We believe in the one Triune God, known to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

 

We believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and the Gospel as the power of God to create and sustain the Church for God’s mission in the world.

 

We believe that Jesus Christ is the Word of God incarnate, through whom everything was made and through whose life, death, and resurrection God fashions a new creation.

 

We believe the proclamation of God’s Word to us as both Law and Gospel, revealing judgment and mercy, beginning with creation, continuing in the history of Israel, and culminating in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

 

We believe the canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the written Word of God. Inspired by God’s Spirit speaking through their authors, they record and announce God’s revelation centering in Jesus Christ. The are the authoritative source and norm of our proclamation, faith, and life.

 

We accept the Apostles’, Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds as true declarations of the faith of this church.

 

We accept the Unaltered Augsburg Confession as a true witness to the Gospel, acknowledging as one with it in faith and doctrine all churches that likewise accept the teachings of the Unaltered Augsburg Confession. We also accept the other confessional writings in the Book of Concord as further valid interpretations of the faith.

 

We celebrate two sacraments, Holy Baptism and Holy Communion, rites which are commanded by Jesus Christ that directly convey God’s love to us by means of physical elements.

 

In the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, God forgives sins, redeems from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation.  We baptize all ages, following the command of Christ, to lift up the merciful work of God in bringing salvation without our earning or meriting it. Through this Sacrament, we are made members of God’s people, the church.

 

The Sacrament of Holy Communion (also known as the Lord’s Supper) is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ in, with, and under the bread and wine, instituted by Christ himself for us to eat and to drink.  Whoever receives this gift from God receives Christ himself and all his benefits: forgiveness of sin, life, and salvation.  Any person who has been baptized is welcome to receive communion. Through this Sacrament our faith is nurtured and we are empowered to serve God in the world.