Beliefs and Values

Our Statement of Welcome

As a Reconciling Congregation, Mount Horeb United Methodist Church celebrates the inclusive love of Christ. We embrace the image of God in all humanity and affirm all regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, race, sex, ability, ethnicity, education, faith tradition, family structure, political affiliation, social class, physical or mental health. Everyone is welcome here.


The United Methodist Church is inclusive and welcoming of all. This includes affirming the same rights and privileges of the LGBTQIA+ community to marriage equality and ordination. 


We welcome all individuals' thoughts and opinions to the table. We embrace diversity to grow a stronger faith community grounded in love. In the words of John Wesley, “We can love alike, though we may not think alike.”

Our Core Beliefs & Values

  • 1. God loves us and is with us.

    We believe God loves us and is present in every part of our lives, so we strive to offer an experience of God’s presence through our hospitality.

  • 2. We are disciples of Jesus Christ.

    We are disciples of Jesus Christ, who lived and died so we are forgiven. We invite all people to come to know God’s love through Jesus Christ and follow him together.

  • 3. God calls us to serve others.

    We understand God’s call to service through Christ’s example, so we respond to God’s call by serving others by supporting missions and "hands-on" Christian service.

  • 4. We all have room to grow in faith.

    Bible study, prayer, sacraments and stewardship are essential practices of our faith. We invite each person to grow into their next steps of practicing their faith.

  • 5. God values everyone equally.

    We believe God values everyone equally, and we encourage each person to name, claim and live into their gifts for ministry and leadership.

Our Denominational Beliefs

As United Methodists, we believe that the Bible is the living word God inspired human beings to write. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, taught that our personal understandings of scripture emerge through our learned traditions in the church, our individual reasoning abilities and our life experiences. We practice the two sacraments of baptism and communion, as reflected in the life of Jesus Christ within scripture.

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    Our denominational beliefs are grounded in John Wesley’s theology of grace. We believe God’s love is available to all people before they are even aware of it, in the form of prevenient grace. When we become aware of this love, we can choose to accept or reject it. When we accept God’s love, our sins are washed away, we are in "right relationship" with God and we experience justifying grace. Transformation for each person comes in accepting the gift of God’s love. When we open our lives to God’s transforming power, we experience God’s sanctifying grace, and we continue a lifelong journey toward holiness by following Jesus Christ. This is expressed in our lives by deepening love for God and care for our neighbors.

The Global United Methodist Church

The United Methodist Church originated as a reform movement in the Church of England during the 18th century. Brothers John and Charles Wesley believed the good news of Jesus Christ should be presented to working class people in a way that they could both understand and accept. Learn more about the global organization, history, and people of the United Methodist Church.

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The Wisconsin Conference of the United Methodist Church

Our congregation is part of a larger network of churches that belong to this conference in the state of Wisconsin. We are a community of diverse people, yet we all share an important common element: a unique faith perspective and a goal to open hearts, open doors and open minds through active engagement with our world. Our mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

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The Reconciling Ministries Network

As a Reconciling Congregation, we are associated with The Reconciling Ministries Network. They are committed to intersectional justice across and beyond the United Methodist connection, working for the full participation of all LGBTQ+ people throughout the life and leadership of the Church.

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