Our Wesleyan Heritage

The Buncombe Street congregation continues to live out a legacy of faith that embodied in Christ and reflected in the life of a man considered the founding father of Methodism, John Wesley, who lived from 1703 to 1791.

John Wesley was a minister in the Church of England, the Episcopal Church as we know it today in America. He did not originally intend to start a new church but grew increasingly concerned that his church had become cold and elitist. Wesley became an evangelist who traveled widely on horseback to preach to people that his church was not reaching--such as the people toiling in the mines, fields and factories. He spoke of nurturing the religion of the heart that Wesley himself experienced during his transforming experience at Aldersgate in 1738, when his "heart was strangely warmed" while listening to a reading from one of the works of Martin Luther.

With a renewed faith and understanding of God, Wesley inspired the establishment of the Methodist Church in North America.

Our Methodist Beliefs

Though many of our Christian beliefs are shared by other denominations, there are three defining beliefs of United Methodists as set out by John Wesley:

The understanding and emphasis of God’s grace

The use of the Wesleyan Quadrilateral as compass for moral and ethical decision-making: Scripture, Tradition, Reason and Experience

The belief that vital and balanced faith becomes a reality when both personal holiness and social holiness are wed together

Grace

Grace is the essential nature of God and the fundamental intention of God, freely given and apart from any merit on the receiver’s part. Grace is merciful love, aimed at nothing other than incorporating the recipient into the body of Christ. Grace is the divine atmosphere in which we live, move and have our being. To live in grace is to live “in Christ” and to allow Christ to live “in us.” We are to “abide in Him” even as He “abides in us.” (John15)

Grace is not merely a great truth about God, it is a transforming effect of the life of God in the human soul. To live in grace is to be changed “from one degree of glory to another. ” (2 Corinthians 3:18) As we respond to God’s ongoing offers of grace, we find ourselves becoming more like Christ in character and conduct. Such is the nature of grace, as God intended. Grace awakens us to new challenges and opportunities. Sanctifying grace is God’s grace working in us as we deepen our faith and mature as disciples of Jesus. Again, it cannot be contained in any single experience, and it extends over all the years of our Christian journey.

Faith

We confess belief in the triune—God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We hold in common with all Christians a faith in the mystery of salvation in and through Jesus Christ. We share the Christian belief that God’s redemptive love is realized in human life by the activity of the Holy Spirit, both in personal experience and in the community of believers. We understand ourselves to be part of Christ’s universal church when by adoration, proclamation and service we become conformed to Christ.

We acknowledge God’s prevenient grace. God’s prevenient grace creates and prompts our spiritual desires, drawing us to faith in Jesus Christ. We believe God reaches out to the repentant believer in justifying grace with accepting and pardoning love. We hold that the wonder of God’s acceptance and pardon does not end God’s saving work, which continues to nurture our growth in grace. We see God’s grace and human activity working together in the relationship of faith and good works. We insist that personal salvation always involves Christian mission and service to the world. We emphasize the nurturing and service function of Christian fellowship in our Church.

Service

Our church encourages service to others as taught by the founder of Methodism, John Wesley. We will practice “nurturing the religion of the heart” as expressed by John Wesley and service for the purpose of glorifying God.

This is our mission and responsibility as members of Buncombe Street United Methodist Church—a church family united by God’s grace, our faith in Him and service to do His will. Buncombe Street United Methodist Church...Embrace grace, embrace faith, embrace service.