What are the main differences between the Methodist and Lutheran denominations?
A. This is a difficult question to answer in the abstract, for several reasons: 1) There are dozens of denominations of “Methodist” background and character which differ greatly from each other in theology and practice, from “holiness” churches to “Pentecostal” churches to “mainline” Methodist churches; 2) Even Methodist churches of the same denomination often differ to some degree in their theology and practice, since Methodist churches, as a rule, tend to be more concerned with “deeds” than “creeds.” Therefore, one might say that the most fundamental difference between Lutheran and many Methodist churches is that the Lutheran church is a confessional church (i.e., it binds itself and its member congregations to a specific, formal confession of faith) while the Methodist church, in its varied forms, tends not be as concerned with formal “confessions” of faith to which its congregations must subscribe. The primary differences between Lutheranism and “classical” Methodism rooted in the
