Friendswood Methodist Church
Sharing the Life-Changing
Power of Jesus Christ
Everywhere and Every Day
A Global Methodist Church
Rooted in the long-standing beliefs of all Christians, we hold firm to the same common beliefs held by all Christian communities. We believe that God—though one God—is revealed to us in 3 persons: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We trust that our salvation comes through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, a grace offered to us through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and not through our works.
We believe that as humans we are selfish in our very nature, and this sinfulness is only overcome by the power of God. We believe that God is active in giving us strength to live rightly through the influence of the Holy Spirit in our lives
OUR BELIEFS
As a Global Methodist Church, FMC adheres to The Book of Doctrines and Discipline (TBDD) for our doctrinal and theological beliefs and teachings within the Methodist-Wesleyan tradition. The Global Methodist Church is an orthodox and evangelical branch of Methodism founded on May 1, 2022, after years of theological disputes within The United Methodist Church. As stated in the TBDD: “The Global Methodist Church exists to make disciples of Jesus Christ and spread scriptural holiness across the globe.”
As Christians, we affirm the historic creeds that define the orthodox faith as taught in Scripture: the Nicene Creed (A.D. 381), the Definition of Chalcedon (A.D. 451), the Apostles’ Creed, the Articles of Religion, and the Confessions of Faith.
As Methodists, we affirm the historic theological principles as outlined in Wesley’s Standard Sermons, Explanatory Notes on the New Testament, the General Rules, and the Catechism of the Global Methodist Church.
These documents are located in TBDD (2024), Part One: Doctrinal Foundations ¶101-108 (pages 5-23). The TBDD can be accessed at www.globalmethodist.org. Friendswood Methodist Church affirms the following summary of our beliefs:
GOD THE FATHER ALMIGHTY
We believe in one God, the Creator and Sustainer of everything, infinite in love, perfect in judgment, and unchanging in mercy. God exists eternally in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
JESUS CHRIST
We believe in Jesus Christ, who is fully God and fully man. He is the Father’s eternally begotten Son, and He was incarnate and born of the Virgin Mary. He died for everyone's sins, taking upon Himself God's judgment for sin on behalf of sinful people. In His body, He truly rose from the dead and ascended to the right hand of the Father, where He reigns and intercedes for us.
THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, who eternally proceeds from the Father and is present and active in the world. The Holy Spirit was given to the church in His fullness at Pentecost, empowering and gifting God’s people to follow and serve Him in the world. Through the Spirit, Christ lives in His church, the gospel is proclaimed, and the kingdom of God is demonstrated in the world.
SCRIPTURE
We believe in the divine inspiration, truthfulness, and authority of both the Old and New Testaments, the only written Word of God, without error in all it affirms. The Scriptures are the only infallible rule of faith and practice. The Holy Spirit preserves God’s Word in the church today and speaks God’s truth to people of all ages through it.
HUMANITY
We believe that human beings are created in God's image. However, this image was tarnished in every part through the disobedience of our first parents, and fellowship with God was broken. God, in His prevenient grace, restores moral sensibility to all humankind and enables everyone to respond to His love and accept His saving grace if they choose to.
JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH
We believe that God graciously justifies and regenerates everyone who trusts in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Through the new birth, believers become children of God and begin living in holiness through faith in Christ and the sanctifying Spirit.
ASSURANCE OF BELIEVERS
We believe that all believers are assured that they are children of God by the inward witness of God’s Spirit with their spirits, by faith in the gracious promises of God’s Word, and by the fruit of the Spirit in their lives.
SANCTIFICATION
We believe that sanctification is the ongoing work of God’s grace through which believers are transformed into the likeness of Christ in heart and life. Rooted in the work of the Holy Spirit, sanctification begins at salvation and continues throughout the Christian life as believers grow in holiness, love, and obedience.
We also affirm the possibility of “entire sanctification” or “Christian perfection,” a deeper work of grace in which the believer’s heart is fully surrendered to God and perfected in wholehearted love for God and others, although not made sinless or incapable of mistakes.
THE CHURCH
We believe that the Church is the people of God, made up of all who believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. The Church is Christ’s body; it is visible in the world wherever believers, in obedience to faith, listen to the Word, receive the sacraments, and live as disciples.
CHRISTIANS IN SOCIETY
We believe that Christians are called to live daily as witnesses to the grace we receive through Jesus Christ, to proclaim the gospel to everyone in obedience to Christ's command, and to affirm God’s call for righteousness and justice in all relationships and systems of human society.
RETURN OF CHRIST AND GOD’S ULTIMATE VICTORY
We believe in the physical second coming of Jesus Christ in glory, the bodily resurrection of all people, final judgment, and eternal reward and punishment. We believe in God’s ultimate victory over Satan and all evil, and in the establishment of His perfect kingdom in a new heaven and a new earth.
SACRAMENTS
We believe that sacraments are ordained by Christ as outward signs of God’s inward grace toward us, through which He works to strengthen and confirm our faith in Him. Two sacraments are established by Christ in the gospels: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, or Holy Communion.
BAPTISM
We believe that Baptism signifies repentance and entrance into the household of faith, where persons are publicly and privately marked as followers of Christ. As heirs of God's Kingdom, children of believers are suitable candidates for Christian baptism and become the church's special responsibility to nurture and guide until they can make a personal profession of faith, confirming the vows made on their behalf at baptism.
HOLY COMMUNION
We believe that The Lord’s Supper, also known as Holy Communion or the Eucharist, is not only a token and sign of the love that Christians ought to have among themselves one to another, but it is a representation of our redemption through the sufferings and death of Christ. Those who rightly, worthily, and in faith share in this sacrament partake of the spiritual body and blood of Christ until He comes. Though there is no physical change in the bread and cup, through both elements of the sacrament, we may encounter the mystical presence of Christ in
the whole of the sacrament, as we feast at His table, which is open to all who seek Him.
THE SANCTITY OF LIFE
We believe that all people are created in God's image and that life is a gift from Him, with its beginning and end determined by Him. We affirm that it is the duty of believers to defend those who cannot defend themselves, including the unborn, individuals with disabilities or serious illnesses, and the elderly.
MARRIAGE, SEXUALITY, AND GENDER
We believe that human sexuality is a gift from God that should be affirmed as it is exercised within the legal and spiritual covenant of a loving, monogamous marriage between one man and one woman. We affirm the biblical teaching of celibacy in singleness and faithfulness in marriage. We also affirm that gender is determined by a person’s immutable biological traits identified by or before birth as male or female.
OUR GOVERNANCE
As a Global Methodist Church, FMC follows The Book of Doctrine and Discipline (TBDD) for our organizational structure, providing lay leadership and oversight for the church's life, ministry, and administration. These organizational structures are detailed in TBDD (2024), Part Four: The Community of God’s People, Section VII. Organization and Administration, ¶436-448 (pages 90-116). The TBDD can be accessed at www.globalmethodist.org.
THE CHARGE OR CHURCH CONFERENCE
The Charge Conference (¶438) is the chief organization within the church. Its membership includes all members of the church council and appointed clergy, and it is led by the Presiding Elder. To encourage greater member participation, the Charge Conference may be held as a Church Conference, where all professing members of FMC have a voice and a vote. The charge/church conference shall meet annually to review and evaluate the church's entire mission and ministry, receive reports, elect leaders, approve candidates for ordained ministry, adopt objectives and goals recommended by the church council, and carry out other responsibilities outlined in the TBDD. A special session may be called by the Presiding Elder asneeded.
CHURCH COUNCIL
The Church Council (¶443) is the governing body of the church, responsible for overseeing, funding,
planning, and implementing church ministries through nurture, outreach, witness, and resources within the local congregation. It also manages the administration and organization of FMC to help us fulfill our mission together. The council is accountable to the charge/church conference and acts as its administrative agency between sessions.
NOMINATIONS COMMITTEE
The Committee on Nominations and Lay Leadership (¶444), chaired by the Senior Pastor, annually
recommends individuals for service on the church council, including the Lay Leader, Lay members of the Trinity Annual Conference, the Board of Trustees, the Staff-Parish Relation Committee, the Finance Committee, and Endowment Committees. The committee also recommends filling vacancies to the church council as needed throughout the year.
STAFF-PARISH
RELATIONS COMMITTEE
The Staff-Parish Relations Committee (¶445) works with the Senior Pastor to encourage, support, and
serve the ministry staff at FMC. The SPRC also helps with hiring staff and provides advice and guidance on issues related to the effectiveness of both pastoral and staff members. Additionally, the SPRC interviews candidates for lay and ordained ministry and makes
recommendations to the charge/church conference.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
The Board of Trustees (¶446) oversees and manages all real property owned by FMC, including real estate and equipment acquired directly by FMC or by any group, committee, class, or organization within the church.
FINANCE COMMITTEE
The Committee on Finance (¶447) oversees FMC's finances and stewardship. It consists of the chairs of
the administrative committees along with at-large members. The finance committee reviews FMC's monthly donations and expenses and recommends an annual operating budget to the church council.
ENDOWMENT COMMITTEE
The Permanent Endowment Funds Committee (¶446.d) oversees FMC’s permanent endowment gifts
and promotes legacy giving to ensure FMC’s future. The PEF allocates endowment
disbursements annually for ministry use.
OUR LEADERSHIP
Our leadership is dedicated to nurturing spiritual growth and serving our community. Senior Pastor Rev. Jim Bass, with over 15 years of pastoral experience, leads with a passion for making God's Word relevant to daily life. Associate Pastor Rev. Sam McRae, who joined in 2019, focuses on missions and outreach, expanding our impact through local and global initiatives. Together with our Church Council—a dedicated group of lay leaders—they provide governance, stewardship, and strategic direction, ensuring our church remains a beacon of hope and service in the Friendswood area.
SENIOR PASTOR
Rev. Jim Bass has been the Senior Pastor of Friendswood Methodist since his appointment in June 2006. Previous to coming to Friendswood, Jim pastored churches in Alvin, East Texas, West Houston, and Beaumont.
His greatest passion in ministry is to take the truths of God’s Word and show how they apply to daily life today. He graduated from Southwestern University with a degree in history and a minor in Greek. He received his Master of Divinity degree from Perkins School of Theology at SMU.
Jim’s greatest strength is his wife Debbie, to whom he has been married for the past thirty-seven years. They have two grown sons, Jeremy and Jason, each pursuing God’s calling into ministry. When not engaged in ministry, Jim enjoys kayak fishing, reading and relaxing at the beach, and spending time with Debbie in Galveston.
ASSOCIATE PASTOR
Rev. Sam McRae serves as the Associate Pastor of Missions and Outreach at Friendswood Methodist Church. Pastor Sam is originally from San Diego, CA which explains why he loves wearing a fanny pack and thinks In-N-Out is better than Whataburger. In 2013, he graduated Magna Cum Laude from Biola University in La Mirada, CA with a BS in Business Administration concentrating on management, and with a Minor in Biblical Studies. Pastor Sam graduated from Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, KY with a Masters of Divinity in 2017.
OUR DENOMINATIONAL AFFILIATION
Friendswood Methodist Church officially affiliated with the GMC on January 1, 2023. To learn more about the church's transition, read the press release linked below and watch our two-part series titled "What is the GMC?"