Ebenezer United Methodist Church — Church Directory

Quick Facts

Pastor — the shepherd God holds accountable Unconfirmed as of April 2026

Founded 1856

Denomination United Methodist Church

Service Times Sundays at 8:15 AM, 9:45 AM, 11:15 AM & 6:00 PM

Men's Ministry Yes

Kids Ministry Yes

Website www.ebenezerumc.org/

Pastor Credentials UMC Ordination

10-Point Theological Scorecard

Christology

Is Jesus the only way? (John 14:6)

Affirms the Apostles' Creed and historic Trinitarian orthodoxy.

Strong

Scripture

Inerrancy affirmed? Final authority?

UMC holds to the primacy of Scripture, but allows for tradition, experience, and reason to inform interpretation, which can sometimes soften a stance on inerrancy.

WARNING!

Men's Discipleship

Intentional formation for men?

Website indicates men's ministry is available.

Strong

Soteriology

Faith alone? How is salvation presented?

Affirms salvation through Jesus Christ alone, consistent with historic Methodism.

Strong

Gender / Biblical Design

Biblical manhood and womanhood by God's design — patriarchal, complementarian, egalitarian, or affirming gender ideology?

The United Methodist Church ordains women as pastors and has moved to permit LGBTQ+ ordination and same-sex marriage, which is contrary to a complementarian, traditional biblical ethic.

The UMC denomination ordains women as pastors and bishops.

Disqualifier

Leadership Structure

Male elders/pastors? Accountability?

As a UMC church, it does not hold to a male-only elder/pastor requirement for leadership.

WARNING!

Preaching Style

Expository or topical/therapeutic?

Sermons not reviewed.

Caution

Mission Clarity

Great Commission central?

The church has a stated mission of outreach and bringing hope to the world.

Strong

Cultural Alignment

DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?

Remaining with the UMC suggests an alignment with the more progressive cultural stances of the denomination.

Disqualifier

Accountability Structure

Denominational home, elder plurality, or external network — is the pastor answerable to anyone?

Post-2024 UMC removed all restrictions on LGBTQ+ ordination and same-sex marriage. Conservative churches departed to Global Methodist Church — those remaining are the progressive/moderate wing.

Disqualifier

Assessment

Ebenezer UMC is a large, well-established church in Stafford with a long history. It affirms core Christian doctrines like the Trinity and salvation in Christ. However, as part of the United Methodist Church, it is aligned with a denomination that ordains women and has adopted progressive stances on human sexuality that are in conflict with biblical orthodoxy held by complementarian evangelicals. For those seeking a church that upholds male-only eldership and a traditional view of marriage and gender, this church would not be a fit. The pastor's name was not clearly identifiable from the church website or directories.

#united-methodist#umc#stafford#large-church#progressive-denomination#women-pastors

MOOP Engagement Tracker

How this church was personally verified by the MOOP directory team:

✓ Visited the facility in person

✓ Attended a worship service

✓ Researched church website

Sources & Evidence

Enrichment Notes

[2026-05-16 visited by Adam: Adam visited Ebenezer UMC Stafford] [2026-05-19] MOOP rubric: UMC — affirming since 2024. Already rated black.

No URL sources recorded for this church. Rating based on denominational defaults and/or directory-level metadata.

Transparency note: MOOP ratings are researcher judgments about publicly available theological and ecclesial evidence. They are not infallible. If a church's public posture has changed since our review, or if we've mis-read evidence, tell us — we publish corrections.