What We Believe
We follow the belief and practice of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.
If you are already LCMS and are trying to decide if you want to go to church here, or visit on vacation, (or missed your flight at O’Hare), please scroll down further to get an idea of our church.
New to Lutheranism?
Essentially, we’re the best of both worlds:
- Evangelical, Bible based preaching and teaching, every week and throughout the weekdays.
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- We baptize everyone: babies, youth, adults, men, women, regardless of mental ability.
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- We will not baptize you again.(Ephesians 4:5)
- We will not baptize you again.(Ephesians 4:5)
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- We baptize everyone: babies, youth, adults, men, women, regardless of mental ability.
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- We preserve and rejoice in the Church’s ancient tradition of the Divine Service (God serves us on Sunday mornings), with full chanting, prayers, hymn-singing, and weekly Communion (Eucharist, Lord’s Supper).
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- We combine the Scripture focus and authority of the Reformation and Early Church with the wisdom of the Church Fathers and Historic Confessions and Creeds of Faith.
- God chooses to serve us each Sunday by giving us grace, life, and forgiveness of sins through His Word and Sacraments.
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So. . . what does this end up looking like?
Because we believe and teach the Bible, we believe:
- There is Truth in Christ Jesus, and it’s not subjective. (John 14:6)
- Men and women are created by God to be different from one another and to compliment each other. (1 Peter 3:1-7, 1 Timothy 2:8-15)
- Marriage is between one man and one woman. (Matthew 19:4-6)
- It’s good to have children, and to be a Mom and Dad. (Psalms 127 and 128)
- Jesus created the Office of the Holy Ministry (Pastor) to deliver God’s gifts of His Word and Sacraments to His faithful Christians. (John 14:15-31)
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- Among many requirements to be a pastor, this Office is limited to certain, qualified, men. (1 Timothy 3:1-7)
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- All life matters, and should be protected. (Genesis 1:27)
- Your conscience is free, and should only be bound by God’s Word found in the revealed Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. (John 8:31-36)
- Jesus is truly present at our Divine Service, through his Word (preached, read, and taught) and Sacraments (primarily Baptism and the Lord’s Supper) (Luke 24:13-35)
Videos about what Lutherans believe:
What is the Lord’s Supper? (Communion, Eucharist)
Luther’s Small Catechism explains,
“What is the Sacrament of the Altar?It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and wine, for us Christians to eat and to drink, instituted by Christ Himself.”
Where is this written?
The holy Evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke, and St. Paul [the Apostle] write:
‘Our Lord Jesus Christ, the same night in which He was betrayed, took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to His disciples, saying, Take, eat; this is My body, which is given for you.This do in remembrance of Me.After the same manner also He took the cup when He had supped, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, Drink you all of it; this cup is the New Testament in My blood, which is shed for you for the remission of sins.This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’
Do you believe these things and want to commune with us?
Lovely!
This gift is also for you, within the boundaries given by God’s Word.
Not everyone communes to their spiritual benefit (1 Corinthians 10 and 11), and so, congregations of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod (like ours) practice “closed communion.” (Please click this link.)
We believe that alongside delivering us the wonderful gifts of strength, life, salvation and the forgiveness of sins; the Lord’s Supper shows unity in faith and teaching (1 Corinthians 10:15-18), which you may not have come across before.
No worries, we’d love to tell you about it.
Before being allowed to commune we ask you to speak with the congregation’s Pastor. He’ll ask you why you wish to commune, what Holy Communion is, and what it means as a public confession of your faith.
People who are not yet admitted to Altar-Fellowship may be asked to meet one on one with the Pastor to talk about our church’s teaching.
As Pastor Scott Bruzek says:
“We need to talk, date, and hold hands before we kiss.“
Are you already a Lutheran and trying to decide if you want to go to church here or visit on vacation (or missed your flight at O’Hare)?
We get it!
Know that we are Confessional, Liturgical, conservative, and striving to know Christ and Him crucified.
- We really really like to read, study, hear, and discuss God’s Word.
- We alternate between Divine Service 3 and 1 or 2 depending on the Season of the Church Year.
- We use the historic One-Year Lectionary for our readings.
- We celebrate the Lord’s Supper (Communion, Eucharist) weekly.
- We chant.
- We sing hymns aided by a really good organ.
- No goofy stuff. We promise.
What is the Difference between the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA)?
Confessional Statement
1) We believe that the Scriptural books of the Old and Testaments are the inspired, inerrant, authoritative Word of God, useful for teaching, rebuking, and training in righteousness.(2 Timothy 3:16-17)
2) We believe that the Lutheran Confessions (found in the Book of Concord, 1580) are the correct interpretation and presentation of those Scriptures, and our congregation subscribes to these historic confessions of faith because they are the correct interpretation of those Scriptures.
