Overview

With the universal Christian Church, The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod 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 congregations accept and teach 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.

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.

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.

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.

The congregations of the Synod are "confessional." They 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.

Lutheran Confessions

• 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

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).

General Information

• An Introduction to The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod--This document contains a historical background and general overview of LCMS beliefs.

Specific Issues

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 Millenium
• Of the Antichrist
• Of Open Questions
• Of the Symbols of the Lutheran Church

A Reaffirmation of the Synod's position on Close(d) Communion [1996]

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.

Commission on Organizations

The Commission on Organizations provides resources and guidance concerning organizations, philosophies, and world-views from the theological perspective of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.

 

President's Commission on Women

The President's Commission on Women is appointed by the LCMS president to look at issues in society and culture that impact the lives of women in the LCMS. One role of the PCW is to increase awareness of service opportunities and available resources that strengthen, comfort and share God's Word with women. The Commission also encourages and equips women to recognize and share the joy of their salvation.

Worship Practices

To find out more about specific worship practices of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, visit the LCMS Commission on Worship web site.