God: 

God is the Creator and Ruler of All. God eternally exists in three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

 

Jesus Christ: 

Jesus Christ is fully God and fully human, co-eternal with the Father. His earthly mission was to announce the arrival of God’s kingdom. Though sinless, he offered himself willingly as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on a cross. God raised him from the dead after three days by the power of the Spirit to announce the defeat of sin and death and reveal Jesus as both Lord (God) and Savior (Messiah). He ascended to the throne of Creation and will come again to judge the living and the dead, bringing his kingdom fully to our world.

The  Holy Spirit: 
The Holy Spirit is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and the Son. He is present in the world to make people aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation providing power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. It is the Spirit who applies the benefits of the cross and resurrection of Christ to believers. We believe in the full expression of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

The Bible: 
We believe that God inspired the composition and collection of the Old and New Testaments. Therefore, it is inspired, eternal, and true. The Holy Spirit preserves and protects God’s Word in the church today and by it speaks God’s Word to peoples of every age.

The kingdom of God: 
Jesus began his public ministry with a simple statement—“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). The gospel, or good news, proclaimed by Jesus was that the kingdom of God was present on earth through him. The invitation of Christ is to become a citizen of his world-transforming kingdom by faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior. Part of our faith is that when Christ returns, he will establish his kingdom fully on earth.

Salvation: 

We believe that apart from salvation in Jesus Christ, people are lost and their eternal souls are in peril. We believe that people receive salvation and become citizens of God’s kingdom through faith in Jesus Christ and not by good works (Ephesians 2:8-9). We believe that through faith in Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, God removes the guilt of our sins, restoring our relationship with him. We believe that through faith in the resurrection of Jesus, God transforms our hearts, restoring the life of God in our souls by the indwelling presence of the Spirit.

The Return of Christ: 

We believe that at some unknown point in the future, Jesus Christ will return in full glory and triumph. There will be a bodily resurrection of all persons and final judgment to either eternity with God or from God.

The Church: 
As Jesus’ representative here on earth, we believe the Church is the primary vehicle of God’s kingdom and grace in the world. The Church exists as an outpost of the kingdom of God here on earth, offering the grace, forgiveness, justice, and holy love of God to all people.

Human Beings:
We believe that God created human beings in God’s image, but that image was shattered by sin. That sin separates us from God and enslaves us. But because of Jesus, humans are free to accept or reject a relationship with God. We believe that all humans need to be in a saving relationship with God the Father through faith in Jesus Christ the Son by the power of the Spirit in order to be restored to full humanity as God intended.

Methodism: 
As United Methodists, we join with our Methodist brothers and sisters around the world and claim the historic distinctives of Wesleyan faith: prevenient grace, free will, personal & social holiness, assurance of the believer, entire sanctification and a connected church.

In addition to the Holy Scriptures, our theology and doctrine are formed by The Methodist Articles of Religion, The Evangelical United Brethren Confession of Faith, John Wesley’s Fifty-Two Standard Sermons, and John Wesley’s Notes Upon the New Testament.