Beliefs

Our Shared Beliefs as United Methodists

As United Methodists, we share a common heritage with all Christians. Our foundational beliefs align with affirmations common across Christian communities:

  • We believe in one God, revealed in three distinct persons: God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—referred to as the Trinity.

  • We affirm the mystery of salvation through Jesus Christ. God became human in Jesus of Nazareth, and through His life, death, and resurrection, God’s redeeming love is made known.

  • The Holy Spirit is God’s active presence in our midst. When we feel God’s guidance, challenge, support, or comfort, it is the Holy Spirit at work.

Here at Broadway UMC, we use Scripture, along with Tradition, Reason, and Experience, to guide, interpret, and hear God’s voice in our lives today. Our founder, John Wesley, emphasized that while Scripture is central, it must be understood through the lens of reason, personal experience, and the wisdom of tradition passed down through generations. Each generation has the responsibility to engage with these teachings in ways that speak to their time and context.

https://www.umc.org/en/who-we-are/what-we-believe/our-christian-roots

A Place for All People

At Broadway UMC, we celebrate God’s gift of diversity and are committed to being a place for all people.

We welcome and affirm people of every gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation, who are also of every age, race, ethnicity, physical and mental ability, level of education, and family structure, as well as every economic, immigration, marital, and social status. We believe in the wholeness made possible in community, shared equally and shepherded by all.

As followers of Jesus, we commit ourselves to radical hospitality, standing in solidarity with those who are marginalized and oppressed, and pursuing justice in all forms. No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you are always welcome here.

Our Heritage Shaping Today

John Wesley and the early Methodists focused on inviting people to experience God’s grace and grow in knowledge and love of God through disciplined Christian living. They emphasized putting faith into action, which Wesley called “practical divinity”—a hallmark of United Methodism today.

Our theological heritage is distinct in its emphasis on Christian living and Wesley’s understanding of God’s saving grace. Grace is central to our faith—it is the love and mercy freely given by God, not something we earn. As it is written in Ephesians: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—not the result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

At Broadway UMC, we strive to look both around us and ahead of our time. We seek to live into the gift of God’s grace and pass it on to others. By addressing the inconsistencies in life and learning, we endeavor to bring rightness into our hearts, initiate change, and lead others in transformative Christian living. This journey is ongoing, but we move forward with God’s grace and wisdom as our guide.

https://www.umc.org/en/who-we-are/what-we-believe/our-wesleyan-heritage