Our Beliefs
We are a Christ-centered congregation, believing that God has revealed Himself in the person and life of Jesus Christ, who is both the divine Son of God and the human Son of Mary. He came from heaven to reconcile sinful creatures to our Creator. To do this He had to fulfill every promise made about Him in the Old Testament, including His death on a cross and His resurrection out of death.
In knowing Jesus, we know the Father (John 14:9). Jesus is the perfect representation of His Father (Hebrews 1:3). We believe the purpose of the Bible is to reveal Jesus to us so that we can trust in Him (John 20:31). Faith in Jesus reconciles us to the Father, delivers us from the devil’s hold on us, and will ultimately rescue us from death and all other consequences of our sin.
On Sunday mornings, we usually make a concise, yet profound, statement of our beliefs by reciting either the Apostles’ Creed or the Nicene Creed. These statements of faith have been spoken by centuries of Christians to help us voice the foundational, biblical beliefs that we share with millions of believers worldwide. These truths are discovered in the Holy Bible where God reveals Himself and reveals His plan to rescue and renew us for eternal life with Him. The Apostles’ Creed is confessed as follows:
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.
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 will 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.
We also use a Bible study tool called Luther’s Small Catechism to provide a more detailed study of the central teachings of the Bible and Jesus’s redemptive and restorative work to reconcile all things to himself.
Below you can find more information about our beliefs and practices around specific topics and theology.
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We believe that all Scripture is the inerrant, infallible life-giving Word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit and written down by his prophets and apostles (John 5:39-40, Timothy 3:16) We accept the 66 canonical books of the Old and New Testaments.
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We believe that all human beings are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27) and are therefore endowed with inherent dignity and deeply loved by God. God desires all people to be saved and to love him (1 Timothy 2:4). In Adam, all humanity has inherited original sin (Romans 5:12) from which flow our sinful thoughts, words and deeds (1 John 1:9). Out of his love and immense grace for us, God sent his Son Jesus (John 3:16) to redeem us from all sin, death and evil for a restored life with him for eternity. Through grace alone by faith alone, humanity is raised to new life in Christ.
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We believe that God’s grace is unmerited and unearned. We are saved from sin, death and the devil because of God’s grace alone by faith alone. (Ephesians 2:8). God’s grace is also transformational and sanctifying, making us more and more like Jesus (Romans 8:29, Ephesians 2:9)
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We receive God’s grace, blessings and gifts through faith in him, given to us by the Holy Spirit. (Hebrews 11:1). Faith is not something we can conjure up within us on our own, but gift given to us by God so that we may trust in him and receive salvation through Jesus Christ.
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We believe that Baptism is a Sacrament, or Means of Grace, by which Jesus gives His gifts of faith, grace and forgiveness of sins. Baptism is not our work for God, but God’s work for us (1 Peter 3:21). As God’s commitment to us, Baptism can be received by anyone regardless of their age or ability to understand or commit themselves to Him. Baptism is not an isolated incident, but rather a new birth into a life of faith and following Jesus, in accord with Christ’s command in Matthew 28:19-20.
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We believe that Holy Communion (also called the Lord’s Supper or the Eucharist) is a Sacrament (or Means of Grace) by which Jesus gives his church faith, grace and forgiveness of sins. Holy Communion is not merely a symbol, but Jesus's body and blood mysteriously and miraculously provided in the elements of bread and wine. Everyone who has been baptized and shares this confession of faith are welcome at the Communion Table. (John 6:53, 1 Corinthians 11:24-25)
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We believe that good works and sanctification - becoming more and more like Jesus - is the natural response to saving faith in Jesus Christ. Works do not merit righteousness or good standing with God, but flow out of our new life in Christ and love for both God and people. (Ephesians 2:9, James 2:20)
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We believe that in Jesus’s life, death and resurrection, he has ushered in his Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is already here, at work wherever Christ breaks through to forgive, restore, and transform people in time for eternity. We look forward to the day when the Kingdom of God will come in fullness when Christ returns. In the meantime, we remember that we are citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven above all, knowing that our true identity and home is found in Christ (Philippians 1:27).
We are a member congregation of the Northwest District of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS). For more detailed information about our belief and practice, please visit the LCMS website.