State of the Church: Who Do We Say We Are?

Who do you say I am? (Matthew 15:16)

The State of the Church Report describes how The United Methodist Church, over this past year, has sought to better define its missional and theological identity. Created by the Connectional Table, Council of Bishops, and General Council on Finance and Administration, the report comes at a very sensitive time in the life of our church. Their work developing the report led to a question similar to the one put to Peter:

Who do we say that we are?

United Methodists are rooted in scripture, especially the Gospel call to “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.”

We do this work all over the world by offering life-changing worship, spiritual formation for people of all ages and cultures, and by putting spiritual disciplines like prayer, study, and fasting at the center of our lives. Forming and nurturing disciples of Jesus Christ is fundamental to our identity.

Twelve million members strong, The United Methodist Church is a force for global health, the education and welfare of children, care of the environment, and disaster relief. Because of our long commitment to missions, and because of the collaborative partnerships we have nurtured over decades, we are able to sway decisions and provide services that impact lives on just about every continent.

We also are a people who dig deep. Despite a global pandemic, we have continued to generously support mission and ministry funded by apportionment dollars. Because of that kind of generosity and commitment, the cross and flame are recognizable all over the world as the sign of a people and partners who help.

If you belong to Christ or if you would like to belong to Christ, you can belong in The United Methodist Church. 

Learn more about the latest State of the Church Report at umc.org.

Learn more about the #BeUMC campaign at www.ngumc.org/BeUMC.