What we believe a new kind of church is. 

What is all this business about a new kind of church you might ask?
What do you exactly mean by a "new kind of church?"

Here is what we mean. A new kind of church…

Does not change the message of the Gospel (that God has come to us in Jesus Christ and through Jesus' life, death and resurrection has redeemed the world).

Presents the age old message of the Gospel in fresh and innovative ways that make the good news of God's love come alive. It is the same message, different methods.

Combines the best of tradition and the best of technology to present the best and only savior of humankind- Jesus Christ.

Holds that irrelevance is irreverence.

Recognizes that while people who yield their lives to Jesus Christ are called to speak, act and think as much like Christ as possible, that we all fall short and are in need of Christ's forgiveness and love. At a new kind of church there are no perfect people allowed!

Believes that faith is more than just getting your ticket punched for the bus to heaven, faith and salvation also help us live in the present world.

Requires no one to check their brains in at the door and think alike about all issues in order to belong but challenges people to approach issues of faith using scripture, the teachings and writings of the church throughout the centuries, experience and reason to mold their beliefs.

Recognizes that the church is God's and not ours.

The church is a people, not a building and that we will never construct any building that we will not immediately tear down if it helps us better fulfill our mission to make and empower radical followers of Jesus Christ.

Realizes that we don't have all the answers all the time but we worship the one who does.

Affirms that all people are created in the image of God and are of worth because God created them and do not receive their worth from how much money they make, the clothes they wear or the company they keep.

Holds that worship is a lifestyle and not one hour on Sunday.

Admits that people of faith who love Jesus may disagree about the non-essentials of faiths. We live by the ancient adage, "As to the essentials unity, as to the non-essentials think and let think. In all things love."

Is not content to clamor together away from the world but actively engages the world as salt and light in an effort to turn the world upside down in the name of Christ.

More of what we believe and teach...

About the Scriptures
We believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God and that Scripture is the primary source and criterion for Christian doctrine. Through Scripture the living Christ meets us in the experience of redeeming grace.

About God
We believe in one God who exists in three distinct persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We believe that Jesus Christ is the second member of the Trinity (the Son of God) who became flesh to reveal God to humanity and to become the Savior of the lost world.

About Humanity
We believe that men and women were created in the image of God to have fellowship with Him, but we became alienated in that relationship through sinful disobedience. As a result, we are incapable of regaining a right relationship with God through our own effort alone.

About Salvation
We believe that the blood of Jesus Christ, shed on the cross, provides the sole basis for the forgiveness of sin. Therefore, salvation occurs when people place their faith in the death and resurrection of Christ as sufficient payment for their sin.

About the Christian Life
We believe that Christians should live for Christ and not for themselves. By obedience to the Word of God and daily yielding to the Spirit of God, every believer should mature and be conformed to the image of Christ.

About the Church
We believe that the church is the body of Christ, of which Jesus Christ is the head. The purpose of the church is to glorify God by loving Him and by making Him known to the world.


United Methodist Beliefs

What we know now as the United Methodist church began as a movement in the 1700's in England by John Wesley and other students at Oxford University, originally called "The Holy Club". Members agreed to attend their own church regularly (they were from a variety of groups, Roman Catholic as well as Protestant, although most were Anglican or the Church of England), pray and read their Bibles daily, do good deeds for others daily, and attend their Holy Club group (or "class") weekly.

Other students made fun of "Holy Club" members, considering them religious fanatics. Among the jibes they made up was the term "Methodist", because the Holy Club insisted on being so methodical in scheduling daily prayer and Scripture study, for instance. The name stuck.

John Wesley and the early Methodists did not set out to create a separate church. Their vision was to encourage all Christians to "grow in holiness"-to grow spiritually and to put that spiritual growth to practical use in making a better world. To this day, Methodists do not think we are part of the only or best church; we believe that all Christians are part of one family of God.

For a full and complete exploration of specific United Methodist beliefs visit the United Methodist Church website by clicking here.