What is a United Methodist?
We all share a faith in Jesus Christ, but the United Methodist Church encourages us to think for ourselves, so we don’t necessarily share the same opinions about every faith issue or social concern. And there are lots of us: 8.5 million United Methodists live in the United States and 1.5 million more worldwide, with the largest growth in membership occurring in Africa and the Philippines. Read more

Who are we?
The People of the United Methodist Church:

• Help people in their community
• Accept you for who you are
• Offer a place to belong
• Care for and support each other
• Show respect for other religions
• Support people facing difficulty
• Welcome diverse opinions and beliefs
• Guide others to find deeper meaning
• See more

What we believe
John Wesley and the early Methodists were particularly concerned about inviting people to experience God’s grace and to grow in their knowledge and love of God through disciplined Christian living. They placed primary emphasis on Christian living, on putting faith and love into action. This emphasis on what Wesley referred to as “"practical divinity” has continued to be a hallmark of United Methodism today. Read more

Where did the name come from?
In 1968, the United Methodist Church was given birth by two churches that had distinguished histories and were influential in various parts of the world.

The Methodists were founded by John and Charles Wesley as a movement in England in the 1700s. The Wesley brothers wanted to breathe new life into the Church of England. Eventually, their movement became a church.

Meanwhile, two Germans – Philip Otterbein and Martin Boehm – were preaching a similar evangelical message, and their followers later organized the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. Soon after, a Pennsylvania Lutheran farmer began the Evangelical Association. That church and the United Brethren would unite in 1946, and when they joined the Methodist Church in 1968, the United Methodist Church was born. Read more