We have a passionate faith with strong convictions, but we also recognize that the world is not always black and white. We are willing to ask questions, to wrestle with difficult issues, and to do so with grace and compassion.

Our standards affirm the Bible as the source of all that is “necessary” and “sufficient” unto salvation and “is to be received through the Holy Spirit as the true rule and guide for faith and practice”.  We recognize the Bible was written by people who heard God in the light of their own cultural and historical circumstances and, as such, we make use of scholarship and study the scriptures carefully. When we encounter theological differences, we bear in mind John Wesley’s instruction: “in essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity.”

We believe the goal of the Christian life is to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and to love your neighbor as you love yourself. From the beginning of the Methodist movement, we were known as “reasonable enthusiasts,” those who are both emotionally and intellectually engaged. We value passionate worship, relevant preaching, small groups, and serving those who are in need. We value the spiritual disciplines and take a “methodical” approach to growing in the faith. As United Methodists, we believe in the full participation of people of all backgrounds without discrimination in every facet of fellowship and leadership within the church and society.

When we say the Apostles’ Creed, we join with millions of Christians through the ages in an understanding of God as a Trinity—three persons in one: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God, who is one, is revealed in three distinct persons. “God in three persons, blessed Trinity” is one way of speaking about the several ways we experience God.

We believe in Jesus as God’s son. We call this the Incarnation, meaning that God was in the world in the actual person of Jesus of Nazareth. Paradoxically, we also believe that Jesus was fully human. Jesus was a person in every sense that we are. He was tempted. He grew weary. He wept. He expressed his anger. In fact, Jesus is God’s picture of what it means to be a mature human being. We also proclaim Jesus as our Lord, the one to whom we give our devoted allegiance. Perhaps best of all, we believe in Jesus as Savior, as the one through whom God has freed us of our sin and has given us the gift of whole life, eternal life, and salvation.

The Holy Spirit is God’s present activity in our midst. When we sense God’s leading, God’s challenge, or God’s support or comfort, we say that it’s the Holy Spirit at work. How does the Holy Spirit affect our lives? By changing us! By renewing us and by strengthening us for the work of ministry.