About the ELCA
What do we believe?

A Lutheran believes in one God - present among people in three forms - God, the Father; Jesus, the Son; and the Holy Spirit. We believe that God created all things.

 

We believe that Jesus is the Son of God, the Christ, the Messiah. We believe that Jesus took on human flesh and lived on earth as a man so that we could know that God shared the human experience. Jesus was crucified on a cross, he died, was buried and rose from the dead. We believe that Jesus was resurrected from the dead to triumph over death and evil. In so doing, He saves all who believe and ask for God's forgiveness, from eternal death and bring us to eternal life with God in heaven.  We receive this gift of forgiveness only through God's undeserved Grace, not because of anything we can earn or do.

 

We believe that God is present among us daily, and works among us as the Holy Spirit in our thoughts and actions.

 

History of the ELCA

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America was formed over 30 years ago. This new church was formed from three separate and well-established North American church bodies:

• The American Lutheran Church
• The Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches, and 
• The Lutheran Church in America.

Beginning January 1, 1988, these churches, with shared beliefs and missions, officially formed the ELCA. Three decades later, this energized church is composed of 4.8 million members and nearly 10,500 congregations across the U.S. and Caribbean. Today, the ELCA reflects the rich and diverse heritage of the people it serves.

 

But to understand our heritage fully, one must trace our roots back through the mid-17th century, when early Lutherans came to America from Europe, settling in the Virgin Islands and the area that is now known as New York. Even before that, Martin Luther sought reform for the church in the 16th century, laying the framework for our beliefs.

Read about Lutheran Roots in America on the ELCA website >>

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