CHRIST Church of Ballenger Creek

A United Methodist Congregation in Frederick, Maryland 

"building the family of Christ"

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The "Get to know us" tour

What We Believe

There are a few aspects of Christ United Methodist Church that make life in our community special.  Some of these things are listed below.  To find out more about our life together, join our new members class or call the church office.  We welcome the opportunity to speak with you!

What We Believe:

About God the Father

The Father is Creator and wants to have a relationship with His creation. {Genesis 1:1}

About God the Son

Jesus Christ is our Savior and promises us:

  • Forgiveness of Sin through his crucifixion. {Romans 10:9}

  • Eternal life through his resurrection. {John 14:2-3}

Jesus Christ is our Lord

  • This was the earliest confession of the Christian church.

  • As Lord, he has authority over a believer’s life and continually calls us to deeper discipleship. {Philippians 2:11}

About God the Holy Spirit

We believe in the Gifts of the Spirit. {1 Corinthians 12:1-11}

We believe in the Fruit of the Spirit. {Galatians 5:22}

We believe in the Power of the Spirit. The power to overcome sin, to live victoriously, to resist evil. {Micah 3:8}

About the Bible

We believe the Bible is God’s Word speaking to us. It is our primary way of understanding God. {2 Timothy 3:16-17}

 

Our Heritage:

John Wesley’s Four Points.

We understand God as revealed to us through:

  1. Scripture – the primary and most important means of understanding God.

  2. Tradition – helps to keep us on track

  3. Reason – what we understand to be God’s voice to us today.

  4. Experience – what the Holy Spirit is doing within us.

The Covenant Model of Discipleship. 

Balanced discipleship is based on John Wesley’s General Rule. "To witness to Jesus Christ in the world, and to follow his teachings through acts of compassion, justice, worship, and devotion, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit."

Compassion – works of mercy and kindness to those in need.

Justice – to eliminate want, oppression and injustice.

Worship – to glorify God and open ourselves to God’s grace.

Devotion – to practice the spiritual disciplines.

 

Our Distinctiveness:

We believe that all humankind is in need of salvation and that salvation comes through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

  • We believe that all followers of Jesus are called to share the Biblical story of salvation with others; to be witnesses. To that end we have pledged ourselves to active engagement of the world through missions.

  • We believe that all followers of Jesus are moving forward toward perfection (sanctification). We are striving to be made perfect in love.

  • We believe that the life of a disciple happens best in small groups. Our small groups are called Koinonia (greek: "fellowship") groups. Every member and regular attender is expected to participate in a small group.

  • We believe that the Christian life is a life lived in community. The Church is the people of God gathered for worship, study, service, outreach and fellowship.

  • We believe that local churches are to be in community with one another. Therefore, we see ourselves as part of a larger whole. We are part of a connectional body of United Methodist Churches. We are also part of the Kingdom of God whose ministry cuts across denominational lines.

  • We are part of a parish that includes our families, our community, and our world. We teach, preach and practice Discipleship, Evangelism, and Missions

 
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