What we believe

North Decatur is a church which operates in the United Methodist tradition of celebrating God's grace as vitally important to faith. Grace is a much larger word than it lets on! The Catholic writer Thomas Merton says that grace is God's own life, shared with us. That's a pretty good definition, really. Grace means that God loves us, even when we think we're too messed up for anybody to even like us. God's grace and love are so strong that nothing can separate us from that love: nothing we can do and nothing that can be done to us. And that grace is so powerful that it makes us want to share it with others!


Like most other churches operating in the Christian tradition, we hold a pretty standard set of beliefs about God and the Bible. But just because they are standard doesn't mean they aren't important! You can learn more about our Christian beliefs here.

Our nDUMC Creed

In mid-2019, our church created our own creed. This is a beautiful summary of our community beliefs:


Leader: Do you believe in God?

All: I believe in the Triune God

who creates all things and calls them good.

Even when loving or trusting God is hard,

God provides for us.

Even when loving or trusting ourselves is hard,

God loves us as we are.


Leader: Do you believe in Christ?

All:I believe in the incarnation of God

through Jesus Christ.

Even when humanity seems hopelessly flawed,

Christ becomes human in Jesus, the son of Mary.

Jesus lived among us,

broke bread with us, taught us, and healed us.

Jesus was crucified by those in power,

and rejected by his closest friends;

Jesus overcame the power of sin and death,

to draw us to resurrection alongside him.


Leader: Do you believe in the Holy Spirit?

All: I believe in the Holy Spirit

who enlivens us and sustains all creation.

Even when we are brokenhearted,

and the way ahead seems unsure,

The Spirit of God comforts us and directs us.

Even when pride discourages our curiosity,

the Spirit invites us into mystery.


Leader: How is this known among us?

All: God is known among us as we read scripture,

attune to the traditions of the faithful,

ask big questions,

and experience God’s presence in new ways

through community and solitude.

We trust that God works through us

to transform the world through love and service.

God is with us.

Thanks be to God, Amen.


What does it means to be united methodist?

We have the best potlucks and, we think, pretty great theology. We talk a lot about grace around here, and we think that serving others is vitally important to our faith. Ultimately, the United Methodist Church is committed to making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. You can learn more about what we believe by clicking here.


By the way, we celebrate Holy Communion every week. Because a big part of our theology is the idea that all people are children of God, we celebrate an open table. That means that if you are here--no matter who you are or what you have done--God loves you. You have a place at God's table, and you are invited to receive Communion.