What is a United Methodist?

A Follower of Jesus, and a Brother or Sister

A United Methodist is...

a follower of Jesus, and a brother or sister to Christians of all churches and denominations.  While the Church is presently divided, we dream of a day when all Christians can truly say that we have, in the words of the apostle Paul, "one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all" (Ephesians 4:4-6).  Although there are several distinctive beliefs and practices that distinguish United Methodists from other followers of Christ, these marks of distinction are secondary in importance to those things that bind all Christians together, such as:

• a belief in God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
• a belief in Jesus Christ, fully human and fully divine, who rose from the dead to save humanity and all creation from the power of sin.
• the practice of the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
• the centrality of the Bible, made up of the Old and New Testaments.
• a shared heritage which traces back through the apostles to Jesus Christ, and through Jesus Christ to the Jewish faith and the God of King David, Moses, and Abraham.