The following are the core beliefs of Athens First Methodist Church -  based on the foundational truths taught in the bible. All of our teaching and ministry is rooted in and flows out of these biblical doctrines.

There is one eternally existing God who has three distinct persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. He is the creator of all that exists, both visible and invisible, and is therefore worthy of all glory and praise.  God is perfect in love, power, holiness, goodness, knowledge, wisdom,  justice, and mercy. He is unchangeable and therefore is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

God has revealed himself to us through his son, Jesus Christ, who is the visible image of the invisible God, the holy scriptures, and through all of creation itself.

Humans, both male and female, were created in God's image for His glory. The first humans, Adam and Eve, were created without sin and appointed as caretakers of the rest of God's creations.

We believe the goal of human life is to allow the love of Christ to fill us and to control us. This is what we call Perfection in Love.

When Adam and Eve chose not to obey God, they ceased to be what they were made to be and became distorted images of God. This caused them to fall out of fellowship with God, and fractured all of creation ever since that time.

We believe in salvation by faith alone--
that we are brought into proper relationship with God not by any merit of our own, but by trusting that God loves us and that He has acted in and through Jesus Christ to restore us into a proper relationship with Himself.

We believe that one's relationship with God is inseparable from one's relationship with others.

We believe that by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we can know that we are in right relationship with God. This is the great Wesleyan doctrine of Assurance.

The Church is meant to be the visible body of Christ, sent into the world to glorify God and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We are a part of the heritage of Church Renewal started by John Wesley, emphasizing what is called “vital piety, “ which means that our Christian faith is an active and personal relationship with God through his Son, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is returning one day to judge both the living and the dead and to usher in the fullness of God's kingdom on earth.

Therefore, one's faith must be lived out in loving service to others. While there are many more aspects of Wesleyan theology, this is the central part from which all else rises.


Come and be a part of us living out our Christian faith.