Everyone is welcome to worship with us and participate in our ministries and sacraments. You do not have to be a member. Joining as a member is a mutual commitment to share in our efforts to follow Jesus Christ and to be affiliated with us and The United Methodist Church. We invite you to join regardless of your religious background.
Talk to one of our ministers or other members about why we have joined. Then after worship, pick up the worship brochure in the welcoming area at the entry to the sanctuary. Most of the material in that brochure appears on this page, but the brochure also contains an information form that will tell us more about you. Hand the completed brochure to one of the ministers and one of the ministers will be in contact with you to get to know you and answer any questions. New members are officially received in a Sunday Worship Service that fits with your schedule.
The Meaning of Membership
When persons unite with a local United Methodist Church, they profess their faith in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ his only son, and in the Holy Spirit. They covenant together with God and with the members of the local church to keep the vows which are a part of the order of confirmation and reception into the church.
Will you affirm these Vows?
- I confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and pledge allegiance to His Kingdom.
- I receive and profess the Christian Faith as contained in the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments.
- I promise according to the grace given to live a Christian life and always remain a faithful member of Christ’s Holy Church
- I promise to be loyal to The United Methodist Church and uphold it by my prayers, presence, gifts, and service.
Invitation to Membership
The United Methodist Church, a fellowship of believers, is a part of the Church Universal. Therefore all persons, without regard to race, color, national origin, or economic condition, shall be eligible to attend its worship services, to participate in its programs, and, when they take the appropriate vows, to be admitted into its membership in any local church in the connection.
I AM NOT A MEMBER OF ANY CHURCH
We will be glad to receive you into membership upon your profession of faith and affirmation of the membership vows of The United Methodist Church. We do not require you to be baptized again. If you have never been baptized, the Pastor will be glad to arrange a time for your baptism.
I AM A MEMBER OF ANOTHER DENOMINATION
Upon your request , we will gladly write for your transfer of membership and upon your affirmation of our membership vows welcome you into The United Methodist Church.
I AM A MEMBER OF ANOTHER UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
You are already a member of The United Methodist Church. Upon your request, we will write your present home church for a letter of transfer of membership to Bluffton United Methodist Church. If you are a part-time resident in South Carolina, you can be an Affiliate Member of BUMC and retaining your primary Membership elsewhere. While you are here with us, you can be fully engaged in the life of the church.
Why it’s Great to be a United Methodist
We are a church that encourages a strong pulpit. The people come expecting to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ proclaimed powerfully.
We are a church that encourages a strong warmhearted personal relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Jesus Christ is at the heart of everything we do.
We are a world-wide, mission, school, hospital or clinic in many villages, hamlets, towns or cities around the world.
We are an open, inclusive church. Our members come from every culture and every socio-economic group and all are embraced. We have more Asian-American and Native-American members than any other denomination. We are second in number of Hispanic-American members than several other denominations combined. In addition, we have been at the forefront in encouraging women to give strong leadership in the church and therefore we have more women clergy than any other denomination.
We are a giving church. Every person who joins the United Methodist Church promises to serve God and support the church with our prayers, our presence, our gifts and our service, and that pledge of loyalty enables us to give generously to benevolences and mission efforts.
We are a church with a family spirit. That family spirit enables us to be there for each other in our joys and sorrows from the cradle to the grave.
We are a church that owns and operates many colleges, hospitals, children’s homes and homes for the elderly; plus we operate the oldest church-owned publishing house in the world.
We are a church that reaches out with deep compassion to help hurting people. Our UM Committee on Relief is quickly on the scene all over the world wherever there is a natural disaster or any kind of pain of heartache to provide aid and love and care. We feed more than a million children every day.
We are a church with a great social creed that has been an inspiration to all in Christendom
We continue Christ’s ministry of preaching, teaching, healing and caring.