Our Beliefs
United Methodists don’t agree on all aspects of doctrine. However, we share a commitment to the basics of Christianity and a Christian life, rather than by assenting to a particular scheme of beliefs. Four main guidelines help us understand our faith:
- Scripture
- Tradition
- Experience
- Reason
These guidelines are interdependent and allow for variety in theology.
United Methodists have several sources for our faith:
- The Bible
- John Wesley’s writings
- The Articles of Religion
- The Confession of Faith
- The United Methodist “Book of Discipline”
- Theologians and educators
Today, United Methodists seek to follow The Social Creed
We believe in God, Creator of the world; and in Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of creation. We believe in the Holy Spirit, through whom we acknowledge God’s gifts, and we repent of our sin misusing these gifts to idolatrous ends.
We affirm the natural world as God’s handiwork and dedicate ourselves to its preservation, enhancement, and faithful use by humankind.
We joyfully receive for ourselves and others the blessings of community, sexuality, marriage, and the family.
We commit ourselves to the rights of men, women, children, youth, young adults, the aging, and people with disabilities; to improvement of the quality of life; and to the rights and dignity of racial, ethnic, and religious minorities.
We believe in the right and duty of persons to work for the glory of God and the good of themselves and others and in the protection of their welfare in so doing; in the rights to property as a trust from God, collective bargaining, and responsible consumption; and in the elimination of economic and social distress.
“The Social Creed” from The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church, 2000.
Learn more about the United Methodist Church
Learn more about the California Nevada Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church.