Our Statement of Faith

The Struthers United Methodist Church is a friendly and welcoming Bible based church, which follows the teachings of Jesus Christ, and the Bible as the one and only path to salvation and eternal life. We believe in the Bible as the inerrant Word of God, and in the total authority of the Bible for all matters of faith and conduct.

This statement of faith does not exhaust the extent of our beliefs. The Bible itself, as the inspired and infallible Word of God that speaks with final authority concerning truth, morality, and the proper conduct of mankind, is the sole and final source of all that we believe.

For purposes of The Struthers United Methodist Church’s faith, doctrine, practice, policy, and discipline, our Pastor or Board of Trustees is The Struthers United Methodist Church’s final interpretive authority on the Bible’s meaning and application.

Read The Basic Christian Affirmations of The United Methodist Church here.

We believe in the Trinity; God the Father, God the Son in the form of Jesus Christ, (who came to earth and died for our sins, and rose 3 days later to gain victory over death, and to bring us each salvation) and God the Holy Spirit. (who God the Father sent to nurture our faith, and to lead us in our faith journey) We believe that God’s Holy Spirit dwells among us, and within our hearts.

We believe that God gives us each free will, and allows us to make our own decisions, either for good, or for ill. God speaks to the hearts of all men, but it is up to each of us to listen. God offers us His Grace freely, and it is up to us to choose to accept His Grace, or to choose not to accept it.

We believe that salvation is through Faith in Jesus Christ, and that God's Grace is made manifest in Jesus Christ. Good deeds are the fruits of our faith, which come naturally from having been reborn as a Son (or Daughter) of God.

We believe in the authority of scripture in all matters. In any matter or dispute, we believe that the Bible, as the inerrant Word of God, is the final word. We believe that God will, at a time of His choosing, judge the world. Christians will stand before God, as will all sinners, but if we have Jesus as our Lord, then God will see only His perfection when He looks at us. Our sins will have been blotted away by the blood of Jesus Christ, who died on the cross to pay the price that we, ourselves, could not pay. We believe that Jesus, when He ascended into heaven, gave His disciples the calling to spread the Gospel to all men, and to make disciples of all men. This is the Great Commission.

We believe that Christians should strive to be more like our Lord, Jesus Christ, with each passing day. We should seek to strengthen our Faith through study, and should follow Jesus, taking up our crosses to go and witness, and serve, those in need. We believe, and celebrate the 2 sacraments in which Jesus Himself took part. We are initiated into the fellowship of believers in the sacrament of Baptism, and are accepted by our fellow believers with a responsibility to each other to help strengthen one another in our Faith. We also celebrate Communion, which is a substitution symbol of Jesus how gave His Apostles bread and wine as a substitute for his body and blood, which He was about to voluntarily sacrifice for each of us, to give us salvation. We believe that Communion is open to all who call Christ Lord, no matter which denomination they belong to, because Christ sacrificed Himself for all who believe in Him.

We believe that certain basic human rights and civil liberties are due all persons. We are committed to supporting those rights and liberties for all persons, regardless of sexual orientation as part of our United Methodist Social Principles.

We believe the family to be the basic human community through which persons are nurtured and sustained in mutual love, responsibility, respect, and fidelity. We affirm the sanctity of the marriage covenant that is expressed in love, mutual support, personal commitment, and shared fidelity between a man and a woman. We believe that God’s blessing rests upon such marriage, whether or not there are children of the union. We reject social norms that assume different standards for women than for men in marriage.

We support laws in civil society that define marriage as the union of one man and one woman. We hold the same position on marriage as Jesus Himself stated during His earthly ministry. We believe that God created and sanctioned marriage as the union between man and woman, joining them together as “one flesh”. (Gen 2:18-25.) Jesus later reaffirmed this as God’s plan for humanity. (Mt. 19: 4-6) Marriage between one man and one woman for life uniquely reflects Christ’s relationship with His Church. (Eph. 5:21-33.)

We are concerned about other negative cultural developments over the last several decades are the general acceptance of sexual sins. We affirm that sexuality is God’s good gift to all persons. We call everyone to responsible stewardship of this sacred gift. Although all persons are sexual beings whether or not they are married, sexual relations are affirmed only with the covenant of monogamous, heterosexual marriage. We deplore all forms of the commercialization, abuse, and exploitation of sex. We call for strict global enforcement of laws prohibiting the sexual exploitation of children and for adequate protection, guidance, and counseling for abused children.

All persons, regardless of age, gender, marital status, or sexual orientation, are entitled to have their human and civil rights ensured and to be protected against violence. The Church should support the family in providing age-appropriate education regarding sexuality to children, youth, and adults.

The Struthers United Methodist Church offers facility rentals for a variety of purposes, such as birthday parties, weddings, anniversary parties, etc. All such rentals shall be brought before the Board of Trustees and the Administrative Board of the Struthers United Methodist Church for consideration. Any such requests will be voted upon by these bodies. Any such use of our facilities must be in accordance with the religious values of the church, and the teachings of the Bible. The church is not, and will be under no compulsion to rent their facilities to any individual or organization that has goals or beliefs that are contrary to the Biblical nature and mission of the church. The Pastor of the church is the final authority in any matter of Biblical interpretation regarding the use of church facilities, buildings, and equipment. (and/or the Board of Trustees)