(Galatians 5:22-23) They attempt to worship God in spirit and truth, (John 4:23) and are welcoming of people who are not of the Methodist denomination. They express this openness with the motto, "Open hearts, open minds, open doors".
Methodism, like all Christian denominations, can be tracked by to early Christians churches, and to the teachings of Christ, Paul, Augustine, and Francis. In general, all United Methodists agree on major aspects of theology. These include The Holy Bible, the Articles of Religion, The Confession of Faith, The United Methodist "Book of Discipline", and John Wesley's writings. John Wesley's teachings are still very special to United Methodist. These teaching are having the goal of being faithful disciples of Jesus Christ, setting an example of sharing God through mission work, being concerned with social problems, placing emphasis on having unity between different denominations, and having the belief in the grace and forgiveness of God's love. The United Methodist Church also has four main guidelines for belief. They are scripture, tradition, experience, and reason. These guidelines help the denomination understand their faith. They are interdependent, and allow for variety in theology.
The United Methodist Church has a social creed that we continue to believe in. It states, "We believe in God, Creator of the world; and in Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of creation. We believe in the Holy Spirit, through whom we acknowledge God's gifts, and we repent of our sin in misusing these gifts to idolatrous ends. We affirm the natural world as God's handiwork and dedicate ourselves to its preservation, enhancement, and faithful use by humankind. We joyfully receive for ourselves and others the blessings of community, sexuality, marriage, and the family. We commit ourselves to the rights of men, women, children, youth, young adults, the aging, and people with disabilities; to improvement of the quality of life; and to the rights and dignity of racial, ethnic, and religious minorities.