Our Beliefs

At Altoona United Methodist, we are Christians who are excited to be part of the United Methodist Church.

What is a United Methodist?

United Methodists are the second largest Protestant denomination in America. We are the home to both President Bush and Senator Dole, as well as President Clinton’s family when he was in the White House. Methodists have played a significant role in shaping our nation

United Methodists hold to the historic doctrines of the Christian faith. We are evangelical, but moderates rather than fundamentalists. We value the intellect and modern science, while at the same time looking to the Bible as the authoritative guide for faith and practice. Methodists have a passionate faith with strong convictions, but we also recognize that the world is not always black and white. We are willing to ask questions, to wrestle with difficult issues, and to do so with grace and compassion. 

Methodists have been known for our emphasis on a personal faith, lived out in concrete ways in the world. We have historically valued well-informed and passionate preaching, worship that was lively, and small groups where people could grow in faith.

Methodists have open hearts, and open minds--and welcome anyone interested in learning more about the Christian faith.

If you would like to know more about what it means to follow Christ, please call 515-967-2991 and ask to speak to one of our pastors or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Our Mission

A statement of Our Purpose, Vision, Strategies, Values and Limitations

We believe the church belongs to God and that the church is, in the words of the Apostle Paul, the body of Christ. The church is to be the physical presence of Christ in the world. As such, our primary aim is to do God’s will.  We believe God has called Altoona UMC to the following:

Our Purpose: To build a Christian community where non-religious and nominally religious people are becoming deeply committed Christians.

Our Vision: To transform lives, to transform our community and to renew the mainline church.

Our Strategies: The following five broad areas of ministry constitute the primary means of accomplishing our purpose and vision. They are the historic elements of the church’s mission: Worship, Evangelism, Service, Discipleship and Fellowship.

Our first aim is to glorify God in worship; our second is to introduce people to Jesus Christ through evangelism; our third is to help persons of all ages to become deeply committed Christians through ministries of discipleship; our fourth is to build caring relationships and foster mutual ministry among the church family through authentic Christian fellowship; and finally, we aim to train, equip, inspire and mobilize members to live out their faith as salt and light outside the walls of the church through ministries of service.

Our Values: It is our desire to honor God through our work on His behalf. To that end, we will do His work with the qualities we most value: integrity, grace, excellence, relevance, authenticity, passion, humility, faith, inclusivity, commitment, joy and love.

Our Limitations: We recognize that certain actions could impede our ability to achieve God's purpose and vision for this church. We therefore resolve and state that the Altoona UMC shall not: pursue ministry which is contrary to its purpose; fail to seek to be good stewards of its financial and non-financial resources; do anything in opposition to the spirit and intent of the United Methodist Book of Discipline; stray from biblical principles and scriptures; stop discerning God's vision for Altoona UMC.