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What We Believe

Our church community is welcoming, caring and committed to sharing the Word of God with all. Our purpose is to communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the unchurched so that they come to believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior, become responsible members of the church, and continually grow spiritually throughout their life through the use of the Word and Sacraments and to develop a genuine concern for the spiritual and physical needs of others.

The Lutheran Confessions

As a congregation, Zion Lutheran Church is a part of The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. As such, we hold to a set of authoritative confessions which emphasize God's Word spoken through the Holy Scriptures. These confessions are assembled together within the Book of Concord. The Book of Concord was published back in 1580 by Martin Chemnitz on the 50th anniversary of the presentation of the Augsburg Confession. The Book of Concord, is also known to be titled by it's Latin name of "Concordia;" which means "harmony, of one mind," from the prefix con (meaning "together") and cord (meaning "heart"). Of one heart.

The Three Ecumenical or Universal Creeds

The three ecumenical or universal creeds are the Apostles' Creed, Nicene Creed, and Athanasian Creed. These creeds

The Augsburg Confession

The Augsburg Confession is the confession of faith containing 28 articles submitted to at the Diet of Augsburg in the year 1530 outlining what Lutherans believed, taught and confessed. Of these articles, 21 are theses (positive) statements of the Lutheran faith and the remaining seven are antitheses describing what were considered abuses of Christian faith within the Roman church of the day.

The Defense of the Augsburg Confession

The Defense of the Augsburg Confession is an apology (i.e., an argument or writing in justification of something) was authored by Phillipp Melanchthon as a response to the Pontifical Confutation of the Augsburg Confession (the official Roman church response to the Augsburg Confession). This confession contains 28 articles that further expand and defend the Lutheran faith.

The Large Catechism

The Large Catechism was authored by Martin Luther published in 1529. This was primarily addressed to clergy to assist in their teachings to their congregations, as well as, to the fathers of each household as they raised their respective families in faith. The catechism is divided into five major parts: The Ten Commandments, The Creed, The Our Father, Baptism, and the Sacrament of the Altar.

The Small Catechism

The Small Catechism was authored by Martin Luther and published in 1529. The primary purpose of this document was for the training of children in their faith. It reviews many of the foundational doctrines of the Lutheran faith such as the Ten Commandments, the Creed, the Lords Prayer, Means of Grace, the Sacrament of Baptism, Confession, the Sacrament of the Altar, as well as a variety of prayers, daily duties and a concise Q/A section.

The Smalcald Articles

The Smalcald Articles was authored by Martin Luther and published in 1537. This document is a summary of Lutheran doctrine written in preparation for an ecumenical council by request of the Schmalkaldic League (a union of various Lutheran territories). Due to a health issue of Luther, and by insistence of Phillipp Melanchthon, these articles were not presented at the meeting. However, they were adopted into the Book of Concord in 1580.

Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope

The Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope was the document which Phillipp Melanchthon authored to present at the Schmalkaldic meeting in place of the Smalcald Articles. This document provides a clear and concise defense of the Lutheran position regarding the Pope of the Roman church.

The Epitome of the Formula of Concord

The Epitome of the Formula of Concord is the work of a group of Lutheran theologians that outlined a clear and concise position on the twelve articles within the Formula of Concord: Original Sin, Free Will, The Righteousness of Faith before God, Good Works, Law and Gospel, The Third Use of the Law, The Holy Supper of Christ, The Person of Christ, Christ's Decent into Hell, Church Ceremonies, The Eternal Foreknowledge and Election of God, and Other heresies and sects.

The Solid Declaration of the Formula of Concord

The Solid Declaration of the Formula of Concord is an authoritative Lutheran statement of faith. It contains twelve articles: Original Sin, Free Will, The Righteousness of Faith before God, Good Works, Law and Gospel, The Third Use of the Law, The Holy Supper of Christ, The Person of Christ, Christ's Decent into Hell, Church Ceremonies, The Eternal Foreknowledge and Election of God, and Other heresies and sects. The Formula of Concord was a major factor in the unification and preservation of Lutheranism.

Other Theological Statements

The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod's Commission on Theology and Church Relations maintains a library of Reports, Evaluations and Theological Opinions regarding a variety of issues facing the Christian Church today. You can view this library via the link below.

CTCR Library Link

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