The early Church had one creed – one statement that spoke of allegiance and conviction. Â That creed was
“Jesus Christ is Lord.”
The is the essence of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ.
United Methodists are confessional, conciliar and covemamt people.
We are confessional in that we connect with the early confessions of the church, the Apostle’s and Nicene Creeds. Â In 1968, the Methodist Church merged with the Evangelical United brethren and brought two doctrinal statements together – The Articles of Religion and the Confession of Faith.
We are conciliar in that every four years, representative leaders from Methodist Churches in the United States and around the world meet at a General Conference to decide policy, structures, mission and ministry initiatives, and the practices by which we live as Christ-followers in the 21st Century.
We are covenantal in that we join together under sacred contract in our baptism, our membership, our leadership and ordination.