As the outreach pastor of The Woodlands United Methodist Church I often get asked what it means to be a Methodist.  It’s not the easiest of questions.  For some it means being part of a global movement of Methodists who seek to share the gospel with the world.  To some, being a Methodist is joining a local congregation and participating in its ministries.  For some, United Methodist is defined by a particular set of beliefs concerning theology and the practice of ministry.  People ask if Methodists are conservative or liberal.  They ask if United Methodist worship is traditional or contemporary.  There are questions about the sacraments, with a full list of whys and hows and what is different than x church or y church.  All in all, what people are asking is what is it that makes United Methodists distinct.  While no one appointed me to be the spokesperson for the entire Methodist Church, I do think there are some clear distinctives that we hold:

1. History – From the street preaching and class meetings of John Wesley to the revolutionary start of the Methodist church, we have a unique history that influences who we are.
2. Approach to Theology -  Wesley approached theology in four ways – Scripture, Tradition, Reason, and Experience.  His unique approach continues to guide us as Methodists.
3. Personal Holiness – The Methodist church wasn’t formed as a theological revolution against the estabished church, but as a call to revival and renewal of personal holiness.  We are still that way.
4. Structure – What other church has a Judicial Council that acts as the Supreme Court of the church?  Our structure reflects our revolutionary American heritage.
5. Sacraments – John Wesley described a sacrament as, “An outward and visible sign of an inward and invisible grace.”  Our approach to the sacraments unites us with fellow Christians but stands out in its openness to everyone.

Over the course of the next few months I hope to spend some time in each of these areas (and possibly a few more) in hopes to answer the question, “What does it mean to be a Methodist?”