Our Beliefs As Lutherans

A Lutheran is first a Christian – one who believes in Jesus Christ as Savior. Furthermore, we are committed to proclaiming the Good News of Jesus so that others may also believe, grow and serve joyfully with us.

We believe that men, women, and children are rescued from the effects of sin purely by the underserved mercy of God; and that through faith--a relationship of dependence upon Jesus that God Himself gives us--forgiveness and more become ours. Lastly, God's Word stands over us as ultimate. In it He gives us the rule and norm for all belief and through it makes us aware of sin, fills us with faith in Jesus, and guides us in faith-filled living.

We confess this:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
On the third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty,
from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Holy Christian Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen.

The words of the Apostles' Creed, along with the Nicene and Athanasian Creed, have served as a summary of Spirit-filled and scriptural belief since the earliest days of Christianity. They summarize what Christians have always confessed when gathered around God's Word in the name of God's Son - and they are the truths that we believe, teach, and confess at Pilgrim.

We are Lutheran. Specifically we are associated with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. To be Lutheran simply means that we accept the scriptural truths that inspired the reformation of the Christian Church in the 16th century and led to a renewed focus on the Gospel.
As a result we uphold an extravagant and mysterious view of God's love: that man is saved purely by God's grace through faith alone, apart from works. We believe that God is so loving and powerful that he is actively working through His Word as well as saving and sustaining sinful men, women and children through his mysterious gifts of baptism and the Lord's Supper.

For an overview of all our beliefs as well as our take on current cultural issues such as marriage, life, and more please see lcms.org.