What we believe | Family of Christ Lut

Family of Christ is part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the largest Lutheran body in the United States. We are a Christian denomination, meaning that we are Trinitarian (believing in one God in three persons, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit) and Christological (we believe that Jesus is the Messiah, fully human and fully divine, who died and rose for our salvation).

With roots that grow down to the start of the Reformation in 1517, ELCA Lutherans stand firm with the basic tenets of Martin Luther’s teachings: grace alone, faith alone, Scripture alone. We believe that there is nothing that we can do to achieve salvation, for salvation is accomplished by the grace of God alone. We believe that salvation is realized (not achieved) through our confident trust in God, who in Jesus the Christ promises us forgiveness, life and salvation. We believe that the Bible is the norm for faith and life, a standard by which teachings and doctrine should be judged. We hold to the three major creeds of the church, Apostles’, Nicene, and Athanasian. We also accept the confessional writings of the Book of Concord.

We celebrate two sacraments: Baptism and Eucharist. Baptism can be celebrated at any age; however, we believe that because Baptism is an act of God, there is need for only one Christian Baptism in a lifetime. When infants are Baptized, the promises of Baptism are made by parents, sponsors, and the congregation. As the child grows and is instructed in faith they are given the opportunity to affirm the promises made in Baptism for themselves, a rite of passage which we call Confirmation. If Baptism is done for an adult, the adult affirms his/her/their promises of faith at that time. Eucharist is also called Holy Communion. In the Eucharist, we believe that Jesus is truly present in, with and under the bread and wine. Christ’s table is open to all who believe and are gathered for worship.

We are an ecumenical body, meaning that we can share and join in worship with other denominations. All are welcome to fully participate in the life and service of the church.

For more information on what ELCA Lutherans believe, go to https://elca.org/Faith/ELCA-Teaching

What does it mean to be a Lutheran? "We believe that as hard as we try, God is too awesome for us to get to. And that's good news, because we can stop trying. We receive love as a gift -- the costly love of the crucified and risen Christ who comes to us again and again with a greeting of peace. Because God has been gracious with us, we refuse to write anyone off. Freed by this love, we find meaning and purpose by sharing this love in our homes, our work and the world around us."

(This quote is from Pr. Dave Daubert. He works as Director for Renewal of Congregations for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and serves as pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Elgin, IL.)