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: Continue reading →