Our Beliefs - Asbury United Methodist Church

Who We Are as Believers

We share the following basic affirmations in common with all Christian communities:

God, who is one, is revealed in three distinct persons.
We believe in the mystery of salvation through Jesus Christ. God became human in Jesus of Nazareth; and his life, death and resurrection demonstrates God’s redeeming love.
The Holy Spirit is God’s present activity in our midst. When we sense God’s leading, God’s challenge, or God’s support or comfort, it’s the Holy Spirit at work.
Genesis 1:27 asserts that human beings are made in the image of the Creator. Like God we have the capacity to love and care, to communicate, and to create.
The church is the body of Christ, an extension of Christ’s life and ministry in the world today.
We believe that the Bible is the primary authority for our faith and practice.
The kingdom or reign of God is both a present reality and future hope.

We are a body of believers who love the Lord Jesus Christ, and humbly accept to serve Him as we grow in being faithful disciples through:

Prayer: We vow to pray for one another; for our world; for our church and community in its needs, and to help through acting on those needs through the ministry of compassion.
Presence: We vow to share in the fellowship of Christ by being present in our worship of our Lord and in supporting programs and events which enable ministry for Christ.
Gifts: We vow to share the blessings which God has bestowed upon us through giving of our tithes and offerings, time and talents. We are blessed to be a blessing to others.
Service: We vow to give of ourselves to the ministries of our church, community and world. Our time is God’s time. Our energy is God-supplied. Our service comes from God’s love living within us, to be shared outside us.
Witness: We vow to tell others the Gospel of ‘Good News’ that we serve a living God, and a Risen King, Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. We vow to share that others may know His saving love too, and live at peace within themselves, and live joyful lives. We vow to help disciple others to share their faith and serve their Lord Jesus Christ in abundant ways which bless them and others in this world.
To learn more about specific United Methodist beliefs, explore: Our Social Principles, The Articles of Religion of the Methodist Church, and our The Confession of Faith of the Evangelical United Brethren Church.

We offer an open Holy Communion table – All God’s children are invited to partake of the Lord’s Supper, the sacramental meal representing Jesus’ sacrifice of Himself to save the world of their sin. You do not have to be a member of the United Methodist Church to receive Holy Communion.
We welcome all persons of all faiths, races, and creeds to worship with us. This is the house of the Lord, and our doors and hearts are open to receive all.
We recognize all previous baptisms. You do not have to be ‘re-baptized’ in order to become a member of the United Methodist Church. We offer a renewal of baptism for any who desire to remember God’s grace offered to them at their initial baptism.
We believe that the central affirmations of the Christian faith are revealed in Scripture, illumined by tradition, vivified in personal experience, and confirmed by reason.
We affirm our United Methodist Christian beliefs and heritage by adhering to the United Methodist Discipline, our book of polity, social beliefs, and legal counsel for the matters of God’s blessings which we are entrusted.
We belong to the Arkansas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, as we affirm our connectionalism in a greater network of mission and ministry to our state, country, and world.