What does The United Methodist Church teach about the Immaculate Conception and the Virgin Birth?
The Articles of Religion and the Confession of Faith, the doctrinal statements of The United Methodist Church, include statements of belief that Jesus was conceived and born of the Virgin Mary. The Immaculate Conception is different from the Virgin birth. It is a teaching of the Roman Catholic Church that the Virgin Mary was conceived without any stain of original sin. It is a belief about Mary, not about the birth or conception of Jesus. The United Methodist Church does not subscribe to the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception. John Wesley and others in the Anglican Church and the non–conforming Protestant churches of England held negative views of some Roman Catholic doctrine and practice, thus this teaching is not part of our doctrinal heritage. Baptism Question: Do I have to be baptized in order to be saved? Answer: No, but baptism is a gift of God’s grace to be received as part of the journey of salvation. To refuse to accept baptism is to reject one of the means of grace that Go
