Understanding Methodism and Christianity
Discover the heart of our faith journey at Pontnewynydd Methodist Church. Learn about Methodism, our Christian beliefs, and how we live out our calling in worship, learning, service, and evangelism.
Our calling in Christ
The calling of the Methodist Church is to respond to the gospel of God's love in Christ and to live out its discipleship in worship and mission. We pursue this through four key areas:
Worship: The church exists to increase awareness of God's presence and to celebrate God's love.
Learning and caring: The church exists to help people to grow and learn as Christians, through mutual support and care.
Service: The church exists to be a good neighbour to people in need and to challenge injustice.
Evangelism: The church exists to make more followers of Jesus Christ.
God for all
What do Christians believe?
Jesus preached the Gospel - the good news of the Kingdom of God. Through Jesus' death on the cross, and his resurrection, Christians believe that God has broken the power of all that is evil, in the world and in ourselves. If we accept forgiveness and turn to him, he will change us from the inside out.
Methodists have always been clear that no-one is beyond the reach of God's love. Salvation is there for everyone who turns to God, and not just for a chosen few.
Christian faith
Methodists use a fourfold approach to learn about our Christian faith and apply it to contemporary issues and to our Christian practice:
Scripture
We seek to discover the word of God through reading the Bible. We use resources like different Bible translations, commentaries, and Bible reading notes to deepen our understanding.
Tradition
This encompasses the wisdom and creativity of Christians over time and across the world. It includes inspirational material like hymns, songs, prayers, poetry, Christian art, and devotional books. Formally agreed teachings like the creeds, the content of the catechism, and statements and reports from the Methodist Conference also guide us.
Reason
We are called to love God with our minds as well as with our hearts. To the best of our ability, we need to think things through in the light of reason. This means becoming aware of different points of view, and using our own critical thinking to engage with complex issues.
Experience
Methodism particularly stresses the importance of our own experience of God's grace working in our lives. We gain wisdom and maturity from life experience, especially when we pray and reflect about our story with other Christians.
"The Methodist Church is committed to justice for all, dignity for all, and solidarity with all. All are welcome."
Pontnewynydd Methodist Church