Sep 062010
im only 15, so please say in a way that will actually make sense to me. im a member of a congregational church but recently went to a retreat at a united Methodist church and i would like to know the differences.. thankyou 
The Congregational church is on the south end of Church street, The United Methodist church is on the north end of Church Street, with the old firehouse museum and the library in between them.
Not much, really. And that is a serious answer.
The Methodist Church is led by a presbytery (a group that has authority over many congregations), the Congregational Church is led by the congregation.
I’m unfamiliar with the term “congregational church,” and what that implies. However, as a member of the United Methodist Church I can at least answer half your question.
Methodism was started as a movement within the Anglican church by John and Charles Wesley. They belonged to a “Holy Club” at Oxford and were regularly teased by their classmates who called them “methodists” because of their austere and methodical living – fasting, prayer, Bible study, regular communion, etc. John Wesley never set out to start a new church; his was a movement within the Anglican church. However, the American Revolution left a lot of stranded Anglican Methodists without a church structure (since the priests loyal to England returned home in fear for their lives), so Wesley allowed a Minister named Francis Asbury, the first ordained Bishop of the new Methodist Church, to set up a church structure for the Americans with an Episcopal structure (bishops).
Today our church belief system reflects the “methodism” of John and Charles Wesley. The Social Principles of the United Methodist Church also go so far as to promote abstinence from “worldly” pursuits such as drinking alcohol and gambling. However, the Social Principles are guidelines and not to be taken as church law.
The central belief in Methodism is called Arminianism. This is the belief that all can be saved, that God loves everyone and desires a relationship with all and that we are Justified by Jesus Christ and made holy (sanctified) by the Holy Spirit. These concepts are spelled out in three forms of grace: Prevenient Grace – where God loves us before we love him or even know about him; Justifying Grace – where we are saved from damnation by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ; and Sanctifying Grace – where the Holy Spirit makes us more like Christ on a continual basis. It’s also spelled out in the Wesleyan concept of “going on to perfection.” We never get there, we are only going toward it.
Arminianism differs from Calvinism in that we don’t believe in predestination. We don’t believe there are some who God created just to go to Hell. We also don’t believe in “Limited Atonement,” where Jesus only died for the sins of some, or that once you have salvation you can’t lose it again. We believe Christ’s sacrifice was sufficient for all, and that any can come to Christ.
At the core of our church, of course, is the guiding belief that Jesus is the Son of God, that he died for the sins of all humanity, that he rose from the dead and ascended into heaven and that he will come again to call his faithful home. Read the Apostles Creed to understand what we believe.
Anything else you would like to know can be answered at the home page of the denomination: http://www.umc.org
@blacksho89, you’re thinking of the Presbyterian church. The UMC is an Episcopal church with 67 bishops, 50 in the US and 17 around the world. Our General Conference meets once every 4 years and our governing bylaws can be found in the Book of Discipline and the Holy Bible.
Blackso89’s answer is correct, as far as it goes. He correctly described, briefly, the organizational/ administrative structural differences. I think however, that you are asking about differences in faith. I’m sure you know that both are Christian churches, proclaiming that Jesus is Lord and both use the Christian Bible.. I can also tell you that United Methodists base their approach to faith issues using what has come to be known as the “Wesleyan Quadrilateral.” There are four (therefore the “quadrilateral” part) pillars in their faith stance, derived from the teachings and writings of John Wesley: Scripture, Tradition, Reason, and Experience. Most (but not all) Congregational churches fall more toward the conservative, even fundamentalist end of the Christian spectrum. As there are differences of degree in Congregational churches, so there are differences of degree in Methodism. This, of course, is just a “thumbnail sketch” of the two.