What We Believe
We believe that first and foremost, following Jesus as individuals and as a church begins in the EMBRACE of God through His Son Jesus (John 3:16-17). He took the first step and did for us what we cannot do for ourselves (Romans 5:8). Because of God’s grace, we desire to be a place and people who seek peace, offer love and refuge to those who gather, and desire to grow in seeing more clearly that it’s the Holy Spirit who has EQUIPPED us (Acts 1:8) to be the people of God. It’s the Holy Spirit who propels us as those who are embraced and equipped by God to ENGAGE (Matthew 28:19 and Romans 10:13) the world and everyone in it with His love. We love, because He first loved us (1 John 4:19).
The Church and Sacraments
We are members of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) and walk in-step with other LCMS churches throughout the nation. We are a sacramental church. This means that we hold-up and utilize the gifts, or sacraments, that God has given to the Church – namely Holy Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Sacraments, as we believe, are means of grace. In this way, God acts through the ordinary means of water, bread, wine and His Word to grant us grace, forgiveness, pardon and peace. We didn’t create the sacraments. We received them from Jesus (Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 14:22-25, Romans 6:4-11, 1 Corinthians 11:17-34)
A note on Baptism
A note on the Lord's Supper
The Core Beliefs
GRACE ALONE
We believe that God’s heart is inclined toward the people of this world. While we are in no way deserving of His love, He sent Jesus, His Only Son, to redeem us, restore us and save us. We call that grace.
FAITH ALONE
We believe that Jesus did it all. By His suffering and death on the Cross, taking our place, Jesus won forgiveness for us and only in Him are we saved. Paul in Romans says that hearing this good news is essential and that the Holy Spirit leads us to say boldly, “Jesus did it for me". We call that faith.
SCRIPTURE ALONE
We believe that God has made Himself known through the Word made flesh, His Son, Jesus. God doesn’t leave us to try and figure out what to know and believe about Him, but rather used the hands, hearts and lips of people throughout history by the Holy Spirit to record and communicate His Word to us. God’s Word is the story of His Grace as well as the rule and norm for our lives. His Word is inerrant (lacking error) and infallible (free from mistakes and fully true). We call that word Scripture (The Bible).
CHRIST ALONE
We believe that Our Savior is Immanuel, God with us, just as the angels announced to the shepherds in Bethlehem. We believe that the only way to the Father is through His Son who says in the Gospel of John, “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life.” We believe that the One who died on the Cross and rose again is our Redeemer, our Rescuer, and our Peace. We call Him Jesus.
We believe that all of Scripture points us to Jesus. And while Scripture shows us who God is, it also shows us who we are. According to the Bible, we are those who are born and conceived in sin (Psalm 51). It’s part of us, cutting to our core. There is no escape on our part. Even our best intentions and desires are marred (Romans 3). We are in need of a Savior and cannot do anything to free ourselves from our sinful condition. Yet, the Bible tells us that even in our inability to find freedom from sin, death and the devil, God acted (John 1). He sent Jesus to atone for the sin of the world that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life (John 3). We confess this truth in the Creeds of the Church as seen below:
The Creeds of the Church
Each week, we speak boldly before God and each other our faith in God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit using either the Apostles Creed, the Nicene Creed or the Athanasian Creed. These Creeds are derived directly from the Bible, composed by some of the earliest Christians and serve as a place of uniformity of faith. You’ll notice below that the Creed is arranged in a Trinitarian Way.
We believe in “The Holy Trinity”, that God is Three Persons, yet One Essence: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. While all are God, all have distinct roles. God the Father, we believe, is the Creator. God the Son, Jesus Christ, is the Redeemer. God the Holy Spirit is the Sustainer or Helper, always leading us back to the Love of the Father in Jesus Christ. Here is the Creed that we confess:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord: Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.
Amen.
