| Frequently Asked Questions About Asbury Church |
- Why is it called Asbury?
"Asbury is a very common name for churches in the United Methodist denomination. We are named for Francis Asbury (1745 - 1816), who was sent to America in 1771 by John Wesley to spread "methodism" to the Colonies. Francis Asbury became the most important figure in early American Methodism. His energetic devotion to the principles of Wesleyan theology, ministry, and organization shaped Methodism in America in a way unmatched by any other individual. The founders of Asbury Church selected this name to reflect the long tradition of outreach and ministry of the United Methodist Church.
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- What can we expect on Sunday morning?
Asbury's Sunday morning worship may be slightly different from other churches you may have attended. Asbury has always believed worship needs to be relevant* to the lifestyle of the people who attend here. Because of this, we are constantly striving to make our worship an experience of the presence of Christ in a way that "fits" the people we are trying to reach.
While needing to always be understood as a corporate act, worship is still undoubtedly one of the most personal experiences we can ever have. For this reason, we all bring certain "prejudices" with us to worship on Sunday mornings. Asbury's worship team, therefore, is faced with the daunting task of leading worship for people of more "traditional" preferences, as well as folks who may be in worship for the very first time.
Because we believe Asbury is uniquely positioned to offer worship to the people God has placed around us, our worship services have a very intentional purpose. This means that we understand that worship is going through a "reformation" much like occurred with the advent of the printing press (making God's Word accessible to everyone) and the pipe organ (making church music 'contemporary'). For this reason, as our culture shifts from a print culture to an image-based one, and as previously unchurched people continue to seek worship that is experiential and relational rather than just informational and ritualistic, Asbury will continue to endeavor to offer worship services true to our history as a denomination which began as a "renewal" movement in the church of its day.
*NOTE: While attempting to be RELEVANT in our form of worship, we in no way desire to COMPROMISE our faithfulness to the Gospel. Asbury has always, and will continue to be, a "cutting-edge" church that is unashamedly Christ-centered.
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- Why do we say we believe in the catholic church in the Apostles' creed?
The word "catholic" means "universal" or "orthodox." We are simply affirming our spiritual unity with the world-wide church of Jesus Christ.
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