Statement of Faith

As a Church, we teach and respond to the love of the Triune God: the Father, creator of all that exists; Jesus Christ, the Son, who became human to suffer and die for the sins of all human beings and to rise to life again in the ultimate victory over death and Satan; and the Holy Spirit, who creates faith through God's Word and Sacraments. The three persons of the Trinity are coequal and coeternal, one God. The foundation of Mount Calvary is the confession of Jesus Christ as taught in Holy Scripture and the 1580 Book of Concord. 
For more information about Lutheran Beliefs, click here.

FAQs

What is Lutheranism?

Lutheranism is a major tradition and movement (like Romans Catholics, Anglicans, and Baptists) within global Christianity. Today, there are around 100 million Lutherans around the world.

How Did Lutheranism Start?

In the year 1500 there was only one church in western Europe. Lutheranism became a separate movement from Roman Catholicism through the reform efforts of a German monk Martin Luther. Martin Luther criticized the corruption and some of the beliefs of the Catholic Church at this time. Luther never wanted to start his own church but was kicked out of the Catholic Church for his reform efforts. Many churches especially in Scandinavia, Germany, and central Europe left the Catholic Church with him. Through mission work and immigration Lutheranism spread around the world.

What Do Lutherans Believe?

Lutherans see themselves as the best representation of the early and apostolic church. We believe there are true Christians just about every denomination and church. However, we believe our church would be most recognizable in belief and practice to the first generations of Christians.

Lutherans believe in the Apostle’s Creed, Nicene Creed, and Athanasian Creed. Lutherans recognize the first 7 ecumenical councils of the universal church. The Book of Concord, originally published in the year 1580, contains these creeds and other authoritative documents. These documents are authoritative because they reflective what the Bible itself teaches.

Lutherans do not simply believe whatever Martin Luther taught. Most of our authoritative documents were not written by Luther himself.

What Makes Lutheranism Unique?

In obedience to Jesus vision in John 17, we should work to achieve the visible unity of Christians in the world. In route to that goal, Lutherans are distinctive in championing the following beliefs we believe are Biblical and taught by Jesus and the apostles:

  • Salvation is by God’s grace alone

  • The Bible tells how this happened

  • We receive salvation by faith alone

  • Worship is mostly about God giving us this faith through His Word and Sacraments

  • The sacraments of Baptism (including the Baptism of infants), the Lord’s Supper (which really is Christ’s body and blood), and Absolution (through the pastor) really do convey God’s forgiveness

  • Each and every Christian has a purpose and God-given role to play in the world

Is This a Conservative or a Liberal Church?

Mount Calvary does not endorse candidates or parties in secular American politics. Although it is good to be an informed voter, Jesus said, “my kingdom is not like this world.” Rather, the church is a unique group of people who receive forgiveness from God and live transformed lives. It is our hope that voters of all stripes would be at home at Mount Calvary as long as they are willing to recognize Jesus as their true king.

Within global Lutheranism, some self-described Lutheran church bodies have sadly adopted some beliefs and practices (like the Sparkle Creed) contrary to the Bible, foreign to the history of the universal church, and contrary to our Lutheran beliefs. Mount Calvary, our national partners, and our international partners reject these deviations. We want to be a faithful and positive representation of what Jesus taught.