Our Mission

Since 1885, Bothell UMC has been working to meet the needs of its neighbors.

A Worshiping Community.

Our community is made up of people who don’t have it all figured out. We span the spectrum of faith (and doubt) and commit to journeying together through questions, dialogue, and healthy conversation about the definition of church and religion in our society and world. We are a progressive Christian community, exploring how God is at work in the world, guided by the life and teachings of Jesus Christ and the leadings of the Holy Spirit.

On Native Land

We acknowledge that we are located on the unceded ancestral homelands of the Duwamish, Stillaguamish, Snohomish, and other Coast Salish Peoples. We honor the original ancestors of this land and offer respect for their enduring care and protection of the lands and waterways we share. We strive to be accountable by acknowledging this living history and cultivating respect in our relationships with this land’s Indigenous Peoples.

Anti-Ableist

We recognize that one in four people are disabled with as many as 80% of those beloveds living with nonapparent disability. We acknowledge that ableism is the one -ism that overlaps with all others and the only one that anybody can join at any time, so we commit to taking an intersectional approach in solidarity with other marginalized people.

We denounce toxic theologies that attempt to insist disabled beloveds would be “cured” if we “only had more with”, to equate disability with sin, or to hold disabled people as inspirational exemplars for nondisabled people. We affirm the sacred worth of disabled and nondisabled beloveds alike. We work alongside disabled folx in the church and wider society to dismantle ableist systems, centering lived disability experience and leaning into the disability justice refrain of “Nothing about us without us.”

We maintain that we are called as disciples to celebrate the gifts and graces of disabled people and to work together toward full inclusion. We commit to the lifelong unlearning of internalized ableism, being intentional about our language and practices, cultivating an attitude of hospitality for all, and promoting sustainability by encouraging holy, necessary rest.

A Safe Place

We care committed to guarding and protecting the children, youth, and vulnerable adults given to our care. To ensure our congregation is a place of safety, trust, and compassion, we practice Safe Sanctuaries, which includes background checks of staff and adult volunteers, preventative education, and proper response to disclosures of abuse. Through our policy, we hope people become more aware of what it takes to keep our community and children safe.

Welcoming and Inclusive.

Our hope is that you know that you are welcome and that you belong.

This is especially true for those who have been pushed out or experienced pain in places of worship. That means that if: you are a member of the LGBTQIA+ community; you are Black, Brown, or Indigenous or you’ve been discriminated against because of the color of your skin; you are single, divorced, partnered, separated or widowed; you find yourself homeless or houseless or in the lower economic brackets of our communities… and with all of your bodily complexities created as an integral part of God’s good design… know that you are welcome, know that you belong.

Meeting the Needs of the Community.

Our purpose is Becoming Christ in the Community. Church is more than a building, and we work to empower our community to put their faith in cation. We strive to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God, and follow the principles attributed to John Wesley that we, “Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as ever you can.”

We believe that we are invited into God’s holy work, transforming our communities through peace, joy, hope, and love. With God’s guidance and strength, we can be co-creators with God to transform the world.

Anti-Racist

We recognize that structural racism and ethnic discrimination and other forms of oppression have contributed to persistent disparities which Bothell UMC seeks to dismantle, and we understand that these disparities have existed in the past and persist into the present.

We unequivocally denounce racism and ethnic discrimination, which undermines the well-being and vitality of our communities and are antithetical to our belief that each person is a unique, beloved child of God. We commit to the healing and wholeness of all persons.

Stewards of the Earth

With gratitude for the gift of Creation, we conserve natural resources and advocate for the health of the earth (or all creation).