Mission
To minister to the whole man through the liberating Gospel of Jesus Christ.

​

Vision
To Empower every Christian to become mature in every area of their lives through the Biblical principles of God's word.

 

AME Beliefs

Major Beliefs
Our denomination is a member of the Methodist family of churches and as such we do not differ in any major way from what all Methodists believe.  The AME Church, however, was established not on account of any doctrinal differences, but on account of unchristian practices which limited and even dehumanized people of African descent.  The two great historic documents which are the basis of what we believe are:

​

The Apostles' Creed
Twenty-Four Articles of Religion

​

The Apostle's Creed
I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ His only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.  I believe in the Holy Spirit; the Universal church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting.  Amen.

​

The Twenty-Four Articles of Religion
Listed below you will see all twenty four articles including descriptions.

​

The Holy Trinity
There is but one living and true God.  He is the maker and preserver of all things.  We experience the one God through three aspects of His personality; namely, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  This three-fold aspect of God, we call the Holy Trinity.

​

The Incarnation of Christ
In Christ two natures - divine and human - are joined together in one person.  In other words, Jesus is truly God and truly man.

​

The Resurrection of Christ
Christ truly arose from the dead and ascended into heaven.

​

The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is of one substance with the Father and the Son.  It is one of the three aspects through which we experience God.

​

The Holy Scriptures
The Bible contains all we need to know to be saved.

​

The Old Testament
The Old Testament is not contrary to the New; in both Old and New Testaments eternal life is offered to mankind.

​

Original Sin
All men have inherited evil impulses from their ancestors.  This corruption of the nature of every man is called "original sin." It goes back to Adam, the first man.

​

Free Will
Every person is free to choose right or wrong; but even if he chooses to do right, he must have God's help to live a good and holy life.

​

The Justification of Man
We are saved by faith in Christ and by that faith alone.  Good works cannot save us.

​

Good Works
Good works are the fruits of our faith in Christ.

​

Works of Supererogation
The belief one can do more good than God requires is called "works of supererogation." We do not believe in this doctrine. No one can do more good than he ought to do or be better than he ought to be.

​

Sin After Justification
A Christian may depart from grace and fall into sin again. But those who truly repent receive God's forgiveness and rise again to a good and holy life.

​

The Church
The visible Church of Christ is a congregation of faithful men and women in which the pure word of God is preached and the sacraments duly administered.

​

Purgatory
We do not believe in the idea of purgatory, which is the doctrine that there is a place other than heaven or hell where souls go after death to be cleansed of sin.  Nor do we believe in the worship of images, relics and saints.

​

Familiar Speech
Public worship and the sacraments should be conducted in a language the people can understand.

​

The Sacraments
There are only two sacraments ordained of Christ our Lord in the Gospel: Baptism and the Lord's Supper.

​

Baptism
Baptism is the sign of regeneration or the new birth.  It marks the beginning of the Christian life.  Infants and children, as well as adults, should be baptized.

​

The Lord's Supper
The Supper of the Lord is a symbol of Christ's suffering and death for us.  The bread and wine are not changed into the actual body and blood of Christ; they represent His broken body and shed blood.

​

Communion in Both Kinds
Both the bread and the wine are to be given to the people in the Lord's Supper.

​

The Sacrifice of Christ
The sacrifice of Christ is for the sins of the whole world, both original and actual.  There is no other satisfaction for sin but that alone.

​

The Marriage of Ministers
The ministers of Christ are not commanded by God's law to abstain from marriage.  Therefore, it is lawful for them, as for all other Christians, to marry.

​

Rites and Ceremonies of the Church
It is not necessary that the rites and ceremonies should in all places be the same or exactly alike.  Every denomination has a right to adopt and use a ritual of its own, but the rites that have been established by the church should be faithfully observed by its members.

​

Christian Men's Goods
Christians have a right to own private property. However, every man should give liberally of his possessions to help others.

​

A Christian Man's Oath
Christians should not swear.  They may take oath, however, as may be required by the courts of the land.