Expectations of Membership

What We Believe

Our beliefs as United Methodists are summarized in our Articles of Religion and our Confession of Faith. Some of our key beliefs are as follows:

With other Christian churches, we worship one God as the three divine Persons of the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

With other churches, we confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and is truly God and truly human, and we praise God's goodness shown in Christ's self offering, which involved His life, His crucifixion, and death, and His resurrection from the dead.

It has been the distinctive gift of the Methodist tradition to emphasize the work of God in bringing men and women to conviction (knowledge of our need for God's grace), to conversion (pardon from sin that comes by faith in Christ as a gift from God), and to Christian holiness (growing in the likeness of God, as we are empowered by God's grace, both as individuals and as communities).

Our church also insists that the grace of God is available to all persons. Christ is "the true light, which enlightens everyone." (John 1:9).

With other churches, we practice baptism (of infants as well as adults) as Christ's appointed means of bringing persons into the fellowship of the church, and we practice holy communion as Christ's appointed means of celebrating Christ's offering for us and the fellowship we have with Christ's appointed means of celebrating Christ's offering for us and the fellowship we have with Christ and with each other.

For more information about Methodism, please refer to the United Methodist Church's Book of Discipline.

Expectations As You Consider Joining Highland Park United Methodist Church

As members of Highland Park United Methodist Church we encourage each other:

• to worship regularly;
• to continue to grow spiritually through Bible Study;
• to become active in a small group for fellowship with the Body of believers;
• to serve God;
• to uphold the church with our gifts as a thankful response for all that God has given to us.

If you are considering joining HPUMC as a member, there are three ways to unite with this church family:

• Transfer of membership from another United Methodist Church;
• Transfer from another denomination;
• Profession of faith

If you have not been baptized, our ministers will be happy to baptize you at the time of your decision to join or privately before joining Highland Park United Methodist Church.

Although classes are not required to join, we encourage you to attend one or all of our HPUMC's orientation classes to better equip you as you consider making a decision to join. Please click here for information on our next NextStep Orientation Class. Reservations are not necessary to attend.

For additional information about the church and what we believe as United Methodists, or, if you would like to join Highland Park United Methodist Church, please contact Kay Porter at 214.523.2227 or porterk@hpumc.org.