What we believe at Towerview Church
We’ve written our website to be invitational for people who perhaps know little about Jesus. However, we know there will be those among you who want to find out more about who Free Methodists are and what we believe. This page is for you!
We have always been a denomination clinging to this word: freedom. These are the essential freedoms that define us as Free Methodists. They are born out of our commitment to equality and our belief in the freedom that Christ gives to all. We call this a theology of love. We are propelled by God’s love for all of us equally, so this is how we believe people should be treated. These are the principles that our practices have stood on since our founding and continue to impact our daily life.
Freedom of All People
The Freedom of all people, regardless of ethnicity, to worship and live together. The Free Methodist Church has fought against the sin of racism since its founding in 1860. Recognizing that every person is created in the image of God, we work diligently to bring all people together into multicultural and intergenerational congregations, conferences, and Christian communities. We are imperfect and have not yet achieved the fullness of this value, yet this only compels us to work even harder for justice for all.
Freedom of the Holy Spirit
The Freedom of the Holy Spirit in worship. The Free Methodist Church gives freedom to each local congregation to follow the Spirit’s leading on how they worship. At Towerview Church we have a blended style of worship that brings together a community of people that values both appropriate liturgy and spirit-led preaching, worship and ministry times.
Freedom of Women
The Freedom of women to participate fully in the life, ministry and governance of the church as called and gifted by God. The Free Methodist Church ordains women to serve in the church and teaches equality in marriages. In harmony with a long tradition of equal opportunity for women to serve in the church from the days of the early church meeting in houses to today’s recognition that God calls and gifts women as well as men to serve His church, we affirm God’s call and equip God’s leaders to serve.
Freedom of the Poor
The Freedom of the poor to be treated with dignity in the church and in the world. The Free Methodist Church ended the practice of requiring the poor to sit in the “free pews” at the back of the sanctuary and made all pews “free.” This commitment to leave socio-economic distinctions and prejudices outside the sanctuary and invite all people into true fellowship and acceptance is an ongoing commitment of our church.
Freedom of the Laity
The Freedom of the laity to be given authority and decision-making positions within the church. The Free Methodist Church ended the clergy domination of the church and opened up a consistent partnership with clergy and laity working together to do God’s work. This elevation of laity to use their spiritual gifts alongside those given pastoral gifts enriches all aspects of life in the church and protects against institutional abuse.
We seek to hold biblical truths as the foundation for our doctrine, and therefore, our lives. For a detailed description of the doctrine that makes us Free Methodists, use the link below to visit our denomination’s website. We hope you find it insightful and uplifting.
The Free Methodist Church UK & Ireland