• Modern Bible translations omit the final phrase that begins, "for thine is the kingdom," added to the prayer as a concluding doxology by early Christians. Various Christians throughout history have omitted the phrase, but it appears in all translations used by United Methodists.
• Number 895 ("trespasses") is from the official ritual of the former Methodist Church. It comes from a 16th century (Pre-King James) translation of the Bible used by the Church of England. John Wesley, a priest in the Church of England, passed it on to Methodists in the 18th century.
• Number 896 ("debts"), used by the former Evangelical United Brethren Church, comes from the 1611 King James Version of the Bible. It has been used by most English-speaking Protestants through the years.

When Methodist and Evangelical United Brethren churches merged in 1968 to form The United Methodist Church, members called for a single translation of the Lord's Prayer. "Sins" (from the Gospel of Luke) seemed a good compromise for "Debts" and "trespasses."

In 1975, an international consultation of English-speaking Christians proposed the ecumenical text (No. 894), which many denominations have adopted in recent years.

The United Methodist Church has left the choice of translation up to each congregation.