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At Trinity United Methodist Church, we believe:

 

We believe that the church should be open and welcoming to all persons. We therefore adopted this statement of reconciliation in August of 2019 when we became recognized as a Reconciling Congregation:

 

Trinity United Methodist Church in Duncanville, Texas fully embraces our call to do what is fair and just to our neighbor, to be compassionate, kind, and loyal, and to walk humbly with God. We believe that ALL people have sacred worth and a place at the table. We welcome and celebrate ALL members of our community, regardless of age, ethnicity, gender identity, gender expression, ability, social status, sexual orientation, or place along their spiritual journey. We rejoice in the gifts God sends us through the diversity of God’s people, and declare ourselves to be a Reconciling Congregation.

 

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We believe in the Trinity. We worship one God, who is revealed in three Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Above all else, God is love. God is our:

 

Creator—God created all that exists. The Creator was motivated to create out of love and declared that everything in creation was very good. God continues to care for and be active in creation.

 

Redeemer—in order to heal, or redeem, the relationship between God and humanity, God came down to earth in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was and is both fully God and fully human. God’s redeeming activity is expressed in all aspects of Jesus’ earthly life—birth, life, teachings, death, and resurrection. We believe that through Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, God decisively dealt with sin and death, thereby offering human beings the gifts of salvation and eternal life.

 

Sustainer—God continues to be present to us in the form of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit enlivens, encourages, motivates, and enables us to be disciples of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is at work in our lives to help us grow into the likeness of Christ. Moreover, the Spirit enlivens, encourages, motivates, and enables the church to be the bodily presence of Christ in the world, loving and serving all of humanity, indeed all of creation, in the name of Christ.

 

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We believe humankind was created in the image of God and, through our gifts of intellect and will, have been given special responsibility to care for creation. God loves us unconditionally and declared the creation of humanity to be very good. Each person possesses sacred worth, despite whatever divisions humanity may fathom or create.

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We believe that God has gifted human beings with intelligence and freewill. These gifts enable us to choose to accept or reject a relationship with God, as well as choose between good and evil. It is part of the human experience, however, that despite our best intentions, we are bound to reject God and choose evil. This is called sin. We are left wounded by both our own sin and the sin committed against us by others. Sin disrupts our relationships with God, each other, and within ourselves.

 

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We believe that thankfully, through the grace of God, we are forgiven for our sin, and find the ability to forgive others and ourselves. Through grace, God’s unconditional love and favor, we are enabled to repent, to turn from our sin, find freedom from sin, and experience new life in relationship with God. To receive these gifts of forgiveness and new birth, we need only have faith and trust in God’s unconditional loved and grace. Our new lives of grace are characterized by love. We love God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength, and we love our neighbors as ourselves.

 

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We believe God has a mission in the world—the reconciliation of creation to its Creator and the in-breaking and establishment of the kingdom of God. God’s kingdom, or reign, is wherever God’s will is made manifest—we live together in love and harmony and care for each other and all of God’s creation. To enable this mission, Christ founded the church, the body of Christ made manifest on earth. The Holy Spirit continues to enliven the church in our mission.

 

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We believe that the Bible was inspired by the Holy Spirit and reveals to us all that is necessary for salvation. We use the gifts of church tradition, human experience, and human reason to interpret the Bible. In addition, we believe that tradition, experience, and reason are also sources of truth in their own right.

 

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We believe in the practice of two sacraments—baptism and Holy Communion. A sacrament is a visible sign of God’s grace ordained by Christ.

 

Baptism signifies a person’s entrance into the family of God and symbolizes repentance, cleansing from sin, and new birth. Because baptism is a sign of God’s grace, we extend baptism to persons of all ages. Since baptism is a gift to the whole church, and was designed to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, we recognize and accept baptisms performed in non-UM churches.

 

Holy Communion, also known as the Lord’s Supper or Eucharist, is a sign of Christ’s presence in the church, a representation of redemption, and a memorial of the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ. Holy Communion is to be served on a regular basis for the edification of all. Since it is the Lord’s table, we practice open Communion. All persons are invited to partake in Holy Communion regardless of a person’s age, religious background, or whether they are a member of our denomination or congregation.

 

 

To learn more about Methodist beliefs, visit the United Methodist Beliefs page.

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