Here are answers to questions people are most likely to ask about Wesley.
Please contact us if you have additional questions.
Our approach is one that will appeal to those who love the traditions of Methodism and in particular African-American ways of worship, combined with a welcoming informality.
At its core, worship is a celebration of Christ; his life, death and resurrection. Worship is an encounter with Christ. It is in worship and acts of worship that we hear God speak and hear from God. The goal of our worship is to tell and retell the Gospel story, to render and surrender awe, thankfulness, adoration, wonder and enthusiasm for God’s holiness and His actions (past, present and to come).
The goal of our worship service is to create an experience in which members, visitors, and friends can experience and encounter the power of Christ, the work of the Holy Spirit, and the life-changing grace of God.
A believer in Christ Jesus joins the church to publicly profess his or her faith in Christ as Lord and unite with the congregation. You also join the church in order to grow with and join others who want to know Christ and live a life that models His life, ministry, and teachings.
Methodist founder John Wesley said there was no holiness but social holiness. Christian fellowship is essential to salvation. One cannot go to heaven alone; we need the supportive company of others along the way.
Church membership is open to any and all who seek the presence of God in their lives. Baptism is a requirement for membership. If you have not been baptized, please let the pastor know in order that you can have a pre-baptism counseling session. People may become members of The United Methodist Church by:
- Vows and profession of faith
- Profession of Faith Members are typically those who join by affirming their baptismal vows, making a commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord, making a commitment to live the Christian life, and making a commitment to remain a faithful member of Christ’s Holy Church through their prayers, their presence, their gifts, their service, and their witness.
- Transferring members are typically those who have made a profession of faith at another United Methodist Church and are making a commitment to become a faithful member of Wesley, supporting the church through their prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness.
- Affiliate Members
- Affiliate members are typically those who will be in town a short while and wish to join Wesley United Methodist Church while living or working in Columbia.
- Associate Members
- Associate Members are those who are members of another denomination who will be in town a short while and wish to join Wesley while in Columbia.
Membership in the Body of Christ is an active membership. As expressed in the membership vows, members are expected to support the Church with their prayers, presences, gifts, services and witness and have entered into a covenant to do so.
These are the basic expectations:
- Attending worship every week unless I am sick or out of town.
- Pursuing at least one means of growing in my faith in addition to the weekly worship service (i.e.: Sunday School, Bible Study, UMW, UMM).
- Putting my faith into action by becoming actively involved in Christian service (i.e. volunteer in the community and with community organizations).
- Growing toward the tithe (giving in proportion to my income).
Wesley members adhere to, and enter into a covenant to uphold, the following membership vows:
- To confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and pledge allegiance to his Kingdom.
- To receive and profess the Christian faith as contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments.
- To promise according to the grace given to me to live a Christian life and to always remain a faithful member of Christ’s holy Church.
- To be loyal to Wesley Church and uphold it by prayers, presence, gifts, services, and witness.
The UMC Book of Discipline since 1972 has contained language stating that “Although all persons are sexual beings whether or not they are married, sexual relations are affirmed only with the covenant of monogamous, heterosexual marriage.” This language has become increasingly unpopular with elements of the denomination that affirm homosexuality and same-sex marriage.
Last year, the UMC held a special session to examine this issue. A majority of the delegates present voted to uphold the traditionalist language. This led to a process that could see the denomination split, with individual congregations and conferences deciding to go their separate ways.
We continue to pray for all our fellow Methodists as they struggle with the issue. Meanwhile, we want all people to know that they are welcome at Wesley, and can expect to be met with Christian love and compassion.
Our pastor’s vision for Wesley is to be an inclusive congregation, representative of the diversity in the downtown area of Columbia, and to create worship that engages and influences all types of people to know Christ and become His disciples.
We believe that God has called us for a particular purpose: To live, serve, worship, and witness as a new type of church, a new kind of people brought together by the transforming power of the Holy Spirit – transcending race, class, denomination, personal experience, and gender. Our desire is to serve God and each other, and to be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ.
Wesley will seek to expand our ministry and advocacy to and with those who are poor and marginalized. As we offer more services, we will educate ourselves and others concerning the needs of the people we strive to help.
Check this page for complete policies regarding holding such events at the church.