WHAT ARE LUTHERANS?
Lutherans are people who see God’s intent for the world from a perspective of grace. The Biblical stories – as well as our lives – are places where God’s Spirit shapes us into a mission-focused Christian community. Lutherans trust that, in love for all creation, God came to us in the person of Jesus whose life, death and resurrection opened to us a new way of living in the world.
Lutherans are liturgical which means they use the ancient structure for worship which dates back to the early church. They are historical, taking their name from Rev. Martin Luther, a reformer of the 16th century, whose biblical scholarship has been unsurpassed. Lutherans are ecumenical, working closely with other denominations. We are evangelical, desiring to share the love of God in Christ with others.
Finally, Lutherans understand that our public and civic lives are areas in which to express our faith and so we are active in supoort of various community agencies, our local schools and other groups which help people who are in need.
Lutherans are:
Christians – We believe Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior.
Trinitarian – We believe God exists in Three Persons – God the Creator, God the Redeemer, and God the Sustainer.
Protestants – As the original followers of Martin Luther, the Lutheran church believes as he taught that:
*The Scriptures alone are the only reliable source of truth about God.
*Grace alone is the basis of God’s love for the world. We don’t earn God’s love. It is freely given.
*Faith alone is the only way we can receive God’s grace. We can’t earn it, or work our way into it. We are dependent upon a gracious and loving God.
Baptized – We believe that baptism is the work of God, not the one being baptized, Therefore, we perform infant baptism. Also, there is no standard method of baptism in the Lutheran church. We sprinkle, dunk, and pour.
Sacramental – We believe that two sacraments were ordained by Christ, and celebrate the sacraments of baptism and Holy Communion. At St. Mark’s, we celebrate Holy Communion weekly.
Liturgical – One of the beauties of the Lutheran church is that while we have a liturgy and a book of worship, each congregation is free to choose the form their services will take. At St. Mark’s, we follow the church year, observing the seasons of the church. We also follow a traditional form of service as laid out in the Lutheran Book of Worship. (We may be a bit “old school” but we can surprise you, too.)
Lutherans – A Catholic theologian involved in the Leipzig debate with Luther in 1519, thought to insult Luther and his followers by labeling them “Lutherans” instead of “Christians.” It was as good as declaring them heretics. By 1597, though, the church proudly declared itself to be “Lutheran” to distinguish itself from other Protestant movements. (Thus, we owe our name to both Martin Luther, and a Catholic priest who liked to sling insults around.)
