| United Methodism | John Wesley | Doctrinal Standards | Membership Vows | Social Principles

United Methodism

 

The United Methodist Church is part of the Church Universal. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, was an Anglican Priest (Church of England) in the 1700's.  His passion was for the salvation of souls.  Wesley never intended to leave or break away from the church.  It was his outdoor preaching to the poor that drew masses to the saving power of Jesus.  When these new converts could not find acceptance in the Church, Wesley organized them regionally into groups of Societies and smaller units called Class Meetings.  It was in these small groups where accountability was mandated and lives were changed powerfully.  The Methodist Revival in England swept through Great Britain and across the Atlantic to the new land called America.  Wesley's co-laborer, George Whitefield, connected with the Congregational minister from Massachusetts named Jonathan Edwards....and the American Revival was underway!

See Section 1 -- Our Doctrinal Heritage and Section 2 -- Our Doctrinal History, for some history from the United Methodist Church Book of Discipline.
 

John Wesley
This summary from J. F. Weishampel, Sr. The Testimony of a Hundred Witnesses (1858)
 

John Wesley was ordained a Deacon of the Church of England in 1725, and received priest's orders about three years afterwards. A journal entry from 1730 indicates that he tried all ways in which to please God and be a good Christian by good works such as visiting the poor and sick, fasting twice per week and striving to cease from sinning.  In 1735, ten years after his ordination, he sailed for America to preach. He preached for more than ten years before his conversion experience.

One journal entry says, "Yet, when, after continuing some years in this course, I apprehended myself to be near death, I could not find that all this gave me any comfort, or any assurance of acceptance with God. At this I was not a little surprised; not imagining I had been all this time building on the sand, nor considering that 'other foundation can no man lay, than that which is laid by God, even Christ Jesus [1 Corinthians 3:11]."

On board ship to America, Wesley met twenty-six Moravian brethren who tried to show him, "A more excellent way."  During his return to England, a severe storm endangered the ship.  Wesley writes in his journal:  "In my return to England, January, 1738, being in imminent danger of death, and very uneasy on that account, I was strongly convinced that the cause of that uneasiness was unbelief, and that the gaining a true, living faith, was the one thing needful for me. But still I fixed not this faith on its right object; I meant only faith in God, not faith in or through Christ."  He was amazed at the calmness of the Moravians as they prayed and sang hymns while others on board shrieked in terror.  Wesley spoke to one of the Moravians, Peter Bohler who had a large impact on Wesley's understanding of Scriptural Christianity.

Conversion Experience:  In Wesley's journal he wrote:  "I continued thus to seek it (through with strange indifference, coldness and unusually frequent relapses into sin), till May 24, when I opened my Testament on these words, 'There are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises, that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature' (2 Peter 1:4). After closing the book, I opened it again, on these words, 'Thou art not far from the kingdom of God' [Mark 12:34]. In the afternoon of the same day I was invited to go to St. Paul's. The anthem was, 'Out of the deep have I called unto thee, O Lord: Lord, hear my voice.' In the evening I went very unwillingly to a society, where one was reading Luther's preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for salvation: and an assurance was given me, that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death."

Although Wesley continued to have some doubts as we all do at times, this conversion experience marked Wesley's true understanding and experience of the forgiveness offered in Christ Jesus.

The John Wesley Page

Sermons by John Wesley
 

Doctrinal Standards of the United Methodist Church

 

In the words of John Wesley (1703-1791), A Methodist is ... one who loves the Lord his God with all his heart, with all his soul, with all his mind, and with all his strength. The United Methodist Church is not a creedal church.  But, along with other Christians, we do hold to a fundamental body of doctrine, essential truths, as Wesley called them.  This theology is summarized in the Book of Discipline, Part II, Doctrinal Standards and Our Theological Task (1992 edition).  See Section 3 -- Our Doctrinal Standards and General Rules The Articles of Religion of the United Methodist Church and The Confession of Faith of the Evangelical United Brethren Church.

• We believe that Scripture is primary, revealing the Word of God so far as it is necessary for our salvation, and is to be received through the Holy Spirit.  The resources of tradition, experience and reason are integral to our study of Scripture, which are tested against Scripture as the final authority in all doctrinal matters of faith and practice.

•  We believe that there is but one living and true God, and in the unity of this Godhead, there are three persons, of one substance, power, and eternity -- the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

• We believe that the created order is designed for the well-being of all creatures and as the place of human dwelling in covenant with God.  As sinful creatures, however, we have broken that covenant, become estranged from God, wounded ourselves and one another, and wreaked havoc throughout the natural order.  We stand in need of redemption.

• We believe in the mystery of salvation in and through Jesus Christ.  At the heart of the Gospel of salvation is God’s incarnation in Jesus of Nazareth.  Scripture witnesses to the redeeming love of God in Jesus’ life and teachings, his atoning death, his resurrection, his sovereign presence in history, his triumph over the powers of evil and death, and his promised return.

 
Quotation from Wesley concerning his own conversion experience on May 24, 1738 upon hearing Luther's Preface to the Epistle of Romans: I felt my heart strangely warmed.  I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.”

•  We believe that through faith in Jesus Christ we are forgiven, reconciled to God, and transformed as people of the new covenant.  The righting of relationships by God through Christ calls forth our faith and trust as we experience regeneration by which we are made new creatures in Christ.  This process of justification and new birth is often referred to as conversion.  Such a change may be sudden and dramatic, or gradual and cumulative.  It marks a new beginning, yet it is part of an ongoing process.

•  We believe that through the power of the Holy Spirit we are enabled to increase in the knowledge and love of God and in love for our neighbor.  New birth is the first step in this process of sanctification.  Sanctifying grace draws us toward the gift of Christian perfection, which Wesley described as a heart habitually filled with the love of God and neighbor” and as “having the mind of Christ and walking as he walked.

•  We believe all stand under the righteous judgment of Jesus Christ, both now and in the last day.  We believe in the resurrection of the dead; the righteous to life eternal and the wicked to endless condemnation.

• We believe ourselves to be part of Christ’s universal Church.  We are initiated and incorporated into this community of faith by Baptism, receiving the promise of the Spirit that recreates and transforms us.  Through regular celebration of Holy Communion, we participate in the risen presence of Jesus Christ and are thereby nourished for faithful discipleship.

•  We believe that personal salvation always involves Christian mission and service to the world.  By joining heart and hand we assert that personal religion, evangelical witness, and Christian social action are reciprocal and mutually reinforcing.  Scriptural holiness entails more than personal piety; love of God is always linked with love of neighbor, a passion for justice and renewal in the life of the world.

•  We believe that mission is witness to the God of grace, and that mission has four essential dimensions:  Proclamation (we proclaim the Gospel -- Good news cannot be withheld!); Evangelism (we invite people to personal decision for and commitment to Jesus Christ for their salvation); Incorporation (we call persons to be incorporated into the Body of Christ); and Servant hood (we serve as agents of God’s liberation and reconciling grace among the nations).

•  We believe the right of Christians to disagree on matters such as forms of worship, structures of church government, modes of Baptism, or theological explorations.  We believe such differences do not break the bond of fellowship that ties Christians together in Jesus Christ.  Wesley’s familiar dictum was, As to all opinions which do not strike at the root of Christianity, we think and let think.”

Membership Vows of the United Methodist Church

 

From, About Being United Methodist, a Guide to Effective Church Membership 1998 edition:

On behalf of the whole Church, I ask you:  Do you reject the spiritual forces of wickedness, the evil powers of this world, and the bondage to sin?

Do you accept the freedom and power God gives you to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves?

Do you confess Jesus Christ as your Savior, put your whole trust in his grace, and promise to serve him as your Lord, in union with the Church which Christ has opened to people of all ages, nations, and races?

According to the grace given to you, will you remain faithful members of Christ’s holy Church and serve as Christ’s representatives in the world?

As members of Christ’s universal Church, will you be loyal to the United Methodist Church, and do all in your power to strengthen its ministries?

As members of this congregation, will you faithfully participate in its ministries by your prayers, your presence, your gifts, and your service?

 

Social Principles

 

The United Methodist Church has a long history of concern for social justice. Its members have often taken forthright positions on controversial issues involving Christian principles. Early Methodists expressed their opposition to the slave trade, to smuggling, and to the cruel treatment of prisoners. The Social Principles are a prayerful and thoughtful effort on the part of the General Conference to speak to the human issues in the contemporary world from a sound biblical and theological foundation as historically demonstrated in United Methodist traditions. They are a call to faithfulness and are intended to be instructive and persuasive in the best of the prophetic spirit; however, they are not church law.  The Social Principles are a call to all members of The United Methodist Church to a prayerful, studied dialogue of faith and practice.