Nashville United Methodist Church is a community seeking to live within God’s Grace, marked by Growth in God’s ways, nurtured in Groups of Jesus’ followers, using God’s Gifts for service, and Giving of our time, talent, and treasure.

1. By God’s GRACE we come as we are:

We enter this community of faith without pretense. By God’s grace we are accepted by God and people come to know us and love us in spite of our shortcomings. We are welcomed into a circle where we sense God’s love for us -- and empowered by that, we are enabled to love others.

The worship of God is the center of our church’s life. Here we are nourished by God for the life of faith and discipleship. The same is true of our personal devotional life. As families, couples, co-workers, or alone we take time for regular Bible reading and prayer. We invite you to establish a pattern of regular worship of God, both with the congregation and individually.

God’s grace is also evidenced as we learn to live in a holy way. John Wesley, in "The General Rules of the Methodist Church," charged the people called Methodists to "avoid evil of all kind, do good of every possible kind to all people, and to pay attention to God’s grace found in the means of grace" (that is, worship, prayer, the Lord’s Supper, family devotions, prayer, study of Scripture, and abstinence) – avoid evil, do good, pay attention to God!

Finally, a life of grace is invitational. What we find in God and this church is too good to keep to ourselves. We are sent by the risen Christ to "Go and make disciples." We do this by our actions, by demonstrating how faithful people live. We do this with words – telling others of our own journey, sharing what this congregation means to us, and inviting people to visit this church. We invite you to live into the life of grace.

2. We GROW as we study Christ’s way:

Through regular participation in Sunday school, Bible study groups, and other learning opportunities, we grow in our faith and discipleship. The Bible is not always easy to understand, nevertheless, we believe that it holds God’s Word for today. In order to discover the Scriptures’ meaning, to accept it and apply it, we need to help one another in serious, personal Bible study. We invite you to grow as a disciple of Jesus Christ.

3. We continue the journey in GROUPS.

Together, with the help of God’s Spirit, we are becoming the body of Christ – a fellowship of believers. We may not always succeed in being the sort of fellowship God intends, but we are growing. You will discover that "fellowship" often happens best in small groups where people can become more deeply acquainted. Here we share our joys, our hopes, our hurts. Here we learn the practical lessons of caring for one another. We invite you to find a place among the classes, fellowship groups, service groups, and other organizations.

4. We use our GIFTS in ministry.

Our congregation is not an end in itself. God has gifted each one of us for ministry in building up the body of Christ and offering Christ’s love to a broken world. We invite you to discern with others your passion for ministry (where you are called), your God-given gifts (what you are called to do), and your ministry style (how you are called to serve). We offer workshops to help discern answers to these questions and our leadership team is ready to help you find your place in ministry. We invite you to join us in ministry to a broken world.

5. We GIVE to God and to others.

We believe that we are caretakers of God’s gifts. We give thanks that we have been entrusted with this world and its resources, our abilities, time and energy, work to do, and financial resources! We invest our time, talent, and treasure to make a difference in our church and community. And when it comes to financial giving, we bring to God our "first fruits" – a carefully considered proportion of our income. For many, the tithe (one-tenth) is the goal for such giving. We also recognize that we come into community with personal needs that need the community’s support. We invite you to become a grace filled giver and receiver.