Open hearts. Open minds. Open doors.
What United Methodists believe – a personal statement:
What are the basic doctrines? These are held in common with most mainline Christian religions: the divinity of Christ, the reality of God, the power of the Spirit, the authority of Scripture. It’s one of the reasons why, when we recite the Apostles’ Creed, we say that we believe in the holy catholic church. It does NOT mean we accept the pope’s authority; it means rather that there are many paths that Christians may take to follow Jesus – Lutheran, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, Baptist and so on - and the UMC is one of those. (In this context, catholic is another word for universal or ecumenical).
What’s different and distinctive about United Methodists? I’d like to offer the following:
- An emphasis on the importance of faith and works. United Methodists have long believed and practiced a strong connection between the social ministry aspects of Jesus’ Gospel and the believing-churchgoing-Bible reading dimensions. Some Christian belief systems focus on accepting a particular authority, or on simply accepting Jesus as your personal Savior. The UMC has long taught that a conversion to Christ must bear good fruit (see for example, James 3:14-20). We must be charitable, compassionate, and meeting the physical needs of our brothers and sisters (Matthew 25:31-46).
- We accept the authority of Scripture in the context of tradition, experience, and reason. We rely on these to help us interpret the Bible correctly and in good faith for our own time and place. (Actually, everyone interprets the Bible, even those Christians who claim to believe in the inerrant Word. But United Methodists admit they interpret).
As one example, there is at least one text (1 Cor. 14:34-5) which says women are not to speak in church. Tradition has latched onto and reinforced this position. However, the whole of the New Testament witness opens the door to a different interpretation. By allowing Mary of Bethany to be as a disciple, Jesus raised the dignity of women to be equal with men (Luke 10:42). In Galatians 3:28, Paul says that unity in Christ is so strong that it negates every division between slave and free, Jew and Gentile, and even male and female. Paul also refers on numerous occasions to Lydia and other women who provide leadership for the churches that meet in their homes. Our own experience and reason also tell us that women clearly have gifts for ministry and pastoral skills, including preaching, administrating and counseling. And so for fifty years the UMC has used Scripture, Tradition, Experience and Reason together to allow for women clergy. In fact, in the early 21st century there may now be more female UMC clergy in northern Illinois than male.
- Unlike most Protestant churches where clergy are called – that is, chosen by the local congregation where they serve - UMC pastors are appointed to their churches by a bishop and his/her advisors working together. And yes, when the bishop decides a pastor is needed elsewhere, that pastor will be expected to relocate. It should be added that there is an advisory process in this, and most UMC pastoral appointments last an average of six years, although some are shorter and some are longer. My own appointment history has seen me serve churches for three years, ten years, six years, six years, and three years. I began this current appointment in July 2005.
- UMC churches pay an annual apportionment – a proportional amount of money to serve the mission and ministry of the larger United Methodist Church. In our case, our current church budget is about $220k which includes our apportionment of $23k. Unlike some churches where payments to the denomination are more optional, UMC congregations are expected to make good on this commitment. In our case, for many years the Good Shepherd congregation has taken pride in paying its annual apportionment in full.
- At its best, the UMC is an interesting combination of liberal and conservative – of an evangelical orientation along with a real commitment to social justice and ministry, and an openness to new ideas – and old ones! For instance, here at Good Shepherd we are working toward a rebirth of Small Group Ministry – but in fact, SGM was how the Methodists began in 18th century England, where a Spirit-driven Anglican priest named John Wesley organized “class meetings” as a way of connection and Christian accountability. And we want to revive our worship and make it more enthusiastic - but in fact in pioneer days Methodist revival services were known for their shoutin', singin', clappin', and Spirit-driven power!
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I’d like to offer two sources for additional questions:
First, please feel free to contact me directly at pastorsheets@sbcglobal.net.
The other source is the official United Methodist Church website: www.umc.org.
Thank you for your interest!
