What Methodist Believe
Traditionally, we have emphasized the following: God will comfort, guide, and forgive every person, no matter who they are or what they’ve done. Serving others and Christian faith go hand in hand. Our Church is made up of people who share faith in Jesus Christ.
We are a global movement of churches that’s making a difference in the world. In practice, we are similar to other Protestant denominations, affirming our beliefs through the sacred symbols of baptism and communion. Methodists share with other Christians the conviction that Scripture is the primary source and criterion for Christian doctrine.
Through Scripture the living Christ meets us in the experience of redeeming grace. We are convinced that Jesus Christ is the living Word of God in our midst whom we trust in life and death. Through baptism, we accept God’s gifts through Jesus. There is no strict rule among Methodists about how baptism must be performed, although sprinkling water on the head of the person being baptized is most common. Everyone who believes in Jesus Christ and has been baptized is accepted and welcome at the communion table, whether members of the church or of other Protestant denominations.
Our identity as a denomination started with founder, John Wesley, who felt his own heart strangely warmed nearly three centuries ago. After this experience, he was compelled to reach out to England’s poorest citizens, which he did with the help of his brother, Charles. Their work launched a movement that spread to the American colonies as well as other parts of the world and took hold with a fervor that still exists almost 300 years later.