Overview

Methodist churches are grouped together in Circuits and our church fellowship in Milton is part of the Glasgow Methodist Circuit within the region of Scotland.  There are several other churches in the area and we are striving to work together for the benefit of our community and to the glory of God. 

Milton itself has undergone some changes in recent years and has a substantial amount of valued green space.  Since the church has its own football team, we are delighted to have a new 11-a-side state of the art grass seed pitch in the area.  The pitch is floodlight and has drainage, which is a great resource for us, and there are plans for a state of the art sports complex to be built in the area too.

History and Beliefs

The churches in the Glasgow Circuit are part of the wider Methodist Church of Great Britain.  The Methodist Church is the third largest Christian church in Britian, and the largest of the so-called Free churches.  As a national body the church shares responsibility with other churches to bring Christian insights to the life of the nation at all levels.  A connexional team both serves the church as a whole and represents it. 

We're a Christian community, from the evangelical tradition, that grew from the work of John Wesley (1703-1791), an itinerant evangelical preacher.  His work in the British Isles aroused an enthusiastic response among many, both within and outside the Church of England. His preaching emphasised salvation for all, the effect of faith on character, and the possibility of perfection in love during this life.  He organised the new converts locally and in a “connexion” across the whole of Britain.  He set standards for doctrines in his “Notes on the New Testament” and “44 Sermons”, and enabled his people to sing their theology, mainly through the hymns of his brother Charles (1707-88).  

During the 19th century, the church experienced various divisions, but this was also the period of great missionary expansion throughout the world.  The main streams of Methodism came together as “The Methodist Church” in 1932.  

The Methodist Church is involved in nearly 900 local ecumenical partnerships in England (less in Scotland and Wales). In 2003 it entered into a covenant with the Church of England.  In mutual affirmations each church is affirmed as a true Christian church, carrying out the work of God.  In a number of commitments each church is pledged to work more closely with the other towards full unity.  The Methodist Church is also committed to a shared pastoral strategy with the United Reformed Church.  Those relationships are particular expressions of the Methodist Church’s goal to work with a wide range of partners (the other denominations, Christian agencies, Methodist churches in other parts of the world and secular organisations) to pursue its mission.

The Methodist Church is a mainstream Christian Church, which works in partnership with other denominations whenever possible.  But there are certain emphases in the Methodist culture which make it distinctive, including:

• all can be saved
• living a holy life
• surrendering our lives to God in love an joy
• small groups to promote accountability
• assurance of God's love
• major involvement of lay people in preaching and running of the Church
• the power of singing
• Scripture as a source of inspiration and guidance in our lives