What We Believe

• ​We believe the greatest gift of God towards us is His love which we cannot earn or deserve.  (Romans 5:8)
• We believe that God has created all things, and everything that He made was very good.  (Genesis 1:31)
• We believe that God has graciously given us everything to provide for us and defend us without any merit or worthiness in us to receive them.  (Genesis 2:15-17)
• We believe that the first people, Adam and Eve, disobeyed God and misused His creation and because of that there is now brokenness in the creation.  There is now brokenness between God and us, between us and nature and between each other.  This brokenness causes pain and suffering in us and in all of the creation.  We call this disobedience of God sin. (Genesis 3:1-19, Romans 5:12, Romans 8:22)
• We believe that God desires to heal that brokenness that we have brought into His creation.  (Isaiah 1:18, Romans 5:15)
• We believe that God sent His son Jesus Christ, miraculously born of the Virgin Mary to heal that brokenness.  (Luke 1:26-31, Galatians 4:4)
• We believe that Jesus Christ lived his entire life in perfect obedience to his Father in heaven  (Hebrews 4:15).
• We believe that he willingly journeyed to the cross for us and that he gave his life on the cross for us, taking the punishment we deserved for our rebellion against God.  (John 10:16-18, Romans 3:23-24, Romans 6:23)
• We believe that he was crucified under the order of Pontius Pilate and that he died and was buried.  (John 19:10-16, 28-30, 38-42)
• We believe that he did this because he loves us.  (John 3:16)
• We believe that he rose from the dead on the third day and that this miracle was done to show that everything Jesus promised can be trusted without doubt.  (John 20:1-18, 1 Peter 1:3-5)
• We believe that Jesus promised that all those who believe in Him will be forgiven of their sins and have everlasting life.  (Matthew 9:1-6. John 11:17-27)  We believe that this forgiveness is only found in Jesus Christ.  (John 14:1-6)
• We believe that just as Jesus rose from the dead that we who believe in Him shall be united with Him and that death is simply a doorway to being joined with Him for eternity in heaven.  (Romans 6:1-5, 1 Corinthians 15:20-28)
• We believe the Holy Spirit calls us to faith by the power of the good news of forgiveness found in Jesus Christ and empowers us to live a life of forgiveness in Jesus Christ.  (1 Corinthians 2:14, John 3:3-6, Galatians 5:22-23)
• We believe that God has given those who believe in Jesus Christ the gift of the Holy Spirit.  (Romans 8:9, John 20:22-23)
• We believe that God has given us the gift of the Church in which to live out this new life in Christ.  (Ephesians 2:19-22, Ephesians 5:25-27)
• We believe that in the church the gift of community is found.  (Acts 2:42-47)  In the church is found community with the Triune God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) and with each other, as we receive the gifts of Baptism and Holy Communion from our gracious and loving God and we hear His words.  (Matthew 20:16-20, Ephesians 4:11-16, Matthew 26:26-29, Galatians 3:27, Isaiah 55:10-11)
• We believe that the Holy Spirit gives the Church the power to love as Jesus loved us.  (1 John 4:19-21)
• We believe that God has revealed all of this through His holy and inspired Word, and that this Word that He gave to us is true in all that it says.  We call His Word the Bible.  (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Timothy 3:15)
• We believe that God has done all of this for us because God loves us.  (1 John 4:9-10) 

Our Values

We value loving God and loving people:

• We desire to love Jesus, know His grace more deeply, worship Him and love what He loves.
• We love people by living out grace and truth in community.  This is messy and hard work.
• We are all about the “capital C” Church (Loving His People)!
• We love people by sacrificing our desires for what God loves and desires even more.  It is an honor to sacrifice for Christ and His church.
• We love people to the extent that we will bend over backwards and make ourselves uncomfortable and do anything short of sin to reach people who don’t know Christ.

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Guiding Principles for Worship

• The chief principle of worship is to praise and honor God through the clear proclamation of the Word of God (both Law and Gospel) and the proper administration of the Sacraments (Baptism and Holy Communion). We identify this as our chief principle because it is taught so clearly in the Bible and was consistently practiced in the earliest Christian fellowships.
• The local church has the authority and right to choose its own worship forms as long as it remembers the chief principle stated in number one.
• Traditions from the history of the church are to be respected and used when they serve to enhance the proclamation of the Gospel and the administration of the sacraments.
• Special sensitivity to the concerns of all Christians needs to be maintained.  Frivolous change is uncalled for and can harm the body of believers.
• Churches need to respect, not to belittle, one another when they make comments about worship forms other than their own. One form is not in and of itself “better” than another form. One may be “better” than another only in the sense that it may more effectively proclaim the Gospel and administer the sacraments.
• Worship will reflect the “culture” in which it is expressed. The early Lutherans worshipped in German and Latin. Today, Lutherans worship in many different lands and languages. Thus, worship must be culturally relevant and is in a state of constant change.
• Scripture is the ultimate source for worship doctrine and practice. The Lutheran Confessions serve as an instructive, helpful companion guide.