At McPherson First, our beliefs shape how we live, love, and serve. You are welcome here whether you have followed Jesus for years or are just beginning to ask the questions. We believe every person is created in God's image, with inherent dignity and worth, and each one has unique gifts to share.
We experience God as Creator, Christ, and Holy Spirit, inviting everyone into a life-changing relationship that transforms how we see ourselves, others, and the world. We believe in one God who creates, loves, and sustains all things. This God came among us in Jesus, showing us what divine love looks like in human form. Through his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus opens the way for all people to experience healing, wholeness, and renewed relationships. Today, God's Spirit remains active in our world, inspiring people to do good, building community, and helping us grow in love. Scripture is our primary guide for faith and life, best understood through careful study, reasoned reflection, and our shared experience in community.
We combine head and heart, personal faith and social action. Methodism began when John and Charles Wesley sought to join deep faith with active service to others. We believe God's love, what we call grace, meets us wherever we are, draws us toward good, offers forgiveness, and helps us grow in love and service. We approach questions of faith and life through four complementary lenses: Scripture as our primary source, tradition as the wisdom of those who came before, reason as the gift God gives us to understand, and experience as our lived encounters with God's love.
Our beliefs guide how we serve God and neighbor. We care for God's creation through stewardship and sustainability. We build community by welcoming all people, supporting families of all kinds, and working for justice and reconciliation. We practice faithful stewardship by sharing resources generously and working for economic justice. In public life, we seek to respect diversity, protect human rights, and work for the common good.
We put these beliefs into practice through five promises that have shaped Methodists for generations: prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness. We walk them together, most often in a Grace Group, a small circle that meets weekly to be honest about faith and pray for one another. Whether you're sure about your faith, full of questions, or somewhere in between, you're welcome to take a next step with us.