“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6)

What We Believe

We grow together in faith through God’s Word and Sacraments, discovering and using our spiritual gifts to glorify Him. We are committed to sharing God’s Law and Gospel, serving others by caring for their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs, and welcoming all people to learn about and embrace the Christian faith.

Our mission “One in Jesus...Reaching Many” means that we seek and find unity in Jesus and in turn desire to bring others into the same relationship of love, peace, and forgiveness in Him.

On the basis of the Holy Scriptures, we believe in the one true God: the Trinity – three distinct persons with one divine essence. The one true God, Deut. 6:4; 1 Cor. 8:4, is the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Each person of the Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit are equal in power, eternity and majesty. There are three persons of the Trinity, but together they are one God because each person entirely possesses the one divine essence, Col. 2:9 & Matt. 28:19.

He is the maker of heaven and earth and of everything, including all things visible and invisible. He loved the world so much that he gave His one and only Son, Jesus, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). God is all-knowing. He is present everywhere. He is beyond space and time. He is just, but is also gracious and merciful.
Also sometimes called the Holy Ghost, meaning being a spirit and not having a physical body. The Holy Spirit is the Lord and Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. It was the Holy Spirit who spoke through the Prophets and inspired the words of the Bible. The Holy Spirit is the One who works in our lives and gives and grows faith in Jesus Christ.
We believe, teach and confess that the Holy Scriptures differ from all other books in the world in that they not only contain but are the Word of God. The Bible is not simply man’s word and God’s Word combined, but is in fact, the inspired Word of God. The unaltered Bible is as God wants it. Since the Holy Scriptures are the Word of God, they contain no errors or contradictions, and they are in all their parts and words the infallible truth. The Bible is the sole source from which all teachings in the Christian Church must be taken. It is the only rule and norm by which all teachers and doctrines must be examined and judged. Nothing is to be taken from or added to the Bible and those who do are doing so against God’s explicit command.
God’s Law is written in two places. First, God has written His Law on every person’s heart. No matter where one goes, every religion and government in the world has similar rules and codes for people to live by. This is evidence of God’s influence in our world, but people can choose to harden themselves and ignore what is right. Second, God provides His Law in the Bible. In the Bible, it is always clear and is summarized in the Ten Commandments. We are expected to do two things: Love God and our neighbor. God also expects us to keep His Law perfectly. Therefore, even the nicest person in the world has failed to live as God expects because as the Bible tells us; “Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him” (I John 3:15). Therefore, God in His mercy chose to do something to save us from eternal damnation.
The word “gospel” is a translation of a Greek word that means, “an announcement of good news.” The Good News is that God did not abandon humanity when Adam and Eve first fell into sin. God decided that sin and death would not have the last word, and He promised to send a Savior. When the time was right, God sent His Son, Jesus, the Christ, into our world to be born of the Virgin Mary. Our Lord Christ Jesus lived a perfect life for us because we have failed to live according to the requirements of God’s Law. Yet, He was hung on a cross. On the cross, He received the penalty and punishment for the sins of the whole world, and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for sin. Jesus rose from the dead, victorious over our ancient enemies: sin, death and the devil. Therefore, it is with great joy and confidence that each Christian is able to declare: “My Lord Jesus Christ has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death.”
Baptism uses plain tap-water. However, when it is used in conjunction with God’s Word, it is no longer just plain water. Baptism is the water included in God’s command and combined with God’s Word. There is nothing special about the simple water that one is immersed in, is sprinkled on, or poured over the head of the baptized until God connects His Word to it! God combines His life-creating and life-giving Word with the waters of Holy Baptism, and thereby we are born again of water and the Spirit (John 3:5). We baptize infants and adults because all are born in sin just as Psalm 51:5 reminds us, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” Since all people are born in sin, all humanity needs the sin-cleansing miracle of baptism. Acts 2 tells us, Baptism gives us the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is not something that we do, but is something that God has done for us.
Also known as: Communion, or the Eucharist. Our Lord, Jesus Christ, instituted the Holy Meal with these words: “This is My body, given for you. This cup is My blood of the new testament, shed for you for the forgiveness of sins” (Matt. 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:14-20; 1 Cor. 11:23-25). The Lord’s Supper “is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ in, with, and under the bread and wine, instituted by Christ Himself for us Christians to eat and to drink” (Small Catechism). In the Communion Meal, by receiving His body and blood, we receive forgiveness, salvation, and new life. We as Lutherans, believe that Jesus is both true God and true man and therefore, when He says “This is My body, this is My blood”, the bread and the wine are truly His body and blood and not merely a memorial. We call this “Real Presence” and we do not attempt to explain how exactly this works, but we take Jesus at His word because as God, He has the ability to make it so. Therefore, we believe that those who do not believe His Word and yet partake in Communion are calling God a liar and are bringing judgment upon themselves. Because of this, we ask that those who worship with us refrain from taking Communion until after they speak to the Pastor.

GOD

On the basis of the Holy Scriptures, we believe in the one true God: the Trinity – three distinct persons with one divine essence. The one true God, Deut. 6:4; 1 Cor. 8:4, is the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Each person of the Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit are equal in power, eternity and majesty. There are three persons of the Trinity, but together they are one God because each person entirely possesses the one divine essence, Col. 2:9 & Matt. 28:19.

FATHER

He is the maker of heaven and earth and of everything, including all things visible and invisible.
He loved the world so much that he gave His one and only Son, Jesus, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).
God is all-knowing.
He is present everywhere. He is beyond space and time. He is just, but is also gracious and merciful.

HOLY SPIRIT

Also sometimes called the Holy Ghost, meaning being a spirit and not having a physical body.
The Holy Spirit is the Lord and Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son.

It was the Holy Spirit who spoke through the Prophets and inspired the words of the Bible. The Holy Spirit is the One who works in our lives and gives and grows faith in Jesus Christ.

BIBLE

We believe, teach and confess that the Holy Scriptures differ from all other books in the world in that they not only contain but are the Word of God.

The Bible is not simply man’s word and God’s Word combined, but is in fact, the inspired Word of God. The unaltered Bible is as God wants it.

Since the Holy Scriptures are the Word of God, they contain no errors or contradictions, and they are in all their parts and words the infallible truth.

The Bible is the sole source from which all teachings in the Christian Church must be taken. It is the only rule and norm by which all teachers and doctrines must be examined and judged. Nothing is to be taken from or added to the Bible and those who do are doing so against God’s explicit command.

LAW

God’s Law is written in two places.

First, God has written His Law on every person’s heart. No matter where one goes, every religion and government in the world has similar rules and codes for people to live by. This is evidence of God’s influence in our world, but people can choose to harden themselves and ignore what is right.

Second, God provides His Law in the Bible. In the Bible, it is always clear and is summarized in the Ten Commandments. We are expected to do two things: Love God and our neighbor.

God also expects us to keep His Law perfectly. Therefore, even the nicest person in the world has failed to live as God expects because as the Bible tells us; “Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him” (I John 3:15). Therefore, God in His mercy chose to do something to save us from eternal damnation.

GOSPEL

The word “gospel” is a translation of a Greek word that means, “an announcement of good news.” The Good News is that God did not abandon humanity when Adam and Eve first fell into sin. God decided that sin and death would not have the last word, and He promised to send a Savior. When the time was right, God sent His Son, Jesus, the Christ, into our world to be born of the Virgin Mary. Our Lord Christ Jesus lived a perfect life for us because we have failed to live according to the requirements of God’s Law. Yet, He was hung on a cross.

On the cross, He received the penalty and punishment for the sins of the whole world, and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for sin. Jesus rose from the dead, victorious over our ancient enemies: sin, death and the devil. Therefore, it is with great joy and confidence that each Christian is able to declare: “My Lord Jesus Christ has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death.”

BAPTISM

Baptism uses plain tap-water. However, when it is used in conjunction with God’s Word, it is no longer just plain water.
Baptism is the water included in God’s command and combined with God’s Word. There is nothing special about the simple water that one is immersed in, is sprinkled on, or poured over the head of the baptized until God connects His Word to it! God combines His life-creating and life-giving Word with the waters of Holy Baptism, and thereby we are born again of water and the Spirit (John 3:5).

We baptize infants and adults because all are born in sin just as Psalm 51:5 reminds us, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” Since all people are born in sin, all humanity needs the sin-cleansing miracle of baptism. Acts 2 tells us, Baptism gives us the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is not something that we do, but is something that God has done for us.

LORD'S SUPPER

Also known as: Communion, or the Eucharist. Our Lord, Jesus Christ, instituted the Holy Meal with these words: “This is My body, given for you. This cup is My blood of the new testament, shed for you for the forgiveness of sins” (Matt. 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:14-20; 1 Cor. 11:23-25). The Lord’s Supper “is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ in, with, and under the bread and wine, instituted by Christ Himself for us Christians to eat and to drink” (Small Catechism). In the Communion Meal, by receiving His body and blood, we receive forgiveness, salvation, and new life.

We as Lutherans, believe that Jesus is both true God and true man and therefore, when He says “This is My body, this is My blood”, the bread and the wine are truly His body and blood and not merely a memorial. We call this “Real Presence” and we do not attempt to explain how exactly this works, but we take Jesus at His word because as God, He has the ability to make it so. Therefore, we believe that those who do not believe His Word and yet partake in Communion are calling God a liar and are bringing judgment upon themselves. Because of this, we ask that those who worship with us refrain from taking Communion until after they speak to the Pastor.

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