About the Bible
The Bible is the infallible source of knowledge about God and the Good News about His Son, Jesus Christ. We recognize that the Bible was written by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and is without error.
That the two main messages of the Bible are Law and Gospel; the law showing us our sin and need for a Savior, and the Gospel revealing God’s grace in Jesus Christ. We also believe that the Gospel must always predominate.
About Creation
God created the world in 6 days and that He sustains it with His mighty power. We believe that He created Adam and Eve, our first parents, in His own image to live in fellowship with Him.
Adam and Eve rebelled against God and so brought sin and death into the world. We believe all people have inherited this sin and can do nothing to change their human nature. We believe that all people need forgiveness and new life that God provides for us freely by His grace.
About Jesus
God sent His Son to be our Savior from sin, death, and the power of the devil. We believe that Jesus Christ took on Himself the punishment for our sin when He died on the cross. God raised Him from the dead to demonstrate to the world that His sacrifice had been accepted and that humanity’s sin had been paid for.
We receive forgiveness of sin through faith in Jesus Christ. Faith receives the free gift of God’s grace.
About Faith
Faith is created in the heart by the power of the Holy Spirit who works through the "means of grace." The means of grace are the Word of God and the sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion.
Holy Baptism is the means by which the Spirit creates faith and through which God adopts us as his children. We practice infant baptism because we believe they also are born in sin and that God’s promise of forgiveness extends also to them.
Holy Communion is the means by which the Spirit nurtures faith. We believe that as Jesus said instituting the supper for the forgiveness of sins, the the bread is actually his body and wine is actually his blood given to us for the forgiveness of our sins.
About the Church
The Church is the fellowship of all those who have come to faith in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. The purpose of the Church is to nurture faith through the Word and the Sacraments and to share the love of God through word and deed with the whole world in order to make other people disciples of Jesus Christ.
Christ has given to his church the right and authority to preach the Gospel, administer the sacraments, and establish the office of the ministry, and that Christ alone has authority over his church.
The fellowship God has established with believers on earth will continue forever and that after this life we will live forever with Him in Heaven for all eternity.
And in All Things
We have unity in our essential beliefs
"There is one Body and one Spirit ... there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of us all..." Ephesians 4:4-6
We have liberty in our non-essential beliefs
"Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters...Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls ... So then each of us will give account of himself to God... So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God." Romans 14:1, 4, 12, 22
We show charity in all of our beliefs
"If I hold in my mind not only all human knowledge but also the very secrets of God, and if I have the faith that can move mountains - but have no love, I amount to nothing at all." 1 Corinthians 13:2