Your Questions About Methodist Beliefs...Practices...Etc.
Pastor Robert's message series on August 19 and August 26 will cover "Ten Great Things About Being a Methodist."
However we still may not cover that big question you have! This is your opportunity to submit your questions for Pastor Robert. Anything you have always wondered about what Methodists believe or how things are done in The United Methodist Church....post it here!
(If you've never posted on a blog before, just click below where it says "COMMENTS" and follow the instructions - you may include your name or you may post anonymously. Please note that all posts will be reviewed before appearing here. "COMMENTS" is also the place to click to read other folks' questions and answers.)
posted by Robert Stutes at
7:02 AM
10 Comments:
Why do Methodists only have communion on the first Sunday of the month?
Regarding Communion on the first Sunday of the month...
This is more of a "custom" than a belief. In the early years in U.S. the Methodist preachers traveled from area to area (often on horseback) and it was customary to have Communion when the preacher came to visit - as Communion could only be observed with the authorized ordained elder present. Often this meant taking Communion once every three months.
As time went by, churches began to have a yearround resident pastor, but it was still common to have Communion once every three months.
The practice of having Communion on the first Sunday of the month developed as an effort to make Communion more frequent.
It is quite common among Methodists in Texas, but it is basically a decision to be made by the pastor and each local church. A few Methodist churches have Communion every Sunday, but not many. Others have begun providing weekly Communion at other times during the week.
During the service, you reference the Catholic Church...why?
>>>During the service, you reference the Catholic Church...why?
This happens during the Affirmation of Faith - when we use the Affirmation called the "Apostle's Creed." It says, "I believe in the holy catholic church."
The easiest way to understand this is to think of "catholic" with a "small c." In this case, it is an adjective, not the name of a particular church. And the adjective "catholic" equates to "universal" or "worldwide."
So when we say "I believe in the holy catholic church," we are saying that the universal church of Jesus Christ (all nations, races, languages, denominations) is part of God's plan!
Some Methodist churches that I've seen are named after Saints. I thought that Methodist didn't believe in Saints? Can you explain this?
Regarding churches named after saints, (like St. Luke's United Methodist Church), Methodists do not have an official procedure to designate any given individual as a "saint."
We use "saint" a more general way to refer to the people of God.
One Bible dictionary defined "saint" in this way - "one separated from the world and consecrated to God; one holy by profession and by covenant; a believer in Christ."
By custom we often use the term "Saint" to refer to the earliest men and women of faith, but actually it is not restricted to people of the past.
Do Methodists have any sort of belief about Mary, like the Catholic Church?
Regarding Mary, the beliefs of Methodists and other Protestants does tend to differ from that of Catholics.
In traditional Catholic teaching, there is a focus on continuing devotion to the Virgin Mary, who is uniquely able to intercede to her Son, Jesus, on behalf of humanity.
It is also a common Catholic doctrine that Mary remained a perpetual virgin her whole life long.
Methodists and other Protestants do not hold to these teachings, but instead focus on the role of Mary as lifted up in the stories of the Bible, as the one who was willing to be used by God in a miraculous way in the birth of Jesus.
We have a baby on the way, and a traditional baptism (or what I'm used to in the Catholic church) is very important to me. Can that be done in the Methodist Church?
It is indeed the custom of Methodists to baptize babies. Here our practices are similar to those of the Catholic Church, in which we present our children for Holy Baptism at a young age. Children who are baptized are recipients of the grace of Jesus Christ, and are received into the fellowship of the family of God, the church.
Becoming a "professing member" of the church happens at when one is old enough to make the lifelong vows of faith commitment to Christ. Confirmation classes are provided to youngsters around the 6th grade in order to prepare them for this important faith commitment.
Some parents may prefer to delay the baptism of a child until such time as they make their individual faith commitment. In the Methodist view, this does not endanger their soul in any way. The baptism is not a magical act that allows God to work, rather it is a sign-act that helps us to understand how God is working.
Some other denominations (such as Baptist, Church of Christ and Pentecostal) do not practice the baptism of infants, and restrict all baptisms to children who are old enough to make their profession of faith.
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