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• A Christian - A Lutheran first and foremost is one who trusts in Jesus Christ as both Lord and Savior. A Lutheran proclaims Jesus Christ as God's only Son and Savior to the World, shares a common faith with other Christians, and works together for the common good of all mankind according to God's will given in the Bible.
• Believes in the Bible, Old & New Covenant - It is the authority and only norm for all Christian living and activity. It is the absolute truth and shows God in action in and among His creatures and creation.
• Confessional Church - The Lutheran Church believes that Jesus Christ is Lord, and the Bible reveals all of God's will.
• Ecumenical Church - The Lutheran Church works for the unity of all Christians.
• Visible Church - A Lutheran Church is where Christians gather together to hear God's Word.
• Invisible Church - The Lutheran Church is made up of all people the world over who are saved by faith, accepting Christ as Savior and Lord in their life and living out that faith in the world.

Half of the world’s Protestant people are Lutherans. There are over 9 million Lutherans in the United States.

The founder and leader of Lutherans is Dr. Martin Luther (1483-1546). He was a pastor, professor, author, composer of hymns, and a reformer. He posted a thesis containing 95 reforms he wanted the church to openly discuss on the door of the Wittenburg Church in 1517. This started a whole chain of events that split the Catholic Church and created the Protestant (protester) Movement of denominational congregations. Dr. Martin Luther publicly called for correction of errors in the medieval church. His ideas still stimulate new thinking in the church, and as such he is respected, but not worshipped.

The word "Synod" in The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod comes from the Greek words that mean "walking together". It has rich meaning in our church body, because the congregations voluntarily choose to belong to the Synod. Diverse in their service, these congregations hold to a shared confession of Jesus Christ as taught in Holy Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions.

With the universal Christian Church, The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod teaches and responds to the love of the Triune God: the Father, creator of all that exists; Jesus Christ, the Son, who became human to suffer and die for the sins of all human beings and to rise to life again in the ultimate victory over death and Satan; and the Holy Spirit, who creates faith through God's Word and Sacraments. The three persons of the Trinity are coequal and coeternal, one God.

Being "Lutheran," our congregations accept and teach Bible-based teachings of Martin Luther that inspired the Reformation of the Christian Church in the 16th century. The teaching of Luther and the reformers can be summarized in three short phrases:
Grace alone, Scripture alone, Faith alone.

• Grace alone: God loves the people of the world, even though they are sinful, rebel against Him and do not deserve His love. He sent Jesus, His Son, to love the unlovable and save the ungodly.
• Scripture alone: The Bible is God's inerrant and infallible Word, in which He reveals His Law and His Gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ. It is the sole rule and norm for Christian doctrine.
• Faith alone: By His suffering and death as the substitute for all people of all time, Jesus purchased and won forgiveness and eternal life for them. Those who hear this Good News and believe it have the eternal life that it offers. God creates faith in Christ and gives people forgiveness through Him.

The congregations of the Synod are “confessional”, that is, they hold to the Lutheran Confessions as the correct interpretation and presentation of Biblical doctrine. Contained in The Book of Concord: The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church , these statements of belief were put into writing by church leaders during the 16th century.

Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod Home Page
Indiana District of the LC-MS
Lutheran Connections via Valparaiso University
KFUO Lutheran Radio , St. Louis, Missouri
Project Wittenberg (LOTS of documents!)
Lutheran Historical Documents - Book of Concord
Luther's Small Catechism

Question & Answers about Lutheran Doctrine

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