Message from ELCA Bishop Elizabeth Eaton
We Are Lutheran - ELCA Synod Assembly 2018

What We Believe

Lutherans Are Evangelical, and we reach out to share the message of God's gracious forgiveness. Evangelical means the "good news" of Jesus Christ. Lutherans have a slogan which says, "We are justified by God's grace through faith." This good news means that we are made right with God and each other by God's mercy through trust in God's promises.

Lutherans Are Born Again Christians, although we understand what this means in our own way. We baptize both infants and adults, believing that God's grace is at work in them. Every day is a day to be born again, as we return daily to the baptismal promises God has made to us. As followers of Jesus Christ, we believe that we're born again daily and made to be new people.

Lutherans Are Protestants, and we believe in the one, holy catholic Church. Being Protestants, we continue the reformation of the Church begun in the sixteenth century. Being catholic, we believe that Christ's Church is universal and that we're connected with other Christians in other denominations. We wouldn't have chosen the name "Lutheran" to describe ourselves, but it stuck. It refers to Martin Luther, a German monk and Old Testament professor, who came to a renewed understanding of the good news of Jesus Christ some 500 years ago. Lutherans are devoted Christians, so we don't worship Martin Luther. But we do honor and celebrate that God used him to help retrieve the truth about God's love for us.

Lutherans Are Congregational, but we aren't limited to one congregation. Prince of Peace Lutheran Church is strongly linked to more than 140 congregations in northeast Wisconsin in what's called the East Central Synod of Wisconsin. We are also a part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America with over 5 million members scattered across the United States and the Carribean area. We believe that being part of a nationwide church allows our congregation to have a bigger view of the opportunities and challenges of what it means to be God's people.

Lutherans Are Unfinished, though God's forgiveness is complete. We're aware of our incomplete nature and mixed-up priorities, but we remain a hopeful people. We respond to God's love by growing in faith and reaching out in love to others. We want to tell and demonstrate the Good News of Jesus Christ. So, we invite you to join us on this spiritual journey in the midst of a trouble-filled world. Come and rejoice with us in the promises of a loving Lord Jesus Christ who makes us sisters and brothers to each other.