What we believe

Physically, North Decatur is situated at an intersection of roads - Theologically, we also find ourselves situated at the intersection of a few related Christian traditions.


NDUMC 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!


Find out more about what we believe below:

OUR COMMUNAL CREED

In mid-2019, North Decatur UMC wrote out our own creed as a way of exploring our beliefs and articulating our faith as a worshipping community. A recording of the NDUMC Communal Creed can be found below:

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WE are a congregation of the united methodist church

What does it mean 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 a worldwide connection of churches committed to making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. You can learn more about what United Methodists believe by clicking here.


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.


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.

We are a reconciling congregation

NDUMC is a member church of the Reconciling Ministries Network, a group within the United Methodist Church pushing for the full inclusion of LGBTQIA+ people within the life of the Church. To put it simply, this means we are an affirming and safe place for members of the LGBTQIA+ community to worship in peace.


As a Reconciling congregation, we celebrate God’s gift of diversity and value the wholeness made possible in community equally shared and shepherded by all. We welcome and affirm people of every gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation, who are also of every age, race, ethnicity, physical and mental ability, level of education, and family structure, and of every economic, immigration, marital, and social status, and so much more. We acknowledge that we live in a world of profound social, economic, and political inequities. As followers of Jesus, we commit ourselves to the pursuit of justice and pledge to stand in solidarity with all who are marginalized and oppressed.


You can learn more about Reconciling Ministries Network and their work within the United Methodist Church here.