Being Lutheran
What do Lutherans believe?
Church Council
What does the Church Council do?
How is the Church Council elected?
How long are their terms?
Mission Teams
What are Mission Teams?
Social Ministry Mission Team
Youth Ministry Mission Team
Property Mission Team
Youth Mission Team
Finance Mission Team
Worship and Music Mission Team
Evangelism Mission Team
Stewardship Mission Team
Technology Mission Team
Family Life Mission Team
Worship
What is Contemporary Worship?
What is Traditional Worship?
What is Holy Communion?
What is
Intinction?
What is the Evangelical Lutheran Worship?
What is the Sanctuary?
What is the Nave?
Church Calendar
When/What is Advent?
When/What is Christmas?
When/What is Lent?
When/What is
Holy Week?
When/What is
Easter?
Ruth Rice Teeter Family Life Center
Lutherans are Christians who accept the teachings of Martin Luther (1483 – 1546). Luther was a German theologian who realized that there were significant differences between what he read in the Bible and the practices of the Roman Catholic church at that time. On October 31, 1517, he posted a challenge on the door of Wittenberg University, titled “95 Theses” (to debate 95 theological issues). His hope was that the church would reform its practice and preaching to be more consistent with the Word of God as contained in the Bible.
What started as an academic debate escalated into a distinct separation between the Roman Catholic church of the time and those who accepted Luther’s suggested reforms. "Lutheran" became the name of the group that agreed with Luther’s convictions.
Today, nearly five centuries later, Lutherans still celebrate the Reformation on October 31 and still hold to the basic principles of Luther’s theological teachings, such as Grace alone, faith alone, Scripture alone. These comprise the very essence of Lutheranism:
~We are saved by the grace of God alone -- not by anything we do;
~Our salvation is through faith alone -- we only need to trust God made
known in Christ who promises us forgiveness, life and salvation; and
~The Bible is the norm for faith and life -- the true standard by which
teachings and doctrines are to be judged.
Over the years, different Lutheran church bodies have been established and organized to meet the needs of Lutherans in communities and nations all over the world. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is the largest Lutheran group in North America, founded in 1988 when three North American Lutheran church bodies united: The American Lutheran Church, the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches and the Lutheran Church in America.
Lutherans are part of a reforming movement within the whole Christian church; as a part of practicing their faith, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and its predecessors have engaged in ecumenical dialogue with other church bodies for decades. In fact, the ELCA has entered into cooperative "full communion" agreements (sharing common convictions about theology, mission and worship) with several other Protestant denominations, including
~the Moravian Church
~The Episcopal Church
~the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
~the Reformed Church in America
~the United Church of Christ
The ELCA has an ongoing dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church, and in 1999, representatives of the Lutheran World Federation and the Roman Catholic Church signed the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification. This represented a historic consensus on key issues of faith and called for further dialogue and study together.
Lutheranism is a faith tradition that is open to all, regardless of background. The ELCA alone is almost five million members strong, with nearly 10,500 congregations across the U.S., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Church Calendar
When/What is Advent?
The season of Advent marks the beginning of the church
year and comprises the four weeks before Christmas. The church has observed a
season of preparation before Christmas since the appearance of regulations on
fasting issued by Bishop Perpetuus of Tours in 490 C.E. (more...)
When/What is Christmas?
The Christmas season celebrates the birth of Jesus
Christ, the incarnation of God. It lasts for 12 days, December 24 through
January 5, the eve of the Epiphany of our Lord. (more...)
When/What is Lent?
As early as the mid-fourth century, Christians have
observed a time of preparation before the Easter celebration. The Lenten season
begins on Ash Wednesday and lasts for 40 days. The forty days of Lent recall the
40 day fast of Jesus in the wilderness after his baptism (Matthew 4:2, Luke
4:1-2) and Moses' 40 day fast on Mount Sinai (Exodus 34:28). It is a time of
simplicity and preparation. (more...Lent
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in America)
When/What is
Holy Week?
When/What is
Easter?