Welcome
Who we are
MISSOURI SYNOD LUTHERANS
God's Word Points Us to Jesus Christ
The The people who belong to the local congregations of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod are people of the Bible. The Bible is our Sacred Scriptures, the Word of God. We treasure God’s Word because it teaches us about eternal life through Jesus Christ. The Word is Law and Gospel (“good news“). It shows us our sin, but also assures us of God’s love and faithfulness. It inspires us to tell others. It moves us to help people in need.
A Teaching Church
Our Missouri Synod congregations operate the largest Protestant school system in the United States. We have 1,000 preschools and day-care centers, 998 elementary schools and 64 high schools.
Our 10 colleges prepare professional church workers and offer Christian training for Christian laity. Two seminaries provide education beyond the bachelor level to prepare pastors for our congregations.
Because God’s Word is so important, we emphasize Christian nurture. Our congregations offer Sunday school for children, youth and adults. We hold other Bible study classes and small- group ministries to help people of all ages learn and apply the Word in their daily lives.
In The Word
From the Word, we know that there is one God, but that He has three persons–Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They are of the same essence–equal in power, in eternity and in majesty.
We believe the Father created and sustains the world. The Scriptures tell us that human beings chose to follow their own way and fell into sin–direct disobedience to God.
We believe that Jesus Christ, true God and true man, suffered and died on earth in our place as punishment for all human sin. He lived in perfect obedience to God; He was without sin. It is only because of Him–not because of anything we can do–that our originally perfect relationship with God is restored through the forgiveness of all sin. Then God counts the righteous life of Jesus as if we lived it. Now we can confidently come to God in prayer.
We believe that the Holy Spirit inspired the writers of the Bible and through it inspires faith in us. Through the Word and the Sacraments–Holy Baptism and the Lord’s Supper–He also keeps us in faith.
Three principles undergird our beliefs: Scripture, faith and grace. The Scripture is the only source of knowledge about God and His will for us. God’s Law tells us that we human beings cannot earn God’s love, forgiveness or everlasting life. But, grace tells us of God’s kindness in pardoning us for Jesus’ sake. It is all a gift of His love. Only by faith in Jesus Christ do we receive God’s forgiveness. Through faith in Him, we come into a peaceful relationship with God.
Jesus died on the cross–but He rose from the dead to assure us that God accepted His sacrifice. He lives and we too will live with Him forever. And that is reason for celebration!