Athens First United Methodist Church

📍Athens, Alabama, United States

AI summary — doctrinal positions on this page are inferred by AI from this church's own public statements and may be inaccurate.

Inherited from denomination

What United Methodist Church teaches

Positions bound by the denomination's confessional standards. This is what the tradition teaches; whether this specific congregation publicly holds each is a separate question — see Statements below.

Affirms

Homosexual practice and biblical sexual ethicsweak
Same-sex marriage authorization implies moral affirmation.
Infant Baptismstandard
Westminster XXVIII; Book of Concord SC IV; Council of Trent Session VII; Wesleyan Articles Art. XVII
Permissibility of divorce and remarriageweak
Matthew 19:9 (adultery ground); 1 Corinthians 7:15 (abandonment ground). Practice varies.
Women in pastoral / ordained officeweak
Various denominational actions (TEC 1976, ELCA 1970s, PC(USA) 1956, AG 1935, CofE 1994 priests / 2014 bishops, etc.)

Denies

Assumption of Maryweak
Universal Protestant rejection — not attested in Scripture; not received as dogma.
Immaculate Conceptionstandard
Universal Protestant + Orthodox rejection. Orthodox reject on the grounds that they hold prepurification at the Annunciation, not conception.
Marriage as one man and one womanweak
PC(USA) 2015; ELCA 2009; TEC 2015; UMC 2024. Same-sex marriage authorized in polity.
Perpetual Virginity of Maryweak
Natural reading of Matthew 13:55–56 (brothers of Jesus); typical modern Baptist / evangelical position.
Transubstantiationstandard
Orthodox reject the Aristotelian metaphysics; Lutherans use 'sacramental union'; 39 Articles Art. XXVIII rejects explicitly; Reformed/Baptist reject substance-change.

Wrestles with

Apostolic Successionweak
Lutheran and Methodist bodies retain 'succession of doctrine' language without the tactile chain.
Believer's Baptismweak
Paedobaptist bodies practice adult baptism on credible profession where infant baptism was omitted, but do not consider it normative.
Pacifism vs. just-warweak
Default just-war framework — usually unwritten. Inheriting at weak confidence.
Real Presenceweak
Calvin's spiritual presence (genuinely present but not physically) is neither strong affirm nor deny; Anglican/Methodist typically hold a receptionist view.
Theotokosweak
Confessionally valid title (Ephesus is a received council) but not used devotionally; retained in liturgy where liturgy is retained.

In their own words

Statements

statement_of_faith

<!DOCTYPE html> First Methodist Church - AthensFMC - Our Beliefs WELCOME ABOUT US Whether you are new to the church, a seasoned Christian, or seeking a fresh start, you are valued at Athens First Methodist. Our mission is to Seek, Serve, and Share Jesus. Connect Mission & Vision Our Story Our beliefs Leadership I'M NEW VISIT SUNDAY SCHOOL CONNECT CARD CONNECT CHILDREN YOUTH MEN WOMEN SERVE MUSIC MINISTRY VOLUNTEER MISSIONS PRESCHOOL MEDIA WORSHIP ONLINE Web Messaging UPDATES EVENTS GIVE What We Believe "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us."

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mission

First Methodist Church - AthensFMC - Mission and Vision WELCOME ABOUT US Whether you are new to the church, a seasoned Christian, or seeking a fresh start, you are valued at Athens First Methodist. Our mission is to Seek, Serve, and Share Jesus. Connect Mission & Vision Our Story Our beliefs Leadership I'M NEW VISIT SUNDAY SCHOOL CONNECT CARD CONNECT CHILDREN YOUTH MEN WOMEN SERVE MUSIC MINISTRY VOLUNTEER MISSIONS PRESCHOOL MEDIA WORSHIP ONLINE Web Messaging UPDATES EVENTS GIVE Mission & Vision Go therefore and make disciples... The Mission Our Mission is “To Seek, To Serve, To Share Chr

Source ↗

beliefs

First Methodist Church - AthensFMC - Our Beliefs WELCOME ABOUT US Whether you are new to the church, a seasoned Christian, or seeking a fresh start, you are valued at Athens First Methodist. Our mission is to Seek, Serve, and Share Jesus. Connect Mission & Vision Our Story Our beliefs Leadership I'M NEW VISIT SUNDAY SCHOOL CONNECT CARD CONNECT CHILDREN YOUTH MEN WOMEN SERVE MUSIC MINISTRY VOLUNTEER MISSIONS PRESCHOOL MEDIA WORSHIP ONLINE Web Messaging UPDATES EVENTS GIVE What We Believe "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." - A.W. Tozer Core

Source ↗

statement_of_faith

<!DOCTYPE html> First Methodist Church - AthensFMC - Our Beliefs WELCOME ABOUT US Whether you are new to the church, a seasoned Christian, or seeking a fresh start, you are valued at Athens First Methodist. Our mission is to Seek, Serve, and Share Jesus. Connect Mission & Vision Our Story Our beliefs Leadership I'M NEW VISIT SUNDAY SCHOOL CONNECT CARD CONNECT CHILDREN YOUTH MEN WOMEN SERVE MUSIC MINISTRY VOLUNTEER MISSIONS PRESCHOOL MEDIA WORSHIP ONLINE Web Messaging UPDATES EVENTS GIVE What We Believe "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us."

Source ↗

mission

<!DOCTYPE html> First Methodist Church - AthensFMC - Mission and Vision WELCOME ABOUT US Whether you are new to the church, a seasoned Christian, or seeking a fresh start, you are valued at Athens First Methodist. Our mission is to Seek, Serve, and Share Jesus. Connect Mission & Vision Our Story Our beliefs Leadership I'M NEW VISIT SUNDAY SCHOOL CONNECT CARD CONNECT CHILDREN YOUTH MEN WOMEN SERVE MUSIC MINISTRY VOLUNTEER MISSIONS PRESCHOOL MEDIA WORSHIP ONLINE Web Messaging UPDATES EVENTS GIVE Mission & Vision Go therefore and make disciples... The Mission Our Mission is “To Seek, To

Source ↗

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