We believe:  salvation is in Christ alone, by grace alone, through faith alone, as revealed through the Word alone.

1.  What is a Christian?

A Christian is

1. a disciple of Jesus Christ;
2. one who confesses that Jesus Christ is the Son of God/God in the flesh, and that Jesus is his own personal Lord and Savior;
3. one whose life is submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ;
4. one in whom the spirit of Jesus Christ lives.

A true Christian does not just say these things; as Jesus Himself said, a person is to show fruit (proof) in his actions that he has truly repented of his sin and turned to God.  You will be able to "see Christ" in the life, attitude, and actions of a true Christian.

What is a Christian NOT?  Not every religious person is a Christian, there are many different religions.  There is only on Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, who died for the sins of the world.  A person is not a Christian just because he attends a certain church.  No one is a Christan just because his parents were, or because he was born in a "Christian nation."  If someone is a true Christian, he will not claim that in order for anyone to be saved or in order to go to heaven, he must accept some other prophet in addition to Jesus Christ.  One in whom Christ truly dwells knows he needs no other prophet, apostle, priest, enlightened one, or anyone or anything else in addition to Jesus Christ to have salvation and go to heaven.

2.  How does one become a Christian?

For specifics on how to accept Christ as your personal savior, please see the information box on see our Home Page.

In the New Testament entire families, including children, were "baptized into Christ."   We also know from the Bible that John the Baptist was full of the Holy Spirit even before birth in his mother's womb.  Being full of the Holy Spirit is a term and experience unique only to Christians.  No Christian scholar would argue over the spiritual condition of John the Baptist.  He was the cousin of Jesus Christ, whom the Bible tells us was sent to prepare the way for Jesus.  Dare anyone question Jesus about letting John the Baptist baptize him?  But we have no record of a "born again" experience of John the Baptist in which he prayed a "sinner's prayer."

Millions of Christians hold to the scriptural practice of baptizing their babies "into Christ."  Jesus told a man named Nicodemus that to enter the kingdom of Heaven he must be born again.  So "born again" is a scriptural term.  And how was this rebirth to take place?  Jesus answered that it was by water and the Spirit:  the water of baptism and the Spirit of God.  We believe that as the word of God is spoken over the child, the Spirit of God is imparted to this helpless child, resulting in present tense salvation.

But there are billions of people who were not fortunate enough to be born to parents who believed in Christ and thus did not take them to the baptismal fount for the Spirit of God to be imparted to them.  What about them?  Just as for Nicodemus, they must still be born again.  They still need the water and the Spirit.  The word of God teaches clearly that for an adult to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, one must admit that he is a sinner, repent of his sins, and accept the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  He should then make his faith public in those waters of baptism.

Admitting that one is a sinner and repenting of one's sin is done in the context of prayer.  You should get alone and just talk to God.  There is an excellent example in the Bible where a man prayed, "Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner."  There is no magic forumla to be prayed; it is a matter of pouring your heart out to God in complete sincerity.  If you are unsure about doing this alone, it is a good idea to find a Christian whom you respect and ask him or her to pray with you in accepting Christ as your savior.

Jesus also said something very challenging about being a believer (a disciple of his); He said, "If you do not confess me before men, I will not confess you before my Father in Heaven."  So it is important to let others know that you are now a disciple of Christ.  Actually, if you have a real life-changing conversion to Christ, you will want to tell other people about it!

Although it is not necessary for salvation, it is important for new believers to get into fellowship with other believers so that they may grow spritually, learn how to pray, and, above all, learn the Word of God (the Bible0 so that it may work in their lives.

3.  Who are the Lutherans?

First and foremost, Lutherans are Christians, those who believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the only Savior of the world.  We confess faith in no other messiah, saviro, prophet, apostle, or enlightened one.  Lutherans believe that the Bible is God's inerrant word, that the Bible is the revelation of God, that the Bible is the authority for how we are to live and to conduct ourselves in our personal lives as well as within the church.  There is no book or writings that hold more authority than the Bible, God's Holy Word.  Regardless of what any man teaches about God, it is God's Word that is the final answer.

4.  So isn't it enough just to believe the Bible?

Yes.  By all means, believe the Bible for a revelation of Christ leading to salvation.  But when it comes to doctrinal matters there has always been disagreement.  Since the first century there have been arguments over how to interpret certain Bible doctrines.  These disagreements are still evidenced today by the myriad of different Christian denominations.  Every Christian denomination claims belief in the Bible.  Yet  they each teach something different from other Christian denominations.  Lutherans don't just believe each new teaching that comes along.  All the various major doctrinal teachings were addressed by Martin Luther and councils conducted by the church fathers.  So we also hold to the three ecumenical creeds:  the Apostle's Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed.  Each of these creeds deals with basic important doctrinal positions that were adopted by the Christian church long ago to clarify controversies that arose from splinter groups teaching new "revelations."  We incorporate these creeds into our liturgical worship as a statement of where we stand on these age-old issues.

5.  What is Lutheran worship like?

We are a liturgical church.  The term "liturgy" refers to a body of rites prescribed for public worship.  Our program of Divine Worship service is written out in our Order of Worship that is available each week at Sunday service.  Most of our liturgies (written order of worship) date back to the time of the Reformation (16th century).  However, we do seek to be contemporary and incorporate modern music.  Our liturgies are full of the Word; scripture lessons, responsive readings, confessions,  and recitation of the creeds.  Our Divine Worship service is a special time set aside for nothing less than the exaltation of Christ.   We do this in a very respectful manner, coming into his presenc by grace embracing His forgiveness and goodness, in the utomost reverent attitude and posture, healing all praise upon Him.

Part of being a liturgical church is observing the church year.  In a Lutheran sanctuary you will notice the colors corresponding to the church year as we observe special holy days and seasons.  The colors will be present on the altar and banners.  The minister also wears the appropriate coordinating colors.  

We should all remember that our lives are to be a witness of our adoration of Jesus Christ.  Divine Worship  should not be the only time we praise Him. Christ can be worshipped at any time and in any place.   Sunday worship is, however, that special day each week that, in observance of Christ's resurrection, we gather together for special corporate worship.  We believe that we should make it as special as possible through Biblical liturgical worhsip handed down to us over the centuries.

6.  Why does the pastor dress that way?

The pastor's ministerial vestments are special ceremonial outer garments worn by the paster of a special occasion to perform a special service.  Vestments do not indicate that the person wearing them is better or more spiritual than anyone esle.  In our tradition, we believe that the pastor is performing a very special service inthe administering of the sacraments and in the proclaiming of the Word.  There are varying opinions on the origins of the various vestments but they all share in common the idea that, in the very special occasion of the observance of the corporate worship of our Lord, the one leading worship should not dress in ordinary attire.

Clothes are a phenomenon when it comes to expecting certain things from the wearer.  Culturally, we expect a businessman to dress a certain way, medical professionals to dress a certain way, farmers to dress a certain way, and so on.  Historically many churches that came out of the Reformation rejected everything from the past; however, Lutherans respect the idea that the person who is leading us in worship dresses in a way that says to us that he is set aside for this special purpose and that what he is doing is special.

There are many optional pieces of attire that fall into the category of vestments:  alb, surplice, tippet, cope, chasuble, amice, and more.  Sometimes special occasions mandate certain articles of clothing; other times it is simply personal preference in what you may see from one local church to another.  One article of clothing that is common among Lutheran ministers is the stole.  The stole is the sign of ordination.  Only someone who has been ordained into the gospel ministry should wear the stole.  The stole is the scarf-like colored band worn around the neck of the pastor; it will appear in different seasonally-appropiate liturgical colors throughout the church year.  It is reminiscent of Old Testament references to a mantle of God's annointing on the prophets.

Most ministers of liturgical churches wear a clergy collar when they are involved in the active work of the ministry.  The clergy collar itself is not a vestment.  It is considered everyday wear.  The collar has a long and unclear history; and there are varying opinions on its origin.  But even in our modern times, a clergy collar is still universally recognized as a sign of one who is authorized to minister the Word and the sacraments.

We are affiliated with the Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ, an association of congregations who are free in Christ, accountable to one another and rooted in the scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions.

 http://www.lcmc.net/