The distinguishing marks of a United Methodist are probably best illustrated by a commitment to the
basics of Christianity and by a Christian life-style rather than by assenting to a particular scheme of beliefs.
In general, United Methodists agree on major aspects of theology. Sources for the faith include: The
Bible, The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church, and the writings of John Wesley.
United Methodists share a common heritage with other Christians:
1. conviction that God has mercy and love for all people
2. belief in a triune God. There is but one living and true God, everlasting, without body or parts, of infinite
power, wisdom, and goodness; the maker and preserver of all things, both visible and invisible. And in
unity of this Godhead there are three persons, of one substance, power, and eternity--the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Ghost.
3. faith in the mystery of salvation through Jesus Christ
4. celebration of the sacraments. We believe the Sacraments, ordained by Christ, are symbols and pledges
of the Christian's profession and of God's love toward us. They are the means of grace by which God
works invisibly in us, quickening, strengthening and confirming our faith in him. Two Sacraments are
ordained by Christ our Lord, namely Baptism and the Lord's Supper.
United Methodists also share four main guidelines for belief, often referred to as "The Wesleyan
Quadrilateral." These criteria include:
Scripture
Tradition
Experience
Reason
United Methodists share with other Christians the conviction that Scripture is the primary source and
criterion for Christian doctrine. Through Scripture the living Christ meets us in the experience of
redeeming grace. We are convinced that Jesus Christ is the living Word of God in our midst whom we trust
in life and death.
The story of the church reflects the most basic sense of tradition, the continuing activity of God's Spirit
transforming human life. Tradition is the history of that continuing environment of grace in and by which all
Christians live, God's self-giving love in Jesus Christ. As such, tradition transcends the story of particular
traditions.
Some facets of human experience tax our theological understanding. Many of God's people live in terror,
hunger, loneliness, and degradation. Everyday experiences of birth and death, of growth and life in the
created world, and an awareness of wider social relations also belong to serious theological reflection. A
new awareness of such experiences can inform our appropriation of scriptural truths and sharpen our
appreciation of the good news of the kingdom of God.
Although we recognize that God’s revelation and our experiences of God’s grace continually surpass the
scope of human language and reason, we also believe that any disciplined theological work calls for the
careful use of reason. By reason we read and interpret Scripture. By reason we determine whether our
Christian witness is clear. By reason we ask questions of faith and seek to understand God’s action and
will.
Grace pervades our understanding of Christian faith and life. By grace we mean the undeserved,
unmerited, and loving action of God in human existence through the ever-present Holy Spirit. While the
grace of God is undivided, it precedes salvation as "Prevenient grace," continues in "justifying grace," and
is brought to fruition in "sanctifying grace:"
Prevenient grace: bringing us to faith, reaching out and receiving us as we are.
Justifying grace: transforming us, restoring our relationship with God.
Sanctifying grace: nurturing our growth, drawing us toward perfect love and sending us to bear witness
to God's love for the world in all that we do.
We believe we are never accounted righteous before God through our works or merit, but that penitent
sinners are justified or accounted righteous before God only by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
We believe sanctification is the work of God's grace through the Word and the Spirit, by which those who
have been born again are cleansed from sin in their thoughts, words and acts, and are enabled to live in
accordance with God's will, and to strive for holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
We believe good works are the necessary fruits of faith and follow regeneration but they do not have the
virtue to remove our sins or to avert divine judgment. We believe good works, pleasing and acceptable to
God in Christ, spring from a true and living faith, for through and by them faith is made evident.
United Methodists respond to the theological, biblical, and practical mandates for Christian unity by firmly
committing ourselves to the cause of Christian unity at local, national, and world levels. We invest
ourselves in many ways by which mutual recognition of churches, of members, and of ministries may lead
us to sharing in Holy Communion with all of God's people.
In order to accomplish our mission and live our beliefs, there are three key objectives of the church
manifest in the New Testament: Service, community and proclamation:
Service - Service provides ministries of outreach to share the love of God which we have been given with
others, patterning our lives after the one who came to serve, so that we might be (and help others to be)
disciples of Christ.
Community - Community provides the educational and supportive activities necessary to incorporate
individuals into the Body of Christ. We are to be inclusive, growing in the sense of community, striving to
live our lives in a Christ-like manner so that we may become whole together.
Proclamation - Proclamation provides powerful worship which incorporates the historic Wesleyan
emphases of Scripture, reason, tradition and the experience of grace. We are to grow in grace so that we
might open ourselves to the full presence and power of the living God.
For more information on the United Methodist Church refer to the national web site at "umc.org" or go to
the Oklahoma Conference at "okumc.org".
