Question: Do I have to be baptized in order to be saved?

Answer: No, but baptism is a gift of God’s grace to be received as part of the journey of salvation. To refuse to accept baptism is to reject one of the means of grace that God offers us.

Question: Does The United Methodist Church accept the baptism of other denominations?Answer: Yes, The United Methodist Church recognizes the baptism of other Christian denominations. The Book of Discipline says, “A member in good standing in any Christian denomination who has been baptized and who desires to unite with The United Methodist Church may be received as either a baptized or a professing member by a proper certificate of transfer from that person’s former church, or by a declaration of Christian faith, and upon affirming willingness to be loyal to The United Methodist Church (see ¶¶214-217)…It is recommended that instruction in the faith, work, and polity of the Church be provided for all such persons.”

(From The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church — 20004. Copyright © 2004 by The United Methodist Publishing House. Used by permission.)

Question: What is the creed of The United Methodist Church?Answer: The Social Creed was originally adopted by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1908. “The Methodist Social Creed originated…to express Methodism’s outrage over the lives of the millions of workers in factories, mines, mills, tenements and company towns….The Methodist Federation for Social Service immediately took up the challenge of getting the 1908 General Conference to address the social crisis. The key strategy was to secure adoption of a statement on “The Church and Social Problems. ” Proponents of the Social Creed came up with a “list of 11 social reforms the group believed the church should champion, including the abolition of child labor and an end to the sweatshop system.” (Interpreter, April 1988)

The Social Creed was continually expanded and revised until, in 1972, it was completely redesigned and renamed the Social Principles.

The Social Creed now follows the Social Principles in the Book of Discipline.

Question: Why do we say creeds?Answer: Unlike some churches that require affirmation of a strict list of beliefs as a condition of membership, The United Methodist Church is not a creedal church.

So why do we recite creeds during worship?

The United Methodist Hymnal contains nine creeds or affirmations. Only two of these (Nicene and Apostles’) are strictly considered to be creeds because they are products of ecumenical councils.

The remaining affirmations are taken from Paul’s letters (Corinthians, Colossians, Romans and Timothy) along with affirmations from the United Church of Canada, the Korean Methodist Church and the United Methodist Social Affirmation.

United Methodists are not required to believe every word of the affirmations. Church founder, John Wesley himself did not agree with a historic (Athanasian) creed, because he disliked its emphasis on condemning people to hell.

Affirmations help us come to our own understanding of the Christian faith. They affirm our unity in Christ with those followers who first wrote them, the many generations who have recited them before us and those who will recite them after we have gone.

-The Rev. J. Richard Peck

The Rev. J. Richard Peck is [former] editor of Newscope and United Methodist resources including The Book of Resolutions and the Daily Christian Advocate.

Interpreter, September 1999

 Question: What do the candles in our Advent wreath mean? Why is there one rose candle and one white candle?

Answer: The Advent wreath, four candles on a wreath of evergreen, is shaped in a perfect circle to symbolize the eternity of God. In some churches, four purple candles, one for each week in Advent, are used with one larger white candle in the middle as the Christ candle. Other churches prefer three purple or blue candles with one candle being rose or pink, to represent joy.

The lighting of the first candle symbolizes expectation, the second symbolizes hope, the third joy and the fourth purity. The Christ candle is lit on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day reminding Christians that Jesus is the light of the world.

• Question: Can children take communion?
• Answer: In The United Methodist Church, children are welcome to take communion. It is up to the parents to decide when their child should begin receiving communion.

  The official document on baptism, By Water and the Spirit: A United Methodist Understanding of Baptism, says about communion, “Because the table at which we gather belongs to the Lord, it should be open to all who respond to Christ’s love, regardless of age or church membership.”

  The United Methodist Book of Worship explains, “All who intend to lead a Christian life, together with their children, are invited to receive the bread and cup.”
  (From The United Methodist Book of Worship. Copyright © 1992 by The United Methodist Publishing House. Used by permission.)

  The General Board of Discipleship offers “How Should Parents and the Church Welcome Children to the Lord’s Supper?” to help parents and congregations develop appropriate ways to welcome children to the Lord’s table.