Who We Are

Everyone is Welcome

At First United Methodist Church, we affirm that all people are created in the image of God and are beloved children of God. We believe that all people are worthy of God’s unconditional love and grace, through Christ Jesus. We embrace and celebrate the gift of diversity in our church and in our world and recognize that we can all Love God, Serve People, and Transform Lives in ministry together.

What We Believe

God

God is revealed to us in three distinct ways – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We describe God as everlasting and infinite in power, wisdom, justice, goodness, and love. To imagine who God is and how we can relate to God, we must remember that in Jesus we see God.

Jesus

We believe in the mystery of salvation through Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Son of God, God  in the world in the form of a human being, Jesus of Nazareth. We proclaim Jesus as our Savior who through His death and resurrection has given us the gift of whole life, eternity with God, and salvation from sin.

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is God’s present activity in our midst. When we sense God’s leading, God’s challenge, or God’s support or comfort, it’s the Holy Spirit at work.

Human Beings

We’ve been made in the image of the Creator. Like God we have the capacity to love and care, to communicate, and to create. We have freedom to accept or reject a relationship with God. We believe that all humans need to be in relationship with God in order to be fully whole.

The Church

The church is the body of Christ, an extension of Christ’s life and ministry in the world. We are called to worship God, to follow Christ, and to transform the world with the love of God.

The Bible

We believe that the Bible is the primary guide for our faith and practice. We say that God speaks to us through the Bible and that it contains all things necessary for salvation.

Kingdom of God

The Kingdom of God is both a present reality and future hope. God goes before us, beckoning us into the new world that is already being created, calling us to join in the challenging work of fashioning it.

For more information about the beliefs of the United Methodist Church, click here.

Going Out to Be God’s People in the World

Our understanding of God as revealed in Jesus Christ compels us to open our hearts to the experience of God in our lives and in relationship with others; to open our minds to new and deeper understandings; and to open our doors to all people who would join us in loving God with all our hearts and our neighbors as ourselves. We commit ourselves to going out to be God’s people in the world.

The Wesleyan Quadrilateral

As a United Methodist Church, we recognize four sources and criteria for theological thinking: Scripture, Tradition, Experience and Reason. Together these are known as the Wesleyan Quadrilateral.

Scripture is primary, so we understand our primary theological task as disciplined study of the Bible. The traditions of the Church throughout the ages, our personal faith experience and reason all serve to enlighten and enliven our understanding of scripture and its interpretation today.

We do not, therefore, understand theology as static, for the exclusive property of any one particular doctrine or creed, but as a dynamic process involving the entire community of faith.

At FUMCFW our Mission is to:

LOVE GOD. SERVE PEOPLE. TRANSFORM LIVES.

Our Story

First United Methodist Church of Fort Worth began in 1874 with the completion of its first building, a one-room frame structure at Fourth and Jones Street in downtown Fort Worth. It became known as the Fourth Street Methodist Church.

In 1887 the church moved the original frame building to the rear of the lot to make room for a new brick structure. First Methodist Church became its official name in 1890.

Following another period of growth, in 1908 the church purchased a lot at the corner of 7th and Taylor and constructed a two-story building of light colored brick and stone with a balcony on each side and one in back of the Sanctuary.

In 1924 St. Paul Methodist Episcopal Church at 10th and Burnet took its place along with other church buildings which were early homes of the First Methodist Church congregation. These two Methodist congregations formed a merger in 1930, nine years ahead of the official unification in 1939.

On the morning of October 29, 1929 — the day the stock market crashed — ground was broken for our current facility. Through tough economic times that followed, our congregation remained determined to complete the church building in 1930 as planned.

Since completing the current facility at 5th and Henderson, the church has continued to expand, renovate and acquire property, including Lyle Lodge on Eagle Mountain Lake, the Foundation Building, the Children’s Building expansion and the First Street Methodist Mission building on West 1st Street.

How to Join

Membership in our church is open to all people who believe in Jesus Christ and will uphold this church with their prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness.
Learn more

As disciples, we are devoted followers of Jesus Christ, committed to practices that will encourage growth in faith. Our Healthy Plate Discipleship framework uses a variety of practices to help you more faithfully follow Jesus Christ.
Learn more