Who We Are
Biblical
We hold to the Holy Scriptures as revealed by God through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Old and New Testaments. No one word is elevated above another, for it is all Holy Scripture, and in it is contained all that is necessary for salvation. As St Paul writes, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17
As Lutherans, we believe that it is through the preaching of the Word that the Holy Spirit works faith in the hearer. Article V of the Augsburg Confession says, “That we may obtain this faith, the Ministry of Teaching the Gospel and administering the Sacraments was instituted. For through the Word and Sacraments, as through instruments, the Holy Ghost is given, who works faith; where and when it pleases God, in them that hear the Gospel, to wit, that God, not for our own merits, but for Christ’s sake, justifies those who believe that they are received into grace for Christ’s sake.”
Because the Word is so essential to our faith, we take its preaching very seriously. We preach in an expository manner, explaining the verses in their context in a way that is easily understood and shared by the hearer. We preach Law and Gospel in balance, and always with the goal of hearing this good news: Christ for you.
Sacramental
We hold to the ancient and Biblical view of the Sacraments, namely Holy Baptism and Holy Communion. These Sacraments are not mere ordinances as some denominations of the Church believe, but rather the means by with the Holy Spirit gives us the gifts of God in grace.
Baptism is the first step into the Christian life. As Peter said in response to the question of what human beings must do to be saved, “Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:38 Again in 1 Peter 3:21 he writes, “Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you.” It is by Baptism that we receive the gift of salvation, die to ourselves and rise in Christ. This gift is for all who would follow Jesus, and that includes babies. We baptize all, from infants to the elderly and everyone in between.
If you have been baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, regardless of whether you were dunked, sprinkled, or poured, then we do not require rebaptism. All that is required to join our church is to reaffirm your baptismal vows.
Holy Communion is the regular reception of the true body and blood of Jesus Christ, and the means by which we constantly receive forgiveness of sins. Through the divine mystery of the work of the Holy Spirit, the bread and wine become the body and blood, not in transubstantiation or any other human understanding of this work of the Spirit, but simply as the Augsburg Confession tells is, “What Christ’s lips say and speak, so it is” (LC V 14).
Holy Communion is reserved only for those who have been baptized, and is celebrated every week during our service. We do offer grape juice for those so inclined, and while the pastor would prefer a common chalice we offer the wine and grape juice in individual cups.
In the Sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion we receive the gifts of salvation and forgiveness of sins thanks to the sacrifice of Christ Jesus.
Confessional
The Church has held to three Creeds over the many centuries which establish and summarize for us the core doctrines of the Church and are based upon Holy Scripture. The Apostle’s Creed is the ancient baptismal confession of faith, read at services of the Word where Communion is not taken and at baptismal services.
The Nicene Creed is the creed established at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD which mainly focuses upon the divine and human natures of Christ in response to the Arian heresy. This creed is normally recited during services where Communion is celebrated.
Finally, the Athanasian Creed was written to articulate the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. While all three creeds emphasize the trinitarian doctrine of Christianity, the Athanasian Creed is more detailed and far longer. It addresses many of the trinitarian heresies that were commonplace in the Early Church, and is typically read on Trinity Sunday and Reformation Sunday.
We are also Confessional in that we hold to the Lutheran Confessions. Many denominations hold to a confession of faith, and we are no different.
But more than these wonderful Creeds or denominational confessions, our status as Confessional Christians harkens back to the dark days of the Church Struggle in Germany as Hitler rose to power and began to impose his evil ideology upon the Church. In response to the Nazi imposition, men like Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Karl Barth, Martin Niemöller and others formed the Pastors’ Emergency League which became the Confessing Church. Standing firm upon Biblical doctrine and orthodoxy against the evil of Naziism, the Confessing Church remains a great example of faithfulness in the midst of persecution.
Lutheran
We hold to the Lutheran Confessions as found in the Book of Concord, to include the unaltered Augsburg Confession. We maintain the traditions of the Church in liturgy, music, and doctrine. We do use newer Christian hymns, but only after carefully considering the lyrics of those songs. After all, hymns are miniature sermons put to music.
We are unapologetically Lutheran. There are doctrines that we hold to that are at odds with other Christian denominations or churches, and there are doctrines that other churches and denominations hold that we are at odds with. This isn’t to say that everyone else is wrong and we’re right, excluding brothers and sisters in Christ who hold to different confessions. But we find our identity here in Confessional Lutheranism, and we make no apologies for that.
Our services may seem odd compared to the typical nondenominational service, but there isn’t any part of our service that is without meaning. Most of our liturgy comes straight from Scripture and is meant to bring a sense of reverence to worship that distinguishes us from a secular music concert. Worship is entering into God’s holy place and meeting Him there as He gives us His promises in His Word and His gifts of forgiveness and righteousness in His Sacraments.
We are a mission congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Conference and Ministerium (ELCM), a conservative Lutheran synod seeking to proclaim the Gospel from a centrist view of church governance and worship.
Evangelical
We take the Great Commission very seriously and view it as a command for all Christians, not just for those in ministry as pastors and evangelists. Christ’s command in Matthew 28 to go out into the world and make disciples is essential to the Church as a whole, not just church plants like ours.
Does this mean that we should all begin looking to go out on the mission field? By no means! We all have people in our lives, neighbors and friends and family members, who need to hear the Gospel of Jesus for you. We don’t need a degree in Bible or theology to share the Gospel.
At Confessing Christ Lutheran, we will do everything we can to equip you to be able to share the Gospel with those whom you love. And we encourage you to do so, with the Lord as your helper.