God the Son We believe that God became human in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. God did this out of divine love. Jesus Christ's life, death, and resurrection express that love for us. Because Christ gave his life for us, our relationship to God is restored. We are saved by God's gracious love. This reality stands at the center of our faith.
God the Father We believe that this entire universe is the fruit of God's imaginative and loving heart. God continues to cherish and care for all people and for all of creation. God longs to see the universe in harmony.
Holy Spirit We believe that God is present and active in our world, in our congregation, and in our individual lives through the Spirit. The Spirit activates and enlivens our faith and creates the Church that is the body of Christ.
One God We believe in one God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is one in power and purpose and love. Along with the community of believers since the time of Christ, we continue to experience God as creator, savior and sanctifier.
The Bible We believe that the Bible, both the Old and the New Testament, contains the Word of God and is a faithful guides in all matters of faith and life. In and through our personal reading and community study of the Bible, in and through Bible-based preaching, the Holy Spirit continues to make Christ real and active in our lives.
Holy Baptism We believe that God acts through water and the Word to make us part of the divine family. In Baptism we are claimed and named and given the power to act and live as children of God.
Holy Communion We believe that in, with, and under the bread and wine of Holy Communion, Christ's presence is made real through His body and blood. When we celebrate this meal, Christ's love and forgiveness are given personally to each one of us.
Discipleship We believe that to trust in Christ is to follow Christ. To follow Christ is to love the world sacrificially, to serve others joyfully, and to proclaim the Gospel boldly to all peoples.
"Lutheran" Christians We believe that all those who claim Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are part of the one Christian Church. The name "Lutheran" refers to our historical roots in the efforts of Martin Luther to reform the Church in the 16th Century. Lutherans are one of the largest mainline Christian denominations in the United States. Lutheran Christians have a unique identity that is rooted in the Lutheran Confessions, writings which help Lutherans understand how it is that God is at work in our lives, and which serves as an anchor to keep us firmly in Christ. The most famous of these writings is Martin Luther’s Small Catechism.
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the teaching of Martin Luther, a 16th century German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation. The reaction of the government and church authorities to the international spread of his writings, beginning with the 95 Theses, divided Western Christianity.
The split between the Lutherans and the Roman Catholics arose mainly over the doctrine of Justification. Lutheranism advocates a doctrine of justification "by grace alone through faith alone because of Christ alone" a truth revealed "in Scripture alone" which went against the Roman view of "faith formed by love", or "faith and works". Unlike the Reformed Churches, Lutherans retain many of the liturgical practices and sacramental teachings of the pre-reformation Church. Lutheran theology significantly differs from Reformed theology in Christology, the purpose of God's Law, divine grace, the concept of "once saved always saved", and predestination.