St John’s on the Lake is a Progressive, Reconciling congregation of the United Methodist Church that welcomes all, worships passionately, challenges the status quo, and seeks to transform the world through God’s love. In short, we are diverse, radically inclusive, and we welcome and affirm people no matter where they are on their spiritual/life journey.
St John’s was the second church founded in Miami Beach in 1924, and the first Reconciling congregation in all the southeastern United States in 1997 (declaring a commitment to full inclusion of ALL sexual orientations and participating in advocacy with, and within, the LGBT community to bring about marriage equality and full recognition and human rights extended to all). While being proud of our rich history and heritage, we are deeply committed to always remaining innovative and pioneering in our efforts to be a place of positive change within Christianity, within our denomination, within ourselves and in the world; and to be a safe place for people of all faiths and no faith.
The United Methodist Church was built on a justice imperative of the Gospel and a tradition of social action and ministry to the disenfranchised. We share a belief that the Gospel call to love, and the example of Jesus’ ministry to all people, outweigh a doctrine of exclusion. As such, St John’s is committed to utilizing inclusive language and respectfully recognizing the diverse approaches to Christianity and faith itself. We agree that, as we understand it, Jesus proclaimed a Gospel of grace and that our faith is to be exemplified by our public ministry to the larger community.
As Progressives, we recognize the updating of religion as a challenging but inevitable process that should be actively engaged. We believe this is sorely needed, among other things, to widen the basis for common ground and common mission among Christians and with other religions. We are committed to facing a 21st century world with a 21st century faith path that recognizes and holds as precious, other faith paths as well.