Statement of Faith & Doctrine

 

Statement of Faith:
 

We believe that God the Father created the universe. He is holy and just, and also loving and compassionate. His deepest desire is to live in a close relationship with all people.

We believe that because of His desire to live in a relationship with us, He sent His own Son, Jesus Christ, who became a human being, born of a virgin. He is fully God and fully man. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus made it possible for all people to live in a relationship with God. We believe that Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Through Him, and Him alone, can people enter into a relationship with God.

We believe that the Holy Spirit is the presence of Jesus Christ in us. Through Him God loves us, empowers us and lives in us. The Spirit gives gifts to all believers. We encourage these gifts to be used in service to our God.

We believe that the Bible is the Word of God. Through it, God reveals Himself to us. The entire Bible is God-breathed and God-inspired. The Old and New Testaments are the norm and guide upon which we base our faith.

We believe that The Church, be it a local congregation or the world-wide fellowship of believers, is the Body of Christ. As His Body, we are called to worship with Him, serve Him, and be the instrument through which the Good News in its fullness is shared with the world.

We believe in and practice the Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion. We believe that through the waters of Baptism, by the power of Word, God comes to us to adopt us as His children. Through Baptism, God gives the gift of new life. We affirm the baptism of all people, including children and infants.

We believe that through the Lord’s Supper, God comes to share Himself with us and to love and forgive us. It is a meal of remembrance and renewal. Jesus is really present in the meal.

We believe in the worth and value of life and every human being. Created in God’s image, humans matter to God. Their worth is dependent, not on accomplishments, but on God’s love for them. Because God sees mankind as worth dying for, we affirm and acknowledge the dignity of every human being.

At the same time, we acknowledge that mankind is separated from God because of sin. We joyfully proclaim the Good News that because of Jesus Christ, forgiveness is possible through faith in Him. It is this forgiveness that restores fallen humanity’s worth.

We believe in and anticipate the return of Jesus Christ. Though we do not know the day hour, we joyfully proclaim His soon return to encourage all people to make the most of life today, and to inspire us to share the Gospel with everyone as quickly as possible.

In all of this we affirm and identify with the Lutheran confessions as part of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. We affirm the centrality of grace alone, faith alone, and the Word alone.