As a Christian congregation, Hope confesses the three Christian Creeds accepted by Christians throughout the world: the Apostles Creed, the Athanasian Creed, and the Nicene Creed. These ecumenical creeds, as they are called, indicate that we believe, teach, and confess the basic teachings of the Holy Bible as they have been given us by God and confessed by His people throughout the ages.

As a Lutheran congregation, Hope subscribes without reservation to the Book of Concord of 1580. These Lutheran Confessions, as they are called, indicate what we believe and teach, confess and practice as Lutheran Christians in keeping with the Holy Bible.

As a member congregation of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, Hope has willingly entered into a partnership with other conservative Lutherans who agree to confess and teach the truths of the Holy Bible and the Lutheran Confessions without compromise.

If you are unfamiliar with Christianity or with Lutheranism, we understand that this may be very confusing. That's O.K. Sometimes we don't understand either why other Christians, even other Lutherans, want to change basic Biblical teachings. What follows are Biblical basics that we believe, teach and confess in concert with all the faithful people of God.

   We believe that the 66 books known as the Holy Bible are the divinely inspired Word of God. The 39 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament were written over a period of 1600 years by various authors under the direction of the Holy Spirit. Even though the books of the Bible were written by different authors over that long period of time, we believe the words of the Bible are the words of God.

 We believe that the only true God is the Triune God. In the Bible God reveals Himself as one God (Deuteronomy 6:4). Christians are monotheistic. In the Bible God also reveals Himself as three persons, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). The words "Triune" and "Trinity" are meant to convey this truth. We believe that God has revealed Himself as three persons yet one divine essence. Complicated as this sounds, it's how God reveals Himself in the Bible. If you don't understand it, that's O.K. We don't know of anyone who can understand God. We believe what He says about Himself, and our desire is to confess Him as He reveals Himself.

 We believe that God created the universe and everything in it. In six days God began and finished his creating work, after which He said, "It is good." He rested on the seventh day. We do not believe the philosophical Theory of Evolution. While it claims to be scientific, it is actually an alternate belief system which attempts to explain the universe in a naturalistic way that excludes God.

 We believe that our first parents, Adam and Eve, were created without sin. Yet they fell into sin by rebelling against God and brought death into the world. To this day, people are conceived and born in sin. As a result, all of us still rebel against God and are subject to death. We need a Savior from sin and death so we may live.

 We believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the Savior we need, the promised Messiah. He is the Son of God who came to this earth to live as a man the life we could not live, die the death we deserved, and rise from death to give us new life. As a result of His life, death, and resurrection, sinful people are able to be in a relationship with God again.

 We believe that faith, trust in the promises of God, is the basis of this new relationship. This faith is a gift from our gracious God, who then continues to shower blessings upon His faithful people. These blessings enable us to live a life in which God works through us to do that which He created us to do in the beginning.

 We believe that the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the good news that Jesus has died and risen to forgive our sins, is the power of God Himself to work faith, give new life, and sustain that new life in His name. This new life is spiritual. Spiritual is in contrast to physical. We are given physical life in conception and birth. We are given spiritual life as we are born again by the power of the Gospel.

 We believe that by the power of the Gospel, God calls and gathers His family into the Holy Christian Church. The Church is the sum total of all those who trust the promises of God in Christ Jesus. As such, God's children are only known to Him. Since we cannot look into the heart of another person, it is impossible to determine who is or who is not a Christian. Therefore, we rejoice in our unity with all Christians.

 We believe that it is important to believe, teach, and confess the Christian faith as revealed in the words of the Holy Bible. Since there are differing viewpoints about what the words of the Bible actually say, there are many denominations which teach different things. Therefore, we believe that it is vital for the healthy faith and life of God's people to carefully examine the differing teachings of different denominations in order to affiliate with that group which teaches what the Bible teaches. We also rejoice in our unity with all who confess the Christian faith.

 We believe that the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the forgiveness of sins in His name, is given to us in words, be they spoken or written, and in the Sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion. In these ways, called the means of grace, God gives us His many blessings.

 We believe that in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism God calls us to Himself and gives us the new spiritual life which makes us His adopted children. We believe that infants are also included in the promises of Baptism and are gifted by God with His blessings of forgiveness, life, and salvation.

 We believe that in the Sacrament of Holy Communion, God keeps us as His people by nourishing and sustaining the spiritual life we enjoy as His children. We believe that the body and blood of Jesus are really and truly present in, with, and under the unleavened bread and wine of this Holy Supper for the forgiveness of our sins. We believe that the common union declared in this Sacrament means that those who participate in it believe and teach the same thing. Therefore, we continue the practice of closed communion begun by the first Christians and continued by Christians through the ages. Closed communion means that those who desire the pastoral care of our congregation and wish to commune at our altar first speak with the pastor to discuss what we believe and teach. In this way we honor the desire of our Lord, protect the well-being of the communicant, and avoid denying the very unity we claim to declare.

 We believe that the Christian life is lived in the day-to-day tasks we do to the glory of God. As we live our everyday lives, we share with others what is most important to us so they, too, may know the joy of salvation in Jesus Christ.

 We believe that Jesus will return one day to judge those who have died and those who are still living on the earth. In that judgment He will welcome to eternal life in heaven all those who trust His promises, and He will exile to eternal death in hell all those who reject His promises. We do not believe either the concept of eternal security or the concept of millennialism. Since it is God's will that everyone comes to the knowledge of the truth and be saved, our mission is to share the truth of the forgiveness of sins in Jesus Christ.

Thank you for visiting our site. It is a privilege to share with you what is most important to us.

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