ZION

What we Believe

The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod teaches
and responds to the love of the Triune God: The
Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. The
Father, creator of all that happens; Jesus Christ,
the Son, who became human, who suffered, bled
and died for the sins of all mankind and the
Holy Spirit, who creates faith through God’s
Word and Sacraments.  The three persons of the
Trinity are coequal and coeternal.

As a “Lutheran” by denomination, our
congregations accept and teach Bible-based
teachings of Martin Luther that he espoused, and that
inspired the reformation of the Christian Church
in the 16th century. The teaching of Martin
Luther and the reformers can be summarized in
three short phrases: Grace alone, Faith alone,
Scripture alone (sola gratia, sola fide and sola
scriptura).

Grace alone

God loves the people of the world, even though
they are sinful, rebel against Him and do not
deserve His love. He sent Jesus, His Son, to love
the unlovable and save the ungodly.

Faith alone

By His suffering and death as the substitute for
all people of all time, Jesus purchased and won
forgiveness and eternal life for them. Those who
hear this Good News and believe it have the
eternal life that it offers. God creates faith in
Christ and gives people forgiveness through
Him.

Scripture alone

The Bible is God’s inerrant and infallible Word,
in which He reveals His Law and His Gospel of
salvation in Jesus Christ. It is the sole rule and
norm for Christian doctrine.

Who is Jesus?

For more than 2,000 years people have asked
the question, “Who is Jesus?”.   We were not
present when Jesus lived on this earth, but in the
Bible, we have the record of His birth, life,
death on the cross, and resurrection.  Study of
the Bible, God’s Word, will enable you to seek
out the answer to this age-old question. Here at
Zion, we strive to bring you closer to Jesus in a
caring and loving community of believers.

The Lord’s Supper

The Lord’s Supper is offered weekly at Zion.  It
is offered and received by God’s people with
glad hearts, as Jesus enjoined us to “Do this
often!” The Lutheran teaching accepts at full
value the true body of Christ and the true blood
of Christ in the Sacrament (Real Presence)
according to Jesus’ own words. This meal,
therefore, is not merely a church custom, but a
divine means of grace instituted by our savior
for the spiritual nurturing of His people to
strengthen them to live in the faith and love
their neighbors.

What does “Synod” mean?

The word “Synod” in The Lutheran
Church–Missouri Synod comes from Greek
words that mean “walking together.”   The term
has rich meaning in our church body, because
congregations voluntarily choose to belong to
the Synod.   Though diverse in their service,
these congregations hold to a shared confession
of Jesus Christ as taught in Holy Scripture and
the Lutheran Confessions which they believe are
a  correct interpretation and presentation of
Biblical doctrine. Contained in The Book of
Concord: The Confessions of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church, these statements of belief
were put into writing by church leaders during
the 16th century.   The simplest of these is
Luther’s Small Catechism. The Augsburg
Confession gives more detail on what Lutherans
believe.  Read an article from the May 2004
Lutheran Witness about what a “Synod” is.