• Home
• About
  •  
  • Bishop Hee-Soo Jung
  • Conference Staff
  • Press Center
  • Annual Conference 2010
  • What We Believe
  • Submissions
  • United Methodist Church
  •  
• Ministries
  •  
  • Campus and Higher Ed
  • Children and Youth
  • Church and Society
  • Ecumenical and Interfaith
  • Evangelism
  • Global Ministries
  • Hispanic/Latino
  • Lay Leadership
  • Lay Speaking Ministries
  • Outdoor and Retreat
  • Program Council
  • Religion and Race
  • United Methodist Men
  • United Methodist Women
  • Volunteers in Mission
  •  
• Resources
  •  
  • Bible Studies
  • Congregational Development
  • Forms
  • Grants and Scholarships
  • Graphics Library
  • It Worked For Us
  • Job Listings
  • Korean Language
  • Media Center
  • Spanish Language
  • Tech Corner
  • Training Events
  •  
• News
  •  
  • Latest Stories
  • Death Notices
  • UM News Service
  • UM Reporter
  • UMTV
  • RSS Feeds
  • eNews Archive
  • Reporter Archive
  •  
• Administration
  •  
  • Apportionments
  • Board of Ordained Ministry
  • Clergy Appointments and Retirements
  • Communications
  • Finance and Administration
  • United Methodist Foundation
  • Webmail
  • Archives and History
  • Board of Trustees
  • Nominations
  •  
• Harvest 2020
  •  
  • Cluster Ministries
  • Healthy Discipleship
  • New Faith Communities
  • Donate
  •  

What We Believe

Our Christian Roots

United Methodists share a common heritage with all Christians. According toour foundational statement of beliefs in The Book of Discipline, we share basic affirmations in common with all Christian communities.

Our Wesleyan Theological Heritage

Wesley and the early Methodists were particularly concerned about inviting people to experience God’s grace and to grow in their knowledge and love of God through disciplined Christian living. They placed primary emphasis on Christian living, on putting faith and love into action. This emphasis on what Wesley referred to as "practical divinity" has continued to be a hallmark of United Methodism today.

Foundational Documents of The United Methodist Faith

Just as creeds such as the Apostles' Creed summarize the belief of all Christians, the Articles of Religion of The Methodist Church and the Confessions of Faith of The Evangelical United Brethren Church form a foundation of doctrine for United Methodists. They, along with Wesley's Sermons on Several Occasions and Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament, are "standards" of doctrine for United Methodists.

Reflecting on Our Faith

There are two kinds of believing, and both are essential for Christian life. They're closely related and influence each other, but they’re different. One is belief and the other, beliefs. One is faith and the other, doctrine or theology.