WHAT IS A UNITED METHODIST?
In the words of John Wesley, "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." John Wesley was an ordained Anglican priest who had a powerful spiritual experience in 1738 that inspired him to become the first teacher of "Methodism."
Today, John Wesley's life and teaching still carry a special meaning to United Methodists:
- the goal of being faithful disciples of Jesus Christ
- the example of sharing God through missions
- concern with social problems
- openness to ecumenism.
After Wesley's experience in 1738, he set out with his brother Charles to form societies of "Methodists," so called because the members followed a daily routine of religious observance and social work.
In colonial America, traveling lay preachers spread the gospel and Wesley's teachings to the settlers. After the Revolution, a separate church was formed, the Methodist Episcopal Church. Other Methodist denominations also formed. In 1968, the Evangelical United Brethren Church and Methodist Church joined to form the United Methodist Church – this country's second largest Protestant denomination.
Like most other Protestants, United Methodists recognize only those sacraments in which Jesus Christ Himself participated – baptism and the Lord's Supper. For United Methodists, baptism is the sacrament of initiation that joins us with the church and with Christians everywhere. It is a symbol of new life and a promise of God's saving love ... and a sign of God's forgiveness for our sins. Both infants and adults can be baptized. A person receives the sacrament only once in his or her life. Water is the special symbol of baptism.
The Lord's Supper (Communion, Eucharist) is a holy meal of bread and cup that symbolizes the body and blood of Christ. By sharing this meal, United Methodists give thanks for Jesus' sacrifice for our sins and receive grace to empower us to go on in Christian living. The Lord's Supper recalls the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and celebrates the unity of all the members of God's family.
United Methodists also embrace liturgical services, preaching, prayer, confirmation, marriage, funerals, and family devotions.
(The above information taken from What it means to be United Methodist, Channing Bete, 2004.)
