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How We Worship...

...We Trust & Teach the Bible

The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod accepts the Scriptures as the inspired and inerrant Word of God, and subscribes unconditionally to all the symbolical books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church as a true and unadulterated statement and exposition of the Word of God. We accept the Confessions because they are drawn from the Word of God and on that account regard their doctrinal content as a true and binding exposition of Holy Scripture and as authoritative for all pastors, congregations and other rostered church workers of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.

Lutherans often refer to the three ‘solas’ (Latin for ‘alone’) as a summary of the faith that gives certain hope:

Grace alone — God loved the world, though we do not deserve His love. He sent His Son to love the unlovely and save the ungodly. [John 3:16]
Faith alone — Jesus has provided for our forgiveness and life; those who hear this promise and believe it, have what it offers. People don’t ‘get’ faith; God gives it as He gives us His promises. [Acts 16:31; Gal. 3:22]
Scripture alone — The Bible is the only source that shows God’s will and the only basis for faith.

To these three we also add a fourth ‘sola’ — Christ alone. For the entire Christian life, from beginning to end, is tied up in the Person and saving work of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Who gave Himself for all of us so that we might have life in Him.

Entire Book of Concord in PDF Format (2MB file)

These texts are in the public domain and may be copied and distributed freely. The source of these translations is Triglot Concordia: The Symbolical Books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921).

We Emphasize the Word & the Sacraments

God has given the Church His Holy Word and the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper as the means through which He Himself continually comes to us with His grace and forgiveness to create and sustain saving faith in us. We preach and teach God’s Word in its purity and administer the Sacraments according to Christ’s command. Our practice of Closed Communion* is born out of faithfulness to Scripture and out of Christian love and concern for all who commune.

*Closed Communion is the practice of giving the Lord’s Supper only to those who have been baptized, instructed in Holy Scripture, and are one with us in their public confession of belief.

The Nicene Creed

I believe in one God,
the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth
and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only-begotten Son of God,
begotten of His Father before all worlds,
God of God, Light of Light,
very God of very God,
begotten, not made,
being of one substance with the Father,
by whom all things were made;
who for us men and for our salvation
came down from heaven
and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary
and was made Man;
and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate.
He suffered and was buried.
And the third day He rose again
according to the Scriptures
and ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of the Father.

And He will come again with glory to
judge both the living and the dead,
whose kingdom will have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord and giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son together
is worshiped and glorified,
who spoke by the prophets.
And I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church,
I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins,
and I look for the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come.

Amen

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