What We Believe

"In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect." - 1 Peter 3:15 (ESV)

We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, who created the heavens and the earth in six days and rested on the seventh day (Gen 1-2). Out of Fatherly divine goodness and mercy He keeps and sustains all creation and provides for our every need of body and soul (Psalm 104:10-17, Matt. 6:25-30).

We believe that we are sinners in what we think, say, and do (Gen. 3 Rom. 3:23). We cannot save ourselves. We believe that we need the mercy of the Father through His Son Jesus, who lived a perfectly righteous life and atoned for all sin through His death on the cross (2 Cor. 5:21).

We believe in Jesus Christ, who is true God and true Man, is the only Son of God, born of the virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:31, 35, 2:7). He lived among us feeling and knowing every temptation, yet never sinned. He died on the cross in our place, taking the full wrath of God for sin (Rom. 3:24-26).

We believe that the Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father and the Son, creates and sustains the Church by calling all people to faith through the teaching of God’s word and in the waters of baptism (2 Thess. 2:14).

We believe we are saved by grace, through faith, for the sake of Christ Jesus, who died for the forgiveness of sins in our place (Eph. 2:8).

We believe that this faith is given to us through the means of grace – that is, through channels or vessels which we receive the forgiveness of sins (Rom. 10:17, John 20:31). We take Christ at his word that baptism saves (Mark 16:16, Titus 3:5-8, Rom. 6:4). And the Lord’s Supper is truly Jesus’ body and blood mysteriously in, with, and under the bread and wine (Matt. 26:26-28, Mark 14:22-24, Luke 22:19-20, 1 Cor. 11:23-26).

We believe that the Scriptures are the inerrant Word of God and is the only source and norm for the Church to teach, reproof, and train in righteousness so that the church may be equipped for holy living and every good work (2 Tim 3:16-17, Matt. 10:19, Mark 13:11).

We hold that the Lutheran Confessions (Book of Concord) faithfully explain the Scriptures in their full truth and purity.