ANCHORED IN SCRIPTURE; SHARING LIFE IN CHRIST
WHAT WE BELIEVE
OUR CONFESSIONS OF FAITH
THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
We are people who believe and confess our faith in the Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We trust and believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.
THE GOSPEL OF SALVATION
We believe and confess that all human beings are sinners and that sinners are redeemed by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God alone justifies human beings by faith in Christ – a faith that God creates through the message of the Gospel. As ambassadors for Christ, God uses us to speak his Word and build his kingdom.
THE AUTHORITY OF SCRIPTURE
We accept the canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the inspired revealed Word of God, spoken in Law and Gospel, and the final authority for us in all matters of our proclamation, faith, and life.
A COMMON CONFESSION OF FAITH
We accept the Apostles’, Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds as true declarations of the faith of this congregation. We accept the Unaltered Augsburg Confession as a true witness to the Gospel, acknowledging as one with it in faith and doctrine all churches that likewise accept the teachings of the Unaltered Augsburg Confession.
We accept the other confessional writings in the Book of Concord, namely, the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, the Smalcald Articles and the Treatise, the Small Catechism, the Large Catechism, and the Formula of Concord, as further valid interpretations of the faith of the Church.
We uphold that the Lutheran Confessions reliably guide us as faithful interpretations of Scripture, and that we share a unity and fellowship in faith with others among whom the Gospel of Jesus Christ is preached and the sacraments are administered in accordance with the Gospel.
THE PRIESTHOOD OF ALL BELIEVERS
We believe and confess that the Holy Spirit makes all who believe in Jesus Christ to be priests for service to others in Jesus’ name, and that God desires to make use of the spiritual gifts he has given through the priesthood of all believers.
MARRIAGE AND FAMILY
We uphold the Biblical norms for marriage, family, and sexuality as stated in the Common Confession. We believe and confess that the marriage of male and female is an institution created and blessed by God. From marriage, God forms families to serve as the building blocks of all human civilization and community.
THE MISSION AND MINISTRY OF THE CONGREGATION
We believe and confess that the Church is the assembly of believers called and gathered by God around Word and Sacrament, and that the mission and ministry of the Church is carried out within the context of individual congregations, which are able to work together locally and globally.
AFFILIATIONS
NORTH AMERICAN LUTHERAN CHURCH
The NALC embodies the theological enter of Lutheranism in North America. It is a church body committed to the authority of the Bible as the inspired Word of God and the authoritative source and norm of its proclamation, faith, and life. In keeping with the Lutheran Confessions, we believe all doctrines should and must be judged by the teaching of Scripture.
The NALC is committed to shaping its life around four attributes: Christ-Centered, Mission-Driven, Traditionally-Grounded, and Congregationally-Focused.
The NALC is a renewed Lutheran community moving forward in faith and mission, focused on living out Christ’s Great Commission to go and make disciples.
LUTHERAN CONGREGATIONS IN MISSION FOR CHRIST
Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ is an association of congregations and individuals who are:
Free in Christ
Accountable to one another
Rooted in the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions
Working together to fulfill Christ's Great Commission to go and make disciples of all nations
LCMC is an association of congregations. They have a great respect for the reality that the church is where the people of God gather together around Word and Sacrament. The local congregation is where the church becomes a concrete reality for God's people.
At the same time, they are joyously aware that each congregation is a part of the greater body of Christ. The actions of each congregation within the association reflect on the association as a whole. And the actions of the LCMC association reflect on the whole body of Christ. For this reason the LCMC has committed themselves to a common set of ministry standards.