tips. We sometimes disagree about important matters, and often we are just plain perplexed. But about certain beliefs we are more or less on the same page:

Faith: For us, faith is believing in God and giving Him our devoted loyalty and allegiance. Likewise faith is following Jesus, answering the call to be his servants in this world.  Faith is hoping for God’s future, and showing with the way we live our lives that the coming kingdom is all God has promised.

Faith is trusting, believing, following, hoping, doing. We want it to actually guide our day-by-day actions so we can communicate our belief to an unbelieving world. in what we say, but more importantly, how we behave. 

Love: We United Methodists have always been about inviting people to experience God’s love for them, and helping them to return that love. We have attempted to do this through intentional Christian living, through putting faith and love into action. 

The Bible: In thinking about our faith, we put primary reliance on the Bible. For us it is the inspired Word of God. We try to study the Bible within the believing community. Even when we study it alone, we can be guided and corrected through discussion with other Christians. We attempt to interpret individual parts of the Bible in their proper context within the Bible as a whole, and especially in light of Christ’s teaching. With humility, and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we try to discern the meaning of the Bible for our times.

God: We believe in one God who created the world and all that is in it.  We believe that God is the ruler of the universe.  We believe that our God is a loving God.  

Jesus: We believe that Jesus was human. He lived as a man and died when he was crucified. But we also believe he was and is Divine. He is God in the flesh, the Son of God. We believe that he was raised from the dead and that he lives today. We believe that Jesus is our Savior, that in him we receive a new and abundant life, and forgiveness of all our sins.  We believe that Jesus is our Lord and teacher, and that we are called to pattern our lives after his.

The Holy Spirit: We believe that the Holy Spirit was sent by God, and is in fact the presence of God in our lives.  The Spirit comforts us when we are in need and alerts us when we stray from God.  We believe that the Holy Spirit empowers us to live obediently.                                                                                                  

Human Beings: We believe God created human beings in His image, and that all people need a relationship with God in order to become whole.  

The Church: We believe the church is an extension of Christ’s life and ministry in the world today. It isn’t perfect, but like Jesus we are trying to help people grow in faith. We also know we must regularly meet with other Christians in order to keep ourselves in line with God’s will. 

The Kingdom of God: We believe that wherever God's will is done, the Kingdom of God is present. It was present in Jesus' ministry, and it is also present in our world whenever there is reconciliation, restoration, and healing in God’s name. We believe that total fulfillment of God's plan for the world is still to come, but we also believe the church is called to show what God's kingdom will be like, and participate in helping to bring it to completion. 

The World: We believe this world of ours is loved by God, but that it is also in trouble. We seek peace and justice, hope and healing, for all people. We believe this is God’s will, and why Jesus was sent.

Baptism: We believe baptism is the sign of God's love and forgiveness of our sins. Persons of any age can be baptized in our church, but it should only occur once in his or her life.  

The Lord's Supper: The Lord's Supper is a holy meal of bread and the cup that symbolizes the body and blood of Christ. By sharing this meal, we give thanks for Christ's sacrifice and are nourished and empowered to go into the world in mission and ministry. We practice "open Communion," welcoming all who love Christ, repent of their sin, and seek to live in peace with one another.

 (These belief statements have been adapted from the central documents of the United Methodist Church. If you wish to know more, check out www.umc.org)