Our mission is simple: We make disciples who make disciples. 

This is how the love and grace of Jesus transforms the world.

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​What is a disciple?
A disciple is someone who trusts and believes in Jesus Christ and then lives the way he taught us.  This is the way of love, forgiveness and grace.  We make disciples when we help people come to the experience of assurance of grace and then grow toward perfection in love in this life.  This is central to our faith as United Methodists.

What is grace?
Simply stated, grace is God’s undeserved, unearned favor.  We believe in three types of grace: preparing, pardoning and perfecting grace.  Preparing grace is the grace which all creation receives, the gifts of sunrises and sunsets, children, relationships and much more.  This grace is like God’s safety net, drawing us together and making us aware of God.  Pardoning grace is the grace which saves us from ourselves and the spiritual forces of evil.  This grace pardons and heals us, making us a new person.  Perfecting grace is the grace which makes us more like Jesus.  We become more able to love, freely, openly and unconditionally, as he does.
We believe in two primary means of grace, the sacraments of baptism and communion.  We practice both in community, for God’s Spirit is present when we gather.  All who would know the love and grace of God are welcome to join us.

What do you believe?
Rev. John Wesley, our founder, said it best, “As to all opinions which do not strike at the root of Christianity, we think and let think.”  We believe people are free to think for themselves.  We are not afraid of hard questions, different opinions or disagreement, for this is how we learn together.  We love asking the question, “What lies at the heart of our Christian faith?”, and then listening to people’s responses.
Wesley believed people should be able to hold their own convictions while still being connected with people who held different views.  We agree to disagree, supporting each person’s right to embrace and understand God’s nature as they do.  This connection shapes and forms the way we come together and serve God as United Methodists.
Wesley also said, “Never dream of forcing people into the ways of God. Think yourself and let think.”  We believe people should be free to use reason, truth, and love to explore their faith. 
These ideas about religious freedom and tolerance are part of our broader belief that people should be free to think for themselves and they should not be judged based on their opinions. 

Three simple rules
We do our best to live by three simple rules.  These rules were set by our founder and codified by Bishop Ruben Job.  They are:
•    Do good.
•    Do no harm.
•    Stay in love with God.
Or, as John Wesley said, “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can.”
We believe Jesus’ commands and the commandments are summarized by these rules.  We hold one another to this standard, carrying each other’s burdens with love.

How do you practice your faith?
At Placentia UMC, we focus on a few aspects of our life as a community.  We nurture those who are part of our extended church family, caring for their needs.  We reach out to our neighbors, caring for their needs, locally and globally.  We gather to praise and worship God regularly in a variety of ways.  And we share our faith, freely and openly, inviting anyone who wishes to learn more about living by grace and love. 

If you would like to know more, please contact us.  You are invited to join us online for Bible study, for a service or for our social time each Sunday.

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