DOCTRINE / HERITAGE
As a Wesleyan expression of Christianity, Simpsonville Methodist Church professes the Christian faith, established on the confession of Jesus as Messiah the Son of God, and resurrected Lord of Heaven and earth.
This faith has been tested and proven since its proclamation by Mary Magdalene, the first witness to the resurrection. It was defended by the women and men of the early church, many of whom gave their lives as testimony.
In the sixteenth century, the Protestant reformers preserved this testimony, asserting the primacy of Scripture, the necessity of grace and faith, and the priesthood of all believers.
In the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries there was an emphasis on the nature of this faith, as direct encounter with the risen Lord. This worked to develop the fruit of this faith, by the power of the Holy Spirit, in individual and communal life. These movements influenced many in the reformation traditions, including two Anglican brothers, John and Charles Wesley.
Through the organization and published works by these brothers, a distinctly Methodist articulation of Christian faith and life emerged. Methodism placed particular emphasis on the universal work of grace, the new birth, the fullness of salvation and entire sanctification or perfection. Methodists created structures and communities alongside the established church to facilitate the mission “to reform the nation, especially the church, and spread scriptural holiness over the land.”
When Methodists moved to America, they brought this expression of faith with them. The American revolution dictated the formation of a new church, independent of the Church of England.
This new church adopted John Wesley’s revision of the Anglican Articles of Religion, the Methodist General Rules, a liturgy, and ordained the first Methodist clergy. Two other sources of authority were identified: the four volumes that included fifty-three of Wesley’s sermons and his Explanatory Notes on the New Testament. When a constitution was adopted in 1808, the Restrictive Rules protected the Articles and General Rules from revocation or change.
Through separations and mergers, Methodist Christians have preserved testimony to the risen and reigning Christ by holding themselves accountable to standards of doctrine and discipline.
The Simpsonville Methodist Church remains a part of this heritage
OUR CHURCH HISTORY
Simpsonville Methodist Episcopal Church was formed in 1825 under the leadership of Rev W.B. Kavanaugh, a Methodist Circuit Rider.
The first church services were held in homes. Records show a church was built in 1840 on First Street. Following a fire that ravaged the original building, the present building was completed in 1876 with an approximate cost of $7,500. The memorial stained glass windows were installed in the church sanctuary in 1965. In 1987 this building, with its superb artistry and steeple, was placed on the National Register of Historic places.
In 1839 the Methodist Episcopal Church became the Methodist Church and our church became Simpsonville Methodist Church . n 1842 the Shelby Circuit was under the ministry of Napoleon Lewis and John Fields.
In 1968, following the merger of the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church the church became Simpsonville United Methodist Church.
Due to issues within the United Methodist denomination the church membership voted in 2023 to disaffiliate with the United Methodist Church and become an independent church with the name of Simpsonville Methodist Church.
Since 1825 our church has been an important part of the Simpsonville community committed to carry out the Great Commissin of Jesus as stated in Matthew 28 to go into all the world to make disciples of Christ, teaching and baptizing in His name.
OUR BELIEFS
The Simpsonville Methodist Church is of God and will be preserved to the end of time to worship God in spirit and in truth, to faithfully preach God’s Word.
We profess the Christian faith, established on Jesus as the Son of God and resurrected Lord of heaven and earth; embraced by the love of God through Jesus Christ; empowered through the Holy Spirit. We believe Jesus is the unique incarnate Word of God, and He lives today, calling all to receive Him as savior, and as the one to whom all authority has been given.
Following both the example and teachings of Jesus, we believe that God calls us to love and serve others around the world in His name. We believe and will continue to meet people at their point of need and offering them Jesus. We follow the teaching in James 2:17 which states, “In the same way, faith by itself, if not accompanied by action is dead.”
We believe in a Christian marriage between one man and one woman, chastity in singleness, social responsibility, and the knowledge and love of God.
We believe the Apostles Creed
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth. and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; On the third day He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, He is seated at the right hand of the Father almighty, from thence he comes to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic* church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. Amen.
We believe the Nicene Creed
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; through Him all things were made. For us and for our salvation He came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became truly human.For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate; He suffered death and was buried. On the third day He rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic* and apostolic church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
CHURCH COMMITMENTS AND MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS
Church Commitments
1. Remain grounded in the scriptures and in the historic teachings of the Holy Bible. The books of the Old and New Testaments are the primary rule and authority of faith, morals and service against which all other authorities shall be measured.
2. Aspire to introduce all people to Jesus Christ. We are committed to carry out the Great Commission of Jesus in Matthew 28 to go into all the world to make disciples of Christ, teaching and baptizing in His name. To minister to others and by the power of the Holy Spirit to present a compelling invitation to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Our mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ who worship passionately, love extravagantly and witness boldly.
3. Lead all those who experience new birth in Jesus to deepen and grow in their relationship with Him, inviting the Holy Spirit to produce spiritual fruit within their lives as they similarly manifest the gifts of that Spirit.
4. Offer the holy sacraments, to edify all who believe and encourage them to grow in their lives of holiness and service to others. Sacrament is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace. God gives us the sign as a means whereby we receive this grace and as a tangible assurance that we do in fact receive it. The two Sacraments ordained by Christ are Holy Baptism and Holy Communion, also called the Lord’s Supper or the Eucharist. We believe that Christ our Lord invites to his table all who love him, who earnestly repent of their sin, and seek to be at peace with one another. The Sacrament of Holy Communion may be offered to all who repent of sin and desire to draw near to God and lead a life of obedience to Christ. Sacrament is an outward expression and we receive the Sacraments by faith in Christ, with repentance and thanksgiving. Faith in Christ enables us to receive the grace of God through the Sacraments. Obedience to Christ is necessary for the benefits of the Sacraments to bear fruit in our lives.
5. Model our lives in order to respond to the summons to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, mind, soul, strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves.
6. Recognize the laity as the people of God who are empowered for the work of God in this world in full partnership with our clergy. We affirm the participation of all races, ethnicities, nationalities, sexes and ages in the Body of Christ.
7. Engage in ministry to our community and our world.
8. Provide an organization and structure that is able to empower and multiply the gifts of all for the sake of Christ’s work in the world.
Membership Requirments
The membership of Simpsonville Methodist Church shall include all people who have been baptized and have professed their faith.
1. The baptized membership of the church shall include all baptized people who have received Christian baptism in the congregation or elsewhere whose membership has been transferred to our church subsequent to baptism in some other congregation.
2. The professing membership of our church shall include all baptized people who have come into membership by profession of faith through appropriate services of the baptismal covenant in the ritual or by transfer from other churches.
Simpsonville Methodist Church
105 First Street, Simpsonville, Kentucky 40067
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