Buda United Methodist Church’s Mission is to make Disciples for the Lord Jesus Christ
The local church shall be organized so that it can pursue its primary task and mission in the context of its own community–reaching out and receiving with joy all who will respond; encouraging people in their relationship with God and inviting them to commitment to God’s love in Jesus Christ; providing opportunities for them to seek strengthening and spiritual formation; and supporting them to live lovingly and justly in the power of the Holy Spirit as faithful disciples.
Beliefs
We have inherited our central beliefs from Christians who have gone before us and we respect diversity in theology. As long as our different beliefs are rooted in the essentials of the Christian faith and are consistent with the Scriptures, then these differences will enhance our understanding of God and challenge us to grow in Christ.
Much of the distinctiveness of the Methodist movement begun by John Wesley in 18th century England grows out of Wesley’s insight into GRACE. Grace pervades our understanding of Christian faith and life. By grace we mean the powerful, undeserved, loving activity of God in human existence. We understand that grace is expressed in our lives in three basic ways: bringing us to faith (prevenient or preceding grace) and transforming us (justifying grace), then nurturing us and drawing us toward perfect love (sanctifying grace).
First, we believe divine love surrounds all humanity at all times. This grace prompts our first wish to please God, our first glimmer of understanding concerning God’s will, and our first inkling of having sinned against God. Long before we reach out to God, God is seeking us with love.
Second, we believe God reaches out to the repentant believer with accepting and pardoning love. A decisive change in the human heart occurs under the prompting of grace and the guidance of the Holy Spirit to bring us into a right relationship with God. This change is often called “conversion” or “new birth,” and the new relationship with God is called “salvation.” Such a change may be sudden and dramatic, or gradual and cumulative. It marks a new beginning, yet is part of an ongoing process.
Third, we believe faith in Christ is bound to be expressed in outward works of love; that personal salvation leads us into a mission of evangelical witness, caring service, and social action for human liberation, reconciliation, justice and peace. The underlying energy of the Wesleyan theological heritage stems from an emphasis upon practical Christianity: the realization of authentic discipleship in the daily lives of believers. When faced with a decision, we are to ask ourselves: What would Jesus do? And then, as God gives us guidance, we are to do it!Jesus said to the disciples, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And I will be with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20).
Our Strategy for Ministry
In order to accomplish our mission and live our faith, there are three core values in our congregation which correspond to the three key aspects of the church manifest in the New Testament: proclamation, community, and service.
PROCLAMATION (the original Greek word for this was “kerygma”): providing powerful, evangelistic teaching and celebration which incorporates the historic Wesleyan emphases of Scripture, reason, tradition, and the experience of grace. We are to be a worshiping church, accepting Christ as our personal Lord and building our lives upon His Word, so that we might open our hearts to the full presence and power of the living God.
COMMUNITY (the original Greek word for this was “koinonia”): providing the educational, supportive, and disciplining ministries necessary to incorporate individuals into the Body of Christ. We are to be an inclusive church, sharing in the redemptive fellowship of Kingdom community and the disciplines of faithful living, so that we each might grow into all Christ would have us become.
SERVICE (the original Greek word for this was “diakonia”): providing ministries of outreach which further the building of the Kingdom and equip every member to be in ministry for Christ. We are to be a servant church, modeling our lives after the One who came to serve and sharing the grace we have been given, so that the living Lord might make a difference in our world through us, His disciples.The three themes are not isolated from each other, but are interwoven and are all to be present to some extent in each aspect of the life of the church.