Beliefs

• We believe that the Holy Scriptures, as contained in both Old and New Testaments of the Bible, is the inspired Word of God and is the sole norm and source of all beliefs.
• We believe that the Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church as contained in the Book of Concord of 1580 is the correct exposition of the Word of God.  We subscribe to its contents wholeheartedly.
• We believe that there is One, Eternal God who has revealed Himself in three persons sharing one and the same essence: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
• We believe that Jesus Christ is the God/Man who lived a life of selfless service, was crucified, died, arose from death, ascended to the position of ultimate authority over all creation, and will reappear at the end of time and history to gather His church to Himself.
• We believe that all people are born sinful and spiritually dead until they are claimed by God.
• We believe that salvation is granted to humanity solely as the gift of God by his grace through Faith and Trust in Jesus Christ.
• We believe that the grace of God is given to humanity solely by the means appointed by God Himself, namely, Word (Scripture-the written Word) and Sacrament (Baptism-the adopting Word, and the Lord's Supper-the edible Word).
• We believe that water Baptism is the means by which God the Holy Spirit claims people as His own.
• We believe in the Real Presence of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ in the physical forms of bread and wine at the Lord's Supper as that which sustains faith in Christians through the forgiveness of sins.
• We believe that good works, no matter how noble and well-intended, do not and cannot merit the love and forgiveness of God. These are given by God's Grace alone. Good works are the natural result of trust in Jesus Christ, and therefore cannot be contrived or manufactured.
• We believe that Divine Service is the place where people encounter the Living Christ through the objective and concrete means of Word and Sacrament.  We use the historic liturgies of the church as they transcend time and culture like nothing else in their usages of the narrative of Scripture.