What We Believe
We believe in the Triune God—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We acknowledge one God in these three persons.
We believe that God the Father created the universe. That God is loving, compassionate, just and kind. We believe God’s deepest desire is to live in an intimate, faith awakening & sustaining relationship with all people through His Son Jesus Christ.
We believe that, because of God’s desire to live in a relationship with us, God became a human being in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. We confess that Jesus Christ, born of a virgin, is fully God and fully man and understand that how this can be true is a mystery. We believe that Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
We believe that we cannot by our own reason or strength come to faith in Jesus Christ; for as Jesus said to his disciples, "You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last." (John 15:16) We believe that it is the Holy Spirit that awakens faith within us through the power of the Gospel, fills us with the spiritual gifts of God, and holds us together as a community of disciples, the body of Christ who are called to continue His work in the world.
We believe that the Bible is the Word of God. Through it, God reveals God’s will for us and for God’s world. We believe that while God used humans to write and bring together the Bible, that the entire Bible is God-breathed and God-inspired. The Old and New Testaments are the norm and guide upon which we base our faith and we seek to understand these scriptures in light of growing in a relationship with Jesus Christ.
We believe that the church, be it a local congregation or the worldwide fellowship of believers, is the body of Christ. As His Body, we are called to worship Him, serve with Him and be the vehicle through which the Gospel in its fullness is shared with the world.
We affirm and identify with the confessions of the Lutheran Church as written in the Book of Concord. We affirm the centrality of grace alone, faith alone, and Word alone.
We believe in and practice the Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion. We affirm and practice the baptism of infants as a sign of God’s promise of adopting us as His children.
We believe that through the Lord's Supper, God comes to love us and forgive us. It is a meal of renewal because Jesus is truly present with us. We invite anyone who feels called to meet with Christ and receive his gifts to share in this holy meal whenever they worship with the people of Immanuel.
We believe in the worth and value of the human being. Created in God's image, humans have dignity and are “good” creations of God. Our worth is dependent not upon accomplishments, but on God's grace and mercy. Because God sees humanity as worth stepping from heaven, living for and even dying for, we affirm and acknowledge the dignity of all people and we strive to welcome all people whom God calls to the Body of Christ at Immanuel.
At the same time we acknowledge that humanity is separated from God because of sin. We joyfully proclaim the Good News that because of Jesus Christ, forgiveness is a possibility. It is that forgiveness that heals our broken relationship with God and restores us as children of God.
We believe in and joyfully anticipate the promised return of Jesus Christ. Though we don't know the day or hour, we gladly follow his command to proclaim His resurrection and announce His impending return to inspire all people to make the most of life today.