Our Beliefs
We Are A Purpose Driven Church
Our purpose is driven by two statements which Jesus made regarding the nature of the Church.
- Matthew 22:37-40
- "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind ... Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
- Matthew 28:19-20
- "Go make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."
Therefore the purpose of St. Mark's Church is to:
- Love God -- this is our worship of God
- Love our neighbor -- this is our ministry to others
- Go and make disciples -- this is evangelism, sharing God's love with others
- Baptize -- this is incorporating people into the fellowship of the Church
- Teach -- this is discipleship, training, Sunday School and Bible studies
What do United Methodists believe?
We share in the beliefs of other Christians through our belief in the Apostles' , Nicene, the United Church
of Canada and Korean Creeds. In addition to our Articles of Religion, our basic beliefs include:
- A Triune God
- The essential unity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit embraces the Biblical witness to God's activity in creation, God's salvation
in Christ and God's continuing presence in our everyday lives.
- God's Prevenient Grace
- The grace of God that precedes any and all conscious impulses. We are loved regardless of who we are or what we have done.
- Justification and Assurance
- Also known as conversion, the process of being "justified" or restored to a right relationship with God through faith in Christ,
is what Jesus described as being "reborn". We can expect to receive assurance of this forgiveness of our sins, our salvation,
through the work of the Holy Spirit.
- Sanctification and Perfection
- New Birth is only the first step in the process of sanctification of "holiness". The Holy Spirit's "sanctifying grace" draws us toward Christian perfection, which is being motivated by love for God and love for others in all that we do.
- Faith and Good Works
- Faith is the only response essential for salvation, but salvation evidences itself in good works. God's grace calls forth human response and discipline.
- Oneness of the Church of Christ
- Our ecumenical commitment as United Methodists is to share our own religious heritage with the larger Christian family. We confess a belief in "one holy catholic (or universal) and apostolic church" which calls us to Christian unity at local, national and world levels.
- Nurture and Mission of the Church
- Personal faith is nourished by the worshiping community which mobilizes connectional ties that bind us for service to the world. Personal salvation always involves Christian mission, and love of God is always linked with love of neighbor. Our mission is to make disciples and to show our love and care.
- Two Sacraments
- We believe the two Sacraments ordained by Christ, Baptism and the Lord's Supper, are symbols and pledges of the Christian profession and of God's love toward us. They are the means of grace by which God works invisibly in us, quickening, strengthening and confirming our faith in Him.
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