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Eastern Orthodox vs. Methodist

A side-by-side comparison of Eastern Orthodox and Methodist teaching on 16 questions, from Scripture and salvation to baptism, communion and church government.

Eastern Orthodox

The Eastern Orthodox Church is a communion of self-governing churches, such as the Greek, Russian and Antiochian churches, that share one faith and worship. It separated from Rome in the Great Schism of 1054 and treats the early councils and the Church Fathers as its standard.

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Methodist

Methodism began in the 18th century as a renewal movement within the Church of England under John and Charles Wesley. It emphasizes God’s grace offered to all, holiness of heart and life, and practical care for the poor.

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At a glance

Where they differ: Authority: Scripture and tradition; Books of the Bible; The Trinity; How a person is saved; Communion (the Lord’s Supper); Sacraments or ordinances; Church government; Clergy and women in ministry; Mary and the saints; Death, purgatory and hell; Style of worship.

Varies within one or both: The Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts.

Where they agree: Can a saved person fall away?; Predestination and free will; Baptism; Day of worship.

Side by side

Question	Eastern Orthodox	Methodist
Authority: Scripture and traditionDiffer	Scripture is read within the Church’s Holy Tradition, which includes the ecumenical councils and the Church Fathers. There is no single teaching office like the papacy.	Scripture is primary, and is understood in light of tradition, reason and Christian experience. This fourfold method is called the Wesleyan Quadrilateral.
Books of the BibleDiffer	Uses the Greek Septuagint Old Testament, which includes the Catholic deuterocanonical books and a few more, such as 1 Esdras and Psalm 151. Exact lists differ between Orthodox churches.	66 books. The Apocrypha is not part of the canon.
The TrinityDiffer	One God in three persons. The Spirit proceeds from the Father alone, and the Orthodox have rejected the Western addition of the filioque, which is one of the central points of division with Rome.	One God in three persons, in the historic creeds and in Wesley’s Articles of Religion.
How a person is savedDiffer	Salvation is healing and union with God, called theosis or deification. It begins in baptism and is a lifelong process in which the person freely cooperates with God’s grace.	Justified by grace through faith. Wesley also taught that God’s grace goes before conversion (prevenient grace) and leads to sanctification, growth in holiness that may be called “Christian perfection,” meaning perfect love.
Can a saved person fall away?Agree	Yes. Because salvation is a lifelong cooperation with God, a person can turn away from it, though repentance is always possible.	Yes. Wesley taught that a believer can fall from grace by persistent unbelief or sin, though he held that God is eager to restore.
Predestination and free willAgree	Stresses free will and synergy, the cooperation of God and man. Predestination is understood as God’s foreknowledge, not a decree that cancels human choice.	Rejects Calvinist predestination. Grace is offered to everyone, and each person is free to accept or resist it, which is the Arminian position.
BaptismAgree	A sacrament of new birth, given to infants and adults by triple immersion. The newly baptized are immediately anointed (chrismation) and receive communion, even as infants.	A sacrament and sign of God’s grace. Both infants and adult believers are baptized, and the mode may be sprinkling, pouring or immersion.
Communion (the Lord’s Supper)Differ	The bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ. Orthodoxy holds this as a mystery and does not define how it happens.	Christ is truly present, but the manner is a holy mystery. The United Methodist Church rejects transubstantiation and does not define a theory.
Sacraments or ordinancesDiffer	Seven principal “mysteries,” the same as the Catholic list, though Orthodox teachers stress that the whole life of the church is sacramental and do not fix the number rigidly.	Two sacraments, baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
Church governmentDiffer	Governed by bishops, with each national church led by a patriarch or archbishop. The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople holds a primacy of honor and some limited canonical prerogatives, but no governing authority over the other churches.	A “connectional” system in which churches are bound in districts and conferences. The United Methodist Church has bishops, and some Methodist bodies do not.
Clergy and women in ministryDiffer	Priests, deacons and bishops are men. Priests may marry before ordination, and bishops are drawn from the celibate ranks.	Women are ordained as pastors and bishops in the United Methodist Church and most other Methodist bodies. Clergy may marry.
Mary and the saintsDiffer	Mary is honored above all as the Theotokos (“God-bearer”), and the saints are asked for their prayers. Icons are venerated. Orthodoxy holds Mary’s perpetual virginity and her Dormition (falling asleep) but does not use the Catholic definition of the Immaculate Conception.	Mary and the saints are honored as models of faith. Methodists do not pray to them.
Death, purgatory and hellDiffer	Orthodoxy has no doctrine of purgatory, but it prays for the dead and believes souls await the final judgment in a foretaste of their eventual state. One influential modern Orthodox view is that hell is the experience of God’s love by those who reject it, but this is not a settled teaching.	Purgatory is rejected. Believers are with Christ at death and await the resurrection, and unbelievers face judgment.
Style of worshipDiffer	Highly liturgical. The Divine Liturgy is sung, with icons, incense and chanting, often in the traditional language of the country.	A mixture. Worship generally follows a set order with hymns (many by Charles Wesley), Scripture and preaching, and styles range from traditional to contemporary.
The Holy Spirit and spiritual giftsVaries	The Spirit is active in the sacraments and in the lives of saints and elders. Spiritual gifts are recognized, though tongues are not emphasized.	The Spirit’s work is stressed in assurance and holiness. Attitudes to tongues and healing vary, and the Wesleyan holiness movement gave rise to Pentecostalism.
Day of worshipAgree	Sunday, called “the Lord’s Day,” is the weekly celebration of the resurrection.	Sunday.
Best known for	The Divine Liturgy, icons, monasticism (especially on Mount Athos), the doctrine of theosis and continuity with the ancient church.	Warm-hearted evangelism, hymnody, holiness of life and social outreach through hospitals, schools and missions.

“Agree” means the two traditions take the same broad position, although the wording above may still note finer differences. “Varies” means at least one of the two is itself divided on the question, so no single position can be given. These summaries describe typical teaching, and individual churches may vary. For an authoritative statement, consult each denomination’s own confessions.

Eastern Orthodox vs. Methodist