So, what does this mean? As Christians, we want to focused on following Jesus, loving God and loving others. Following Jesus suggests that you are attracted to Jesus and his teachings. We believe Jesus is God incarnate — and that we need to be willing to trust him for our personal salvation and for bringing healing and wholeness to the world.
Is belief enough to be considered a “follower of Jesus”? The word “follow” implies action. We believe that action is required in order to be a follower of Jesus. Based on Jesus’ assertion that the greatest commandment is that “you shall love the lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind” and the second is like it, “love your neighbor as yourself,” we believe in all that we do and all that we say we need to strive to be loving as God is loving and be committed to loving all people.
Discipleship is about growing in belief and growing in action. As we grow in belief and action, hearts are transformed As we are transformed, God utilizes our growth as individuals and as faith communities to participate in what God is doing as God is transforming of the world.
We believe God loves you. That it is no accident you are here for you are made in God’s image and are of infinite worth. We believe that no matter what you have done, you are called to turn towards God, accept His love, and begin an unimaginable journey. We believe this is all made possible through the work of Jesus the Christ and the Holy Spirit. We believe you are not alone in this. That other recovering sinners are working out how to live in this holy new community called the Church together with you. We believe we are being redeemed and filled with this love so that we can be sent out to transform this world that all may flourish.
OUR VISION
Connect, Grow, and Serve at Central, because Jesus is Central.
OUR MISSION
Making Disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
OUR HOPE
Jesus. Always. Eternal Life. God’s Kingdom. And you serving Him. If you are interested in continuing your journey or sharing your gifts and time through Central, please contact us and we will get you connected.
Our United Methodist Beliefs
United Methodists share a common heritage with Christians of every age and nation:
1. God created humanity to live in covenant with God. As sinful creatures, we have broken that covenant and stand in need of redemption. Because God truly loves us and is faithful to that covenant, God acted through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ to bring us restoration and the hope of eternal life.
2. All people are created in God’s image and matter deeply to Him. Central to the message of the Bible is that God loves people and invites them to live in communion with Himself and in community with each other. From the holy and loving community, we are to be co-creators with God in building His kingdom.
3. There is only one God, creator of heaven and earth, who exists eternally as three persons- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each fully God yet each personally distinct from the other.
4. God’s love comes alive in us by the work of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit dwells within us and works in our personal experience, in the common life of the church, and for the building of God’s kingdom.
5. We are part of Christ’s universal church. We enter the church through the sacrament of Baptism. In the sacrament of Holy Communion, we celebrate the presence of Christ and sustaining strength for Christian living.
6. We believe that the reign of God is both a present and future reality. This prospect gives us hope in our present actions and resolve for our future inheritance. The eternal life of the Kingdom is available now to all who turn after Jesus.
7. We believe that Scripture reveals everything necessary for salvation. The Bible is God’s unique revelation to people. It is the inspired, infallible Word of God, and the supreme and final authority on all matters upon which it teaches. We believe in justification by grace through faith in Christ and in the general ministry of all Christians.
8. Apart from Jesus Christ, all creation and all people are spiritually lost and, because of sin, deserve the judgment of God. However, God gives salvation and eternal life to anyone who trusts in Jesus Christ and in His sacrifice on his or her behalf. Salvation cannot be earned through personal goodness or human effort. It is a gift that must be received by humble repentance and faith in Christ and His finished work on the cross.
9. We believe that the church is one in Jesus Christ. We express our unity in hymns and liturgy, in the historic creeds, in the belief in one holy, catholic and apostolic church, and in love – of God and neighbor.
United Methodists also have distinctive emphasis, a legacy of our founder, John Wesley:
1. Prevenient Grace – God’s love surrounds us even before we are aware of it. It leads us to want to please God, to discover God’s will, to an awareness of our sin, and makes us able to accept salvation
2. Justification & Assurance – God descends to the repentant believer with accepting and pardoning love. Through faith in Jesus Christ as Lord, we are justified – forgiven and restored to God’s favor. This experience of conversion can be sudden and dramatic or gradual. Wesleyan theology emphasizes that we can know we are saved.
3. Sanctification & Perfection – God’s sanctifying grace helps us grow more loving toward God and neighbor, drawing us toward God’s gift of Christian perfection, being perfect in love in a lifelong journey. God’s holiness is to be pursued and wielded in humble co-creation.
4. Faith & Good Works – Faith in God’s redeeming work in Jesus Christ is the only response to God’s love we need for salvation. However, while we have breath in our lungs, we express our salvation in good works, sharing God’s love w/ others so fruit may be born for the kingdom.
5. Mission & Service – Salvation always involves Christians living out God’s mission and serving the world. Following Jesus, personal religion, sacrificial love, evangelical witness, and social action go hand in hand and build on each other.
6. Nurture & Mission of the Church – The church nurtures our personal faith, binds us to our adopted family, and equips us for mission and service in the world. Through it we have social holiness and connection to one another in the work of God.
The General Rules of the United Methodist Church:
1. Do no harm; avoid evil of every kind.
2. Do all the good you can as far as possible, to all persons.
3. Attend to the ordinances of God:
Public Worship
The ministry of the Word
The Lord’s Supper
Family and private prayer
Searching the Scriptures
Fasting or abstinence