Sacraments

¶ 4. Article IV. Inclusiveness of the Church—The United Methodist
Church is a part of the church universal, which is one Body in
Christ. The United Methodist Church acknowledges that all persons
are of sacred worth. All persons without regard to race, color,
national origin, status, or economic condition, shall be eligible to
attend its worship services, participate in its programs, receive
the sacraments, upon baptism be admitted as baptized members,
and upon taking vows declaring the Christian faith, become professing
members in any local church in the connection. In The
United Methodist Church no conference or other organizational
unit of the Church shall be structured so as to exclude any member
or any constituent body of the Church because of race, color,
national origin, status or economic condition."

The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church 2016. Page 26.

Baptism

There are two Sacraments ordained of Christ our Lord in the
Gospel; that is to say, Baptism and the Supper of the Lord.

Baptism is not only a sign of profession and mark of difference
whereby Christians are distinguished from others that are
not baptized; but it is also a sign of regeneration or the new birth.
The Baptism of young children is to be retained in the Church.

We believe the Sacraments, ordained by Christ, are symbols
and pledges of the Christian’s profession and of God’s love toward us. They are means of grace by which God works invisibly
in us, quickening, strengthening and confirming our faith in
him. Two Sacraments are ordained by Christ our Lord, namely
Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
We believe Baptism signifies entrance into the household of
faith, and is a symbol of repentance and inner cleansing from sin,
a representation of the new birth in Christ Jesus and a mark of
Christian discipleship.
We believe children are under the atonement of Christ and as
heirs of the Kingdom of God are acceptable subjects for Christian
Baptism. Children of believing parents through Baptism become
the special responsibility of the Church. They should be nurtured
and led to personal acceptance of Christ, and by profession of
faith confirm their Baptism.

The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church 2016. Page 69, 74.

The Lord's Supper

The Supper of the Lord is not only a sign of the love that Christians
ought to have among themselves one to another, but rather
is a sacrament of our redemption by Christ’s death; insomuch
that, to such as rightly, worthily, and with faith receive the same,
the bread which we break is a partaking of the body of Christ; and
likewise the cup of blessing is a partaking of the blood of Christ.
Transubstantiation, or the change of the substance of bread
and wine in the Supper of our Lord, cannot be proved by Holy
Writ, but is repugnant to the plain words of Scripture, overthroweth
the nature of a sacrament, and hath given occasion to
many superstitions.
The body of Christ is given, taken, and eaten in the Supper, only
after a heavenly and spiritual manner. And the means whereby
the body of Christ is received and eaten in the Supper is faith.
The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper was not by Christ’s ordinance
reserved, carried about, lifted up, or worshiped.

The cup of the Lord is not to be denied to the lay people; for
both the parts of the Lord’s Supper, by Christ’s ordinance and
commandment, ought to be administered to all Christians alike.

We believe the Lord’s Supper is a representation of our
redemption, a memorial of the sufferings and death of Christ, and
a token of love and union which Christians have with Christ and
with one another. Those who rightly, worthily and in faith eat the
broken bread and drink the blessed cup partake of the body and
blood of Christ in a spiritual manner until he comes.

The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church 2016. Page 70, 74.