Who We Are

The vision of the First United Methodist Church of Santa Barbara is to provide a welcoming place where the congregation encompasses  multiple generations, diversity is respected and celebrated, and  commitments of faith lead to acts of mercy, social justice, and compassion.  We encourage and support each person on their Christian journey of faith  and offer a variety of ways of connecting with God through:

-- Fellowship and Caring Ministries
-- Understanding through Teaching and Learning
-- Mission and Outreach
-- Creative expressions of Christian Faith

Our Mission:

Today we continue our devotion to creating disciples for Jesus Christ and making the good news available to anyone who desires to hear it. All preaching and teaching is grounded in Scripture, informed by Christian tradition, enlivened by personal experience, and tested by reason. Along with other Christian denominations, we believe in God - expressed as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The United Methodist Church is part of the church universal. All persons, regardless of race, color, national origin, status, or economic condition, are welcome to attend our churches, receive Holy Communion, and be baptized and admitted into membership.

Our Beliefs:

Traditionally, we have emphasized the following:

-- God will comfort, guide, and forgive every person, no matter who they are or what they've done.
-- Serving others and Christian faith go hand in hand.
-- We find peace with God and spiritual fulfillment both in solitary moments of reflection and in a community of faith.
-- Our Church is made up of people who share faith in Jesus Christ.
-- We seek to make our private and our public actions congruent with our faith.
-- We are a global movement of churches that's making a difference in the world.