United Methodists share a common heritage with all Christians. According to our foundational statement of beliefs in The Book of Discipline, we share the following basic affirmations in common with all Christian communities:

God

We believe in one God, who created the world and all that is in it.
We believe that God is sovereign; that is, God is the ruler of the universe.
We believe that God is loving. We can experience God’s love and grace.

Jesus

We believe that Jesus was human. He lived as a man and died when he was crucified.
We believe that Jesus is divine. He is the Son of God.
We believe that God raised Jesus from the dead and that the risen Christ lives today.
We believe that Jesus is our Savior. In Christ we receive abundant life and forgiveness of sins.
We believe that Jesus is our Lord and that we are called to pattern our lives after his.

The Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit is God with us.
We believe that the Holy Spirit comforts us when we are in need and convicts us when we stray from God.
We believe that the Holy Spirit awakens us to God’s will and empowers us to live obediently.

The Bible

We believe that the Bible is God’s Word.
We believe that the Bible is the primary authority for our faith and practice.
We believe that Christians need to know and study the Old Testament and the New Testament. 

Excerpts are from What Every Teacher Needs to Know About Theology (Discipleship Resources, 2002)