In a nutshell, the Free Methodist church differs from the United Methodist church in that it continues to provide a more uniform expression consistent with historic Methodism.
Both the United Methodist Church (commonly referred to as Methodist) and the Free Methodist Church share a common heritage, hearkening back to the Wesleyan revival in England during the middle 1700's.
However, by the middle 1800's concern arose over the waning of several key expressions of the Wesleyan revival. So, the Free Methodist Church began as an attempt to restore those vital "Wesleyan" convictions, such as the doctrine of sanctification, the concern for the poor, the vision to end discrimination and racism and Christian growth through small groups.
The Free Methodist Church was then birthed in August of 1860 in Pekin, New York by founder, Benjamin Titus Roberts. Today the Free Methodist Church is in 58 countries of the world and has proved itself capable of preserving a sound commitment to directing believers to be fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.
More info on the Free Methodist Church can be found at (www.fmcna.org).
This subject has divided many believers throughout many centuries. In seeking to unite believers rather than divide, Faith Community Church chooses to talk in terms of Christian discipleship rather than debating the issue of eternal security. We want people to walk with the Lord not walk the line on this issue. The right question is not "Can I sin and still get in?" but "What can I do to be more like Him?" Throughout Scripture the followers of Christ often failed in their walk with the Lord. But through perseverance, they continued to seek forgiveness and followed Him. (Perseverance is to persist, continue and endure.)
The Scriptures have much to say about Christian endurance. We believe that Christ has saved forever those who have come to God through Him because He always lives to make intercession for them. The Lord's sheep know His voice and He knows them. He gives them eternal life and no one will snatch them out of His or the Father's hand. The believer has eternal life and has passed out of death into life. We believe that the believer has full assurance of their salvation.
However, we cannot ignore the Scriptures that state those living sinful lifestyles will not inherit the Kingdom of God. Colossians states that Christ will present us holy, blameless, and beyond reproach if we continue in the faith, not moved away from the hope of the gospel. We believe that a follower of Christ will desire to cease from their sinful ways.
We hope to bring balance to this debate where there have been extremes on either side of the issue. We want to, at all cost, avoid unscriptural extremes of either view. Leaning too far in the direction of losing salvation may bring people into works' salvation and bondage of legalism and rob them of the assurance of their salvation. This can also lead to persons trusting in themselves to keep their salvation instead of trusting in Christ alone. Leaning too far in the direction of eternal security can lead to careless living and apathy toward sin. This can lead a person to thinking that their actions have little to do with salvation and can lead to giving a license to sin. The result of this eventually leads a person to having a sinful, unbelieving heart.
Our emphasis will be placed on the source of our perseverance, which is Jesus Christ, and how we can best live to be pleasing to Him.
Our belief would echo the words of a great 20th century Bible teacher who once said, "I believe in the eternal security of the believer and the eternal insecurity of the make-believer."
The issue of speaking in tongues is one of the most widely debated topics within the Christian community today. The spectrum ranges from exclusion to extreme. It is an issue that we cannot avoid discussing since the Bible mentions tongues, however, it is NOT an issue that we chose to debate.
Speaking in tongues is speaking in a language that is different from one's native language. Speaking in tongues is seen being used in two different ways in Scripture - speaking the wonders of God to man and speaking to God.
The gift of tongues was used in Scripture to fulfill God's purposes and can still be used today. Since it is listed in I Corinthians 12 as one of the gifts of the Spirit, we have no reason to believe that this one gift has ceased to exist.
It is the position of Faith Community Church that the gift of speaking in tongues should be of private use and not of public use within our worship services. What follows is a Scriptural basis for this position.
In I Corinthians 14 Paul tells us that tongues are for private or personal edification and is of no profit edifying the body if no one understands what is being said. Paul places a greater emphasis on (1) Understanding and (2) Prophecy that the unknown tongue.
In addition, Paul states in verse 26 to let all things be done for edification when coming together in worship. The only way tongues can be edifying to the body in a worship service is if there is an interpretation. Paul also states that if the church is speaking in tongues, those who don't understand will think that you are mad or strange. Since Faith Community Church exists to evangelize the lost, it is our position that those who have the gift of tongues use that gift to speak between themselves and God and therefore, not denying the speaking of tongues while not causing distraction to the unbelievers.
Paul does give restrictions for speaking in tongues during a worship service. It should be noted, however, that the verse states, "if anyone speaks in tongues," which would seem to imply that it is not a necessary part of a worship service. In fact, he states when you come together everything should be done for the strengthening of the church. To enter into this practice during worship service can and has caused a great deal of confusion (which God is not the author of). When tongues leads to confusion it does not strengthen the church. This is the primary reason Faith Community Church does not practice speaking in tongues in our worship services.