Just What is a "Lutheran?"Lutherans are members of one of the many church traditions that follow in the theological footsteps of Martin Luther. Luther was a Roman Catholic monk and priest in the 15th century who saw abuses in the Church and set out to correct them through his writings and by coming before the Catholic officials. He was eventually condemned as a heretic for his refusal to bend to the will of the Chuch and excommunicated (thrown out). Luther never wanted to separate from the Catholic Church, but after he was excommunicated, a new denomination formed around his interpretation of the bible.
Luther believed, contrary to the Church at that time, that God's forgiveness is a free gift, not one that must be earned or bought by good works or through the sale of indulgences (a practice which deeply angered him, and which no longer occurs). Modern Lutherans continue to hold onto this as a primary tenet of our faith. We believe that no matter what a person has done or how "bad" a person might be, no one is beyond God's capacity to forgive because God's love is infinite, and human sin, as painful and destructive as it is, is not. |
Dr. Martin Luther
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Sin is not just the individual acts of wrong that people commit, like killing or stealing or cheating. Sin is the basic human tendency to never quite measure up. It's what makes us capable of doing destructive things to one another, even when we are trying to be helpful. Human sinfulness is responsible for hunger in a world that produces more than enough food for everyone; it is responsible for poverty and the huge disparity between rich and poor people in the world; it is responsible for war and violence and bullying and bigotry and fear and hate.
We Lutherans know that we will never escape sin; it's in our very nature. Yet, as Martin Luther wrote, as Christians we are "simultaneously sinner and saint," meaning that while we are capable of doing great evil, God is able to bring about great good through us. We know that we are hypocritical, judgmental, and sometimes bigoted; being a Christian doesn't fix that. Yet, somehow, God manages to use us in spite (and sometimes even through) our sin to do great things: to heal the wounded, to feed the hungry, to advocate for the oppressed, and to love one another. Even while we are sinners, we are saints; not perfect, but people through whom God continues to work for a better world for all of us. We continually acknowledge that we fall short of God's will for us and ask for forgiveness, and we pray that God will help us to do better.
There is much more to being a "Lutheran" than that, but that's the basics to get you started. If you'd like to know more, come visit us! You can also learn more about "What is a Lutheran," and read from the Book of Concord, the theological writings which outline how Lutherans interpret scripture.
We Lutherans know that we will never escape sin; it's in our very nature. Yet, as Martin Luther wrote, as Christians we are "simultaneously sinner and saint," meaning that while we are capable of doing great evil, God is able to bring about great good through us. We know that we are hypocritical, judgmental, and sometimes bigoted; being a Christian doesn't fix that. Yet, somehow, God manages to use us in spite (and sometimes even through) our sin to do great things: to heal the wounded, to feed the hungry, to advocate for the oppressed, and to love one another. Even while we are sinners, we are saints; not perfect, but people through whom God continues to work for a better world for all of us. We continually acknowledge that we fall short of God's will for us and ask for forgiveness, and we pray that God will help us to do better.
There is much more to being a "Lutheran" than that, but that's the basics to get you started. If you'd like to know more, come visit us! You can also learn more about "What is a Lutheran," and read from the Book of Concord, the theological writings which outline how Lutherans interpret scripture.
What is the ELCA?
There are three large Lutheran Churches in the United States: the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, and the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. The ELCA is the largest of these three, with over 4 million members across the country. The ELCA is a member of the Lutheran World Federation, a worldwide coalition of churches in the theological tradition of Martin Luther and his fellow reformers. Individual congregations, like ours, are organized geographically into districts called "synods" (pronounced: SIN-ud). There are 66 synods in the ELCA. Each synod has its own bishop who oversees the business of the synod, such as assigning pastors, dealing with congregational and pastoral issues, and hosting synod events. Representatives from the congregations in a synod meet once a year at the synod assembly to attend workshops, listen to speakers, and vote on synod business like resolutions and guidelines for paying pastoral staff.
At the head of the ELCA (under Jesus Christ!) is our presiding bishop. Currently, this position is held by Mark Hanson. The presiding bishop speaks for the ELCA in society and his office oversees national church business. Unlike the Roman Catholic Church, the ELCA is not a top-down organization. The presiding bishop does not issue edicts or commandments. However, unlike strictly congregational churches like some Free Baptist churches, each congregation is not completely autonomous. Instead, all major matters of church policy are voted on in assemblies like the annual synod assemblies, or the biennial Churchwide Assembly of the ELCA. Voting members at these assemblies consist of a mixture of both pastors and lay (non-ordained) people. Smaller matters are left up to individual congregations or synods to decide for themselves.
At the head of the ELCA (under Jesus Christ!) is our presiding bishop. Currently, this position is held by Mark Hanson. The presiding bishop speaks for the ELCA in society and his office oversees national church business. Unlike the Roman Catholic Church, the ELCA is not a top-down organization. The presiding bishop does not issue edicts or commandments. However, unlike strictly congregational churches like some Free Baptist churches, each congregation is not completely autonomous. Instead, all major matters of church policy are voted on in assemblies like the annual synod assemblies, or the biennial Churchwide Assembly of the ELCA. Voting members at these assemblies consist of a mixture of both pastors and lay (non-ordained) people. Smaller matters are left up to individual congregations or synods to decide for themselves.
