What is it?

The word theology is a combination of two Greek words, theos (God) and logos (word/reason), which, when put together, mean something like God-talk. Theology is what we are doing whenever we reflect on our experiences of the Divine Mystery and talk about God together. Theology in the Wesleyan tradition emphasizes grace, God’s love for us & life among us. John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, once wrote this word of advice about spiritual reading: “Labor to work yourself up into a temper correspondent with what you read; for that reading is useless which only enlightens the understanding, without warming the affections.”  In our congregation we endeavor to practice this union of thought and feeling, understanding and devotion.

The Trinity & the Image of God

We believe in a triune God – Father/Creator, Son/Savior, and Holy Spirit/Sustainer – three persons sharing in the one divine nature. God is a perfectly united fellowship, a divine dance of love. Since we are created in the image of this Triune God, we believe that we, too, are made for the enjoyment of safe, fulfilling, just, and generous relationships with others. To that end, we practice forgiveness and reconciliation in Jesus’ name.

The Mystery of God & the Spiritual Journey

We are all on a journey of life and faith. No two journeys are exactly alike. Even so, we trust that for all of us who have been united in baptism Jesus has become “the way, the truth, and the life.” This diversity in unity grounds our congregation’s worship, preaching, and teaching. We don’t settle for easy answers but we do come together around shared rituals, symbols, and scriptures, trusting that each of us will receive exactly what we need from God for taking the next step on our path. 

The Scriptures

The Hebrew Bible and the Christian New Testament are the scriptures which testify to our God as one who creates and covenants, becomes flesh and dwells among us, suffers, dies, and resurrects, forgives and reconciles, pursues and makes new. The Scriptures form the foundation of our congregation’s preaching, teaching, and discipling. We revel in their complexity and historicity; we read them prayerfully and playfully; we trust that when they are preached and heard in faith they become the living and active Word for us, by the power of the Spirit. 

God’s Call

We believe that God calls every one of us into some form of Christian ministry. All – whether clergy or laity – are called to be disciples of Jesus Christ. A disciple is a “student,” “follower,” or “life-long learner.” As disciples, we all are responsible for embodying the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20), sharing the love of God generously and the resources of creation justly wherever we go. Some of us are called into vocational Christian ministry as elders, deacons, local pastors, or missionaries. Most of us are called to work out our discipleship as lay members of the Church, suffusing every facet of life with the light and hope of God.

Theology

7 Statements on Who We Are

A United Methodist Congregation

We are a United Methodist congregation. This means that we emphasize God’s grace. God is always ready to meet us with love, forgiveness, and renewal. We don’t have to earn these gifts, we only have to trust that, through Jesus, they are always already available to us. Being Methodist also means that we serve together both in and beyond our congregation. We are connected to something bigger than ourselves, because we partner in ministry with our Methodist siblings throughout Idaho and Oregon, and even around the world.

A Reconciling Congregation

Since 2023, we have been a Reconciling Congregation, affiliated with the Reconciling Ministries Network. This means that we celebrate the rich diversity of humankind and invite all people into our fellowship and our practice of Communion. We are an LGBTQ-affirming congregation, we believe that women are called to serve at all levels of leadership, and we trust that, no matter what identity markers any of us carry, “the Lord looks at the heart.” We try to do that, too. 

Actively Kind

One of our values here at the church is that we strive to be Actively Kind. Throughout scripture, we see a God who is faithful to his people, who is quick to forgive, and who demands justice for the widow and the orphan, the foreigner and the stranger, the poor and the poor in spirit. We do our best to put God’s kindness into practice so that others can experience hope and belonging in a world that is far too cruel far too often.  

Bravely Evolving

One of our congregational values is that we strive to bravely evolve. We do this in our personal lives by prayerfully opening ourselves to God and others, risking personal transformation when we know that hard choices will ultimately lead us to love and be loved more fully. We support each other’s journeys and growth processes. We also bravely evolve together. What matters most is that we stay in sync with the movements of God’s Spirit, so sometimes we release what used to be and take risks for what can be.

Prayerfully Serving

One of our congregational values is that we believe everyone is called to prayerfully serve as an expression of their faith in Jesus. Jesus said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” There are gifts in each of us that are meant to be shared. We serve out of prayer, letting God direct us where we can be most impactful. We serve as prayer, knowing that we commune with Jesus when we care for others. And we serve into prayer, letting the joys and demands of it drive us into deeper dependence on the Holy Spirit.

Table Ministry, Youth, and Stewardship

At this time we have three ministry priorities: practicing table ministry to grow connection, centering youth and children in our congregational life, and growing our financial capacity to live our values. We believe that eating together has the power to deepen our relationships and address needs for belonging and daily bread experienced by others in our city. We believe that children and youth are not just the future of the church but the church’s present. And we believe that generosity is a way of life. When we are generous together, God can do amazing things. We want you to partner with us in breaking bread, empowering young people, and investing in our community.

Childcare Advocates

Our church has a longstanding partnership with Tender Loving Care Childcare, better known as TLC. TLC was founded in 1977 by a group of church members and early childhood development advocates from Pocatello with a goal of serving the underserved. Through its commitment to play-based learning, TLC has since grown into one of our city’s highest quality full-time childcare providers. Though TLC is a separately-incorporated nonprofit leasing the bottom floor of our building, recent policy attacks on the childcare industry and economic pressures on families have led us to double-down on our collaboration with them. We support TLC through public advocacy, volunteer labor, financial gifts, and donations of diapers, wipes, and classroom supplies.

Some questions we get asked:

  • Yes, at every level and in any position.

  • Yes – and not just welcomed but also called into service, affirmed as image bearers of the Divine, baptized, confirmed, married, commissioned, and loved. We participate in the Reconciling Ministries Network, a fellowship of churches advocating for the full participation of LGBTQ+ persons in the United Methodist Church at large.

  • Yes. The Table belongs neither to our congregation nor to the United Methodist Church, but to Jesus whose invitation is for all.

  • Most of the time, no. Standard practice in United Methodist churches is to not rebaptize, because we believe that God marks us as God’s own once for all, and that our baptismal identity goes with us wherever we go. There are many beautiful ways to ritualize your recommitment to faith or remembrance of your baptism. However, while we actively and gratefully partner with the Latter-Day Saints community in ecumenical service to our community, United Methodists do not consider an LDS baptism to be a Christian baptism, and we will urge you to be baptized here.