Our Mission at First United Methodist Church

First United Methodist Church of Iowa City is a loving, welcoming church of mixed ages and backgrounds, spirit and energy. We invite you to review our Mission Statement, our Core Values, and our Ministry Plan. More than that, we invite you to explore making First United Methodist Church your church home. Please feel free to contact our church office or any of our staff if you have questions. We strive to be a loving and growing church that glorifies God through worship, study, fellowship and service. Join us!

Mission Statement
Our Mission/Vision Statement holds that
First United Methodist Church exists to . . .

Welcome people in love;
Connect people with God;
Equip people with a faith that works; and
Send us in service as
Disciples of Jesus Christ.

Our Core Values
All of the ministries of First United Methodist Church are
undergirded and supported by our Core Values, which not
only tell us what we are about in ministry, but tell us who
we are as God’s people.

First United Methodist Church exists to:

Welcome people in love –
We believe that God is a life-giving, life-changing, life-affirming presence in the world and in our lives. We honor God with our worship and our praise, in many styles and many modes.
We believe that all people are God’s people. To God there are no outsiders, so when we say that everyone is welcome we mean everyone.

Connect people with God –     
We believe that a living dynamic relationship with God through Jesus Christ gives Hope.  God’s Grace is available to all and it comes in a variety of ways.
We believe that God reaches out through the church and its members to help each person become awakened by this Gift of Grace from God.  May Jesus be with us, be in us and live through us by Grace.

Equip people with a faith that works –
We believe that we can’t truly love God without loving each other. As members of First United Methodist Church in Iowa City, we worship, pray, and work together in fellowship. We share our lives, and together we grow in faith and faithfulness.
We believe in discipleship and that each of us was ordained for ministry by our baptism, and that we all have gifts to share in the name of Jesus Christ.

Send us in service as Disciples of Jesus Christ.
We believe that God’s creation is on-going, and that we are called to be co-creators with God. Like Jesus we seek to break barriers and build bridges, to heal those things in our world that are broken and to turn hurtfulness into love. “On earth as it is in heaven” is our goal.

Our Ministry Plan
Envisioning our church as a Large, Diverse, Regional, Downtown Church with opportunities for creative partnerships in mission and ministry and multiple sites, First United Methodist Church is called to honor and build on our heritage by . . .

Emphasizing those traditional “Methodist” Spiritual Disciplines and Practices that have long marked the church, including: Returning to the basic of “faith development” in such areas as worship, music, Christian education, and caring ministries.

Embracing the formation of small groups and “churches within the church” for spiritual growth and community building.

Developing a comprehensive stewardship ministry focused on growth in prayers, presence, gifts, and service, including: Financial Stewardship & Ministry of the Laity (time, talents, skills, abilities)

Offering excellent Worship while also offering styles of worship that speak a variety of worship “languages.”