What we Believe

At Belfast FMC, we hold firm to basic Christian teaching, or "mere Christianity" as it has been held "everywhere, always, by all." Our faith stretches back thousands of years, but is lived out in our day to day, and is leading us into the uncertain future with the certainty that God lives in us and through us.

We are committed to: 

Knowing God :: Growing Community

Engaging Locally :: Partnering Globally

  • God

    We believe in one God in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Out of love, God created the world and continues to act in the world today for our life and salvation. 

  • Humanity

    We believe that God created humans in the image of God: innocent and good. But as a race we have put ourselves under the power of sin and are broken from birth. Thankfully, God does not leave us there. Through God's grace all are made able to freely respond to Jesus' offer of salvation and restoration.

  • Salvation

    We believe that Jesus came to the earth in order to save us through his death and resurrection. By a simple life of faith in Jesus our relationship is restored with the Father, and our lives are made new through the Spirit. This salvation is available to all people, is expressed in our lives now, and begins an eternal life with God.

  • Church

    We believe that God established the church as the outpost of his active presence in the world today. The Spirit of God works through the church to spread the good news of Life, to make broken people whole, to serve the poor, and to sustain us during our troubles.

  • Scripture

    We believe the Bible is the true and authoritative word of God.

    It gives perfect witness to Christ and the salvation available through him. We allow the Bible to speak words of comfort and words of challenge, words of guidance and words of grace. As such, you will hear God's word read, prayed, sung, and preached at every church service at Belfast FMC.

  • Last Things

    We believe in a hopeful future: that, at an unknown time, Jesus will return to earth to resurrect all humans and to fully establish his kingdom. In this reclaiming and redemption of the world, Jesus will judge all people, granting eternal life to those who have followed him and punishing those who have rejected him. We believe that the choices and actions we make now have an effect on our future.

The Free Methodist Church

We are proud to be a part of the worldwide Free Methodist Church. We trace our roots back through BT Roberts, John Wesley, the Protestant Reformation, and all the way back to the early disciples. If you'd like to see more about Free Methodist beliefs, click here. 


And if you'd like to read about our history and participation in 19th century abolition (much of which took place right here in Western NY and the Southern Tier), click here.