This page paraphrases and quotes the LCMS page of Beliefs and Practice.

In grateful response to God's grace and empowered by the Holy Spirit through Word and Sacraments, the mission of Bethlehem Lutheran Church is vigorously to make known the love of Christ by word and deed within our church, community, and the world.

With the universal Christian Church, Bethlehem Lutheran Church teaches and responds 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.

Being "Lutheran," our congregation accepts and teaches the Bible-based teachings of Martin Luther that inspired the reformation of the Christian Church in the 16th century. The teaching of Luther and the reformers can be summarized in three short phrases: Grace alone, Scripture alone, Faith alone.

Grace alone

God loves the people of the world, even though they are sinful, rebel against Him and do not deserve His love. He sent Jesus, His Son, to love the unlovable and save the ungodly.

Faith alone

By His suffering and death as the substitute for all people of all time, Jesus purchased and won forgiveness and eternal life for them. Those who hear this Good News and believe it have the eternal life that it offers. God creates faith in Christ and gives people forgiveness through Him.

Scripture alone

The Bible is God's inerrant and infallible Word, in which He reveals His Law and His Gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ. It is the sole rule and norm for Christian doctrine.

Bethlehem Lutheran Church is a member congregation of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. The word "Synod" in The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod comes from the Greek words that mean "walking together." It has rich meaning in our church body,because the congregations voluntarily choose to belong to the Synod. Diverse in their service, these congregations hold to a shared confession of Jesus Christ as taught in Holy Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions.

Our congregation is "confessional." We hold to the Lutheran Confessions as the correct interpretation and presentation of Biblical doctrine. Contained in The Book of Concord: The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, these statements of belief were put into writing by church leaders during the 16th century. (The simplest of these is Luther's Small Catechism. The Augsburg Confession gives more detail on what Lutherans believe. Links to the full text of all the Lutheran Confessions are listed below.)

Bethlehem Lutheran Church accepts the Scriptures as the inspired and inerrant Word of God, and subscribes unconditionally to all the symbolical books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church as a true and unadulterated statement and exposition of the Word of God. We accept the Confessions because they are drawn from the Word of God and on that account regard their doctrinal content as a true and binding exposition of Holy Scripture and as authoritative for all pastors, congregations and other rostered church workers of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.

• The Three Ecumenical Creeds
• The Augsburg Confession
• The Defense of the Augsburg Confession
• The Large Catechism
• The Small Catechism
• The Smalcald Articles
• Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope
• The Epitome of the Formula of Concord
• The Solid Declaration of the Formula of Concord

Entire Book of Concord in PDF Format(2MB file)

These texts are in the public domain and may be copied and distributed freely. The source of these translations is Triglot Concordia: The Symbolical Books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921).

LCMS Doctrine

Synodically Adopted Statements

A Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod [Adopted 1932]

• Of the Holy Scriptures
• Of God
• Of Creation
• Of Man and Sin
• Of Redemption
• Of Faith in Christ
• Of Conversion
• Of Justification
• Of Good Works
• Of The Means of Grace
• Of the Church
• Of the Public Ministry
• Of Church and State
• Of the Election of Grace
• Of Sunday
• Of the Millennium
• Of the Antichrist
• Of Open Questions
• Of the Symbols of the Lutheran Church

A Statement of Scriptural and Confessional Principles [Adopted 1973]

Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR)

In order to provide leadership in dealing with the Synod's needs and opportunities in the areas of theology and church relations, the Synod established the Commission on Theology and Church Relations in 1962. Since that time, the Commission has provided study documents and statements on a number of significant theological issues and has been the Synod's primary agency for carrying out its ecumenical responsibilities toward other Christians.

"What About..." Pamphlets

A series of 29 pamphlets, written by former Synod President A.L. Barry, that address doctrinal topics, moral issues and concerns in the church to help Christians grow in their understanding of these important questions. These documents are made available in format. You will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view them.

Introduction The Gospel The Bible The Small Catechism The Ten Commandments The Apostles' Creed The Lord's Prayer Holy Baptism Confession and Absolution The Sacrament of the Altar Being a Lutheran Lutheran Worship The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod Telling the Good News about Jesus Christian Families

Angels Death and Dying Pastors The New Millennium Christian Stewardship Fellowship in the Lord's Supper The Difference between the ELCA and the LCMS The Ordination of Women to the Pastoral Office Homosexuality Abortion Living Together Without Marriage Creation and Evolution The Jehovah's Witnesses Islam Mormonism All 29 "What About..." Documents (649kb)