Our Vision
AUMC is a Christian community committed to knowing the love of God, growing in that love and showing that love in our community.

Our Mission
The mission of Augusta UMC is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Local churches provide the most significant arena through which disciple-making occurs.

The Purpose of The Church
He works on us in all sorts of ways. But above all, He works on us through each other. [People] are mirrors, or "carriers" of Christ to other [people]. Usually it is those who know Him that bring Him to others. That is why the Church, the whole body of Christians showing Him to one another, is so important. It is so easy to think that the Church has a lot of different objects -- education, building, missions, holding services... The Church exists for no other purpose but to draw [people] into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time. God became man for no other purpose. It is even doubtful, you know, whether the whole universe was created for any other reason. -- C.S. Lewis

Our Christian Roots
United Methodists share a common heritage with all Christians. According to our foundational statement of beliefs in The Book of Discipline, we share the following basic affirmations in common with all Christian communities:

Trinity
We describe God in three persons. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are commonly used to refer to the threefold nature of God. Sometimes we use other terms, such as Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer.

God

  • We believe in one God, who created the world and all that is in it.
  • We believe that God is sovereign; that is, God is the ruler of the universe.
  • We believe that God is loving. We can experience God's love and grace.

Jesus

  • We believe that Jesus was human. He lived as a man and died when he was crucified.
  • We believe that Jesus is divine. He is the Son of God.
  • We believe that God raised Jesus from the dead and that the risen Christ lives today. (Christ and Messiah mean the same thing - God's anointed.)
  • We believe that Jesus is our Savior. In Christ, we receive abundant life and forgiveness of sins.
  • We believe that Jesus is our Lord and that we are called to pattern our lives after his.

The Holy Spirit

  • We believe that the Holy Spirit is God with us.
  • We believe that the Holy Spirit comforts us when we are in need and convicts us when we stray from God.
  • We believe that the Holy Spirit awakens us to God's will and empowers us to live obediently.

Human Beings

  • We believe that God created human beings in God's image.
  • We believe that humans can choose to accept or reject a relationship with God.
  • We believe that all humans need to be in relationship with God in order to be fully human.

The Church

  • We believe that the church is the body of Christ, an extension of Christ's life and ministry in the world today.
  • We believe that the mission of the church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ.
  • We believe that the church is "the communion of saints", a community made up of all past, present, and future disciples of Christ.
  • We believe that the church is called to worship God and to support those who participate in its life as they grow in faith.

The Bible

  • We believe that the Bible is God's Word.
  • We believe that the Bible is the primary authority for our faith and practice.
  • We believe that Christians need to know and study the Old Testament and the New Testament (the Hebrew Scriptures and the Christian Scriptures).

The Reign of God

  • We believe that the kingdom, or reign of God, is both a present reality and future hope.
  • We believe that wherever God's will is done, the kingdom, or reign of God, is present. It was present in Jesus' ministry, and it is also present in our world whenever persons and communities experience reconciliation, restoration, and healing.
  • We believe that the fulfillment of God's kingdom -- the complete restoration of creation -- is still to come.
  • We believe that the church is called to be both witness to the vision of what God's kingdom will be like and a participant in helping to bring it to completion.
  • We believe that the reign of God is both personal and social. Personally, we display the kingdom of God as our hearts and minds are transformed and we become more Christ-like. Socially, God's vision for the kingdom includes the restoration and transformation of all of creation.

Sacraments
With many other Protestants, we recognize the two sacraments in which Christ himself participated: Baptism and the Lord's Supper.

Baptism

  • Through baptism we are joined with the church and with Christians everywhere.
  • Baptism is a symbol of new life and a sign of God's love and forgiveness of our sins.
  • Persons of any age can be baptized.
  • We baptize by sprinkling, immersion or pouring.
  • A person receives the sacrament of baptism only once in his or her life.

The Lord's Supper (Communion, Eucharist)

  • The Lord's Supper is a holy meal of bread and wine that symbolizes the body and blood of Christ.
  • The Lord's Supper recalls the life, death and resurrection of Jesus and celebrates the unity of all the members of God's family.
  • By sharing this meal, we give thanks for Christ's sacrifice and are nourished and empowered to go into the world in mission and ministry.

We practice "open Communion," welcoming all who love Christ, repent of their sin, and seek to live in peace with one another.


Excerpts taken from What Every Teacher Needs to Know About Theology (Discipleship Resources, 2002), pages 13, 14 and 15. "The Reign of God" adapted from Who Are We? Leader's Guide, page 28.