Why I Am a United Methodist

I have a love-hate relationship with my denomination. I love the church that I serve. It’s history is unparalleled in commitment to Christ and ministry to the lost and hurting of the world. Our heritage, beginning with the Wesley brothers and the Holy Club at Oxford, all the way to today, is awe-inspiring. I put our history next to anyone else’s. We have a great church.

And then there are some trivial matters:

• There is at least one United Methodist Church in every county in the United States.
• There are more United Methodist Churches in the USA than there are US Post Offices.
• The United Methodist Church has more than 4oo missionaries serving around the world.
• The United Methodist Publishing House produces some of the best resources in the Christian world.
  

And although I am excited about all these things, none of them get at the heart of my commitment to the United Methodist Church. I am a United Methodist for two primary reasons.

1. The doctrine of the United Methodist Church and the Social Principles of the United Methodist Church as outlined in the Book of Discipline, are right on target. For a person who believes in the Bible in general and Wesleyan theology specifically, there is no better summation of belief and practice. (One of my concerns with the church is that we do not always live up to, follow, or enforce those things that we say we believe.) The United Methodist Church fits me in belief and practice.
2. My particular beliefs, especially concerning the gifts and workings of the Holy Spirit, would not allow me to be in any other denomination. In United Methodism I am given the freedom to believe in the work of the Holy Spirit. I can believe in and even practice, healing, speaking in tongues and the other gifts. There is no pressure that I must use these gifts, and likewise, there is no prohibition concerning their use.

Oh sure, I get made at the church. It frustrates me that we have rules against ordaining gay pastors, and yet some gay pastors still get ordained and appointed. I get upset that our General Board of Global Ministries sometimes loses sight of the evangelistic element of mission in all it’s work to feed the hungry and alleviate suffering. It bothers me that so much of the church is pre-occupied with politics rather than ministry. But, I am a United Methodist, and I am glad that I am.