Liverpool First United Methodist Church Core Beliefs

Ourselves. Our Faith. Our Place.

United Methodists speak many languages and live in many countries with many different cultures, ethnic traditions, national histories, and understandings of Christian faith and practice.

• We are people dedicated to a life of participation, personal responsibility, generosity, sacrifice, and self-restraint, responding to the call of Jesus Christ.
• We are a covenant community, concerned about God’s children everywhere. In life’s clouds of doubt and division, we see the sunlight of God’s purpose bringing healing harmony, and hope.
• We love to worship, the study of God’s Word, music, potluck dinners, and a sense of community, a sense of belonging.
• We welcome people of faith into our churches, and especially people who are searching for answers to life’s tough questions, because we know what it’s like to feel alone, unsure, to just need a welcoming place with open hearts, open minds, open doors.
• We roll up our sleeves and say, “Let’s get to work,” as we answer the call of making disciples for Jesus Christ.
• We live the promise we made the day we joined the United Methodist Church, a promise of prayer,  our presence, our gifts, and our service.

As the years have passed, we find occasional moments where we recognize that our faith claims set us apart from the popular trends of the world around us. We strive to unify humanity in love and consideration and to reconcile one to the other, but in all things and at all times, we proclaim the Holy Scriptures and the teachings of Jesus Christ as the most important source of wisdom and understanding. We respectfully stand apart in moments where we feel the Word of God is being compromised.

Beliefs

We at the Liverpool First United Methodist church hold these basic Christian affirmations, adapted from The UMC Book Of Discipline.

• We believe in the tribune of God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
• We believe in Salvation in and through Jesus Christ.
• We believe in the activity of the Holy Spirit, in both the individual believer and in the community of believers.
• We believe the kingdom of God is a present reality but will be perfectly fulfilled in a future time.
• We believe in the authority of Scripture.
• We believe in the oneness of the Church in Christ Jesus.

In Addition, We Affirm These Basic Methodist Emphases:

• We believe in God’s prevenient grace, the divine love that surrounds us, and moves us toward repentance and faith.
• We believe in God’s justifying grace, by which God reaches out to us with accepting and pardoning love through Jesus Christ.
• We believe in God’s sanctifying grace, by which we are nurtured through the Holy Spirit, and grow in knowledge and love of God and in love for our neighbor.
• We believe salvation is evidenced in good works, involving witnessing, mission ad service in the world.

We are a vibrant part of a connection with

The United Methodist Church  |  www.umc.org

The people of The United Methodist Church are part of the second largest Protestant denomination in the United States. Our worldwide connection includes approximately 12.5 million members.

The United Methodist Church was formed when the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church merged in 1968. But we trace our heritage back to the movement begun in 1729 in England by John and Charles Wesley. Find out more about our history.

Below, you will find a brief list of some of the distinctive characteristics of our denomination. The United Methodist Church is:
 

• Global: Today we speak many languages and live in many countries—with different cultures, ethnic traditions, national histories, and understandings of Christian faith and practice.
• Connectional: Every United Methodist congregation is interconnected throughout the denomination via a unique, interlocking chain of conferences. The United Methodist Church practices representative democracy in its governance.  Conferences elect delegates who are authorized to act and vote. Learn more about our structure.
• Inclusive: All persons are welcome to attend our churches and receive Holy Communion, and are eligible to be baptized and become members.
• Grounded in Scripture: United Methodist trust free inquiry in matters of Christian doctrine. Our faith is guided by Scripture, tradition, experience, and reason. Of paramount importance, however, is Scripture as the witness of God’s creating, redeeming, and sustaining relationship with God’s people. Learn more about our basic beliefs.
• Wesleyan: The United Methodist Church has a Wesleyan heritage, and as such, places an emphasis on mind and heart (knowledge and vital piety) and putting faith and love into practice (life). Find out more about our Wesleyan heritage.
• Concerned about social justice: For more than 200 years, The United Methodist Church and its predecessor bodies have expressed concern for God’s children everywhere — the poor, the orphaned, the aging, the sick, the oppressed and the imprisoned. Learn more about our mission and ministry.
• Mission-oriented: Our mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. In uncomplicated terms, this means we strive to nurture followers of Christ who then reach out and teach others about the love of Jesus. Find out about our mission around the world.
• Ecumenical: United Methodists consider dialogue and missional cooperation between United Methodists and other Christians as a valid witness to the unity of the body of Christ.
   Learn about our ecumenical and interreligious relationships.

The Mission Of The United Methodist Church

The mission of the Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world by proclaiming the good news of God’s grace and by exemplifying Jesus’ command to love God and neighbor, thus seeking the fulfillment of God’s reign and realm in the world. The fulfillment of God’s reign and realm in the world is the vision Scripture holds before us. The United Methodist Church affirms that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Savior of the world, and the Lord of all. As we make disciples, we respect persons of all religious faiths and we defend religious freedom for all persons. Jesus’ words in Matthew provide the Church with our mission: “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything that I’ve commanded you” (Matthew 28:19–20), and “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, and with all your mind. . . . You must love your neighbor as you love yourself" (Matthew 22:37, 39).

Excerpt From The UMC Book Of Discipline