Our Lifestyle Beliefs
The Bible – both Old and New Testaments, is uniquely God-inspired, infallible, culturally and historically relevant, and the authority on all matters of faith and practice. We consider the Wesleyan Quadrilateral of Scripture, tradition, reason and experience important to daily Christian living and lifestyle. John Wesley “believed that the living core of the Christian faith was revealed in Scripture, illumined by tradition, vivified in personal experience, and confirmed by reason” – with Scripture serving as the primary source. Wesley saw the Quadrilateral not merely as prescriptive of how one should form beliefs, but also descriptive of how one should live out the Christian faith. Leading people to Christ is a process – and it is the most important thing we do as a church. Full devotion in the practice of Christian disciplines is the norm for a Christ-follower (i.e. weekly worship, generosity, servanthood, study and fellowship – or as we so often verbalize it in Methodist circles “prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness.”)
Love and understanding are to be the paramount motivations of the church, not guilt, shame, judgment or coercion. The Christian life and lifestyle is to focus on both personal and social holiness.
