It has been said that one does not really know one's own language until one learns another language as well. In the same way, one understands one's own theology better when another is examined and compared with it. A study of Sacramental Faithfulness: Guidelines for Receiving People from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, which analyzes significant aspects of the theology of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, can be an opportunity for United Methodists to appreciate more fully our own theological positions.Read the Introductory Statement for Sacramental Faithfulness: Guidelines for Receiving People from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
The impetus for this undertaking was the experience of United Methodist pastors ministering in Utah and contiguous states. But the questions considered here are not limited to those geographical areas. The LDS Church exists in all sections of the United States and in most other nations. It is presently the fifth largest denomination in this country — surpassed only by the Southern Baptist Convention, The United Methodist Church, the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc., and the Church of God in Christ. Its worldwide membership exceeds ten million, and it is one of the most rapidly growing religious groups, both here and abroad. The questions faced by pastors in the western United States are increasingly being encountered throughout the connection.
What experience do you have with members of the LDS Church?
Many new LDS temples are being built and the public is invited to visit prior to dedication. Numbers of people are being introduced to the LDS through these visits. One in North Carolina in 1999 drew 31,000 people. A 16-page advertising supplement was placed in every newspaper in Minneapolis-St. Paul. Is there one near you? In what other ways is LDS growth being promoted in your area?
What do you know about the beliefs and practices of the LDS Church?
The questions being considered in this document may be posed as simply "Should LDS persons who want to become United Methodists be baptized in The United Methodist Church?" The underlying question is actually, "Is the LDS Church a Christian church?" Throughout its history, with few exceptions, The United Methodist Church (and the predecessor denominations that now make it up) has accepted baptisms administered in other Christian churches as valid and has received people coming from those churches into membership without baptizing them. Should people coming from the LDS Church be treated the same or different?
What do United Methodists believe about baptism?
What does it mean to be a Christian church? What are the criteria by which a religious group can be judged as Christian or non-Christian?