FIRST WESLEYAN

CHURCH

WHAT WE BELIEVE

First Wesleyan Church is a member of the global Wesleyan Church which was founded in 1968 when the Wesleyan Methodist Church and the Pilgrim Holiness Church merged. 

WESLEYANS BELIEVE IN ONE GOD, WHO IS FATHER, SON AND HOLY SPIRIT, AND THE SAVIOR OF ALL WHO PUT THEIR FAITH IN HIM ALONE FOR ETERNAL LIFE.

We believe that those who are made new in Christ are called to be holy in character and conduct, and can only live this way by being filled with the Lord’s Spirit. We believe in the Bible and its sufficiency to establish our faith and conduct. We believe God wills for people everywhere to know Him and be made new in Christ. We believe that the purpose of the Church is to worship God in spirit and in truth, and to reach a lost and fallen world with the gospel of Jesus Christ through its worship, witness, and loving deeds.

SPIRIT LED FOCUS REQUIRES PRAYERFUL OBEDIENCE

We choose obedience over personal preference, with prayer as offense, not just defense. The Holy Spirit, not us, starts and leads the movement. Discerning and faithfully following the Spirit’s leading produces the transforming fruit God plans for us.

 

Zechariah 4:6, Matthew 7:7-8, John 15:5, Galatians 5:25,

Ephesians 6:18-20, Colossians 4:2-4

GOD'S VISION REQUIRES BIG RELATIONSHIPS

Big relationships are built on love, collaboration and forgiveness. We choose trust over tension and mutual voluntary submission in our relationships to unite in pursuing God’s vision.

 

Mark 12:30-31, John 13:35, John 17:21, Galatians 5:22-23, Ephesians 3:20-21, Ephesians 4:2,15, 32, Ephesians 5:21, Philippians 2:1-5

THE GOSPEL GAP REQUIRES A KINGDOM FORCE

There is a growing gap between the gospel and our cultures. We must mobilize a multiethnic, multigenerational and multieconomic Kingdom Force of disciples making disciples to close the gap. Our Kingdom Force includes laity and clergy, women and men, from everywhere to everywhere.


Psalm 145:11-13, Matthew 6:9-13, Matthew 9:37-38,

Matthew 28:18, Romans 1:16, Galatians 3:28, Ephesians 4:11-12,

1 Peter 2:5,  2 Peter 3:9, Revelation 7:9

CORE VALUES

The following are terms descriptive of who Wesleyans are and why they do what they do. They describe the “soul of the Church”:

BIBLICAL AUTHORITY

The Bible is God’s holy Word. It uniquely and infallibly reveals God’s plan for His people and how to live out that plan, individually and corporately. Beliefs, practices, priorities, and our mission are to be anchored in clear biblical teachings.

CHRISTLIKENESS

Jesus Christ is the defining feature of God’s will and relationship with all humankind. In Christ is found both newness of life and the highest and clearest example for godliness. People made new in Christ find Him to be the source of faith, hope, and love in both the inner life and in our outward actions engaging a world desperate for hope and life.

DISCIPLE-MAKING

Making disciples is a clear mandate from Christ. This requires a strong missional focus on evangelism and training in spiritual growth and holy living. Done effectively, this will produce and promote growth and health in and among the churches.

LOCAL CHURCH CENTERED

The denomination exists to help local congregations grow and multiply, be more healthy, and more authentically reflect God’s plan. Local churches are the most fundamental and strategic points of evangelism and discipleship. The challenge of the denomination is to keep finding the best ways to serve, strengthen, and multiply congregations.

SERVANT LEADERSHIP

Wesleyans respect leadership that is placed over them, while realizing that the authority and effectiveness of spiritual leadership is not primarily bestowed, but earned, and is characterized by a loving and willing heart of obedience that serves God and mankind gladly. Wesleyans desire to be leaders in serving.

UNITY IN DIVERSITY

There is intrinsic value in every person. Biblical unity becomes all the more important and beautiful in the light of the wide-ranging differences in personalities, cultures, races, languages, talents, and perspectives. Finding unity and mutual love in Christ eliminates devaluation and deprivation of life to one another.

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