We believe in Grace. God’s Grace.
Nothing else.
We believe that all people are beloved children of God, precious despite our brokenness and imperfection. And so we believe that scripture tells us that God forgives us all our sins by grace This is not something we earn by being good enough or doing certain good things. It is a free and complete gift. given to us by God.
A way of expressing this is an arrow pointing downwards.
That arrow is a reminder that God comes to us. We cannot go to God. We do not deserve God’s love or care. Instead, and even despite this, God comes to us. Whenever we act in such a way that gives the impression that we have to do something to earn God’s favor, we see the arrow turn upwards, and know that such things (like praying certain prayers or doing good works or anything of that nature) means we are not talking in a Lutheran way.
Because we believe so strongly in God’s grace, there is room for all. God is bigger than our questions, our doubts and our fears. We are not a church that claims to have all the answers; in fact, we believe that faith gives more questions than answers. But it gives us a way to struggle with those questions and trust God for insight and direction.
First Lutheran is part of a larger church body, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Through our partnership with almost 4 million other Lutherans in the United States. Through that partnership we are connected to diverse ministries around the world, including ministries among people in poverty, new congregations, social service ministries in this country and abroad, as well as disaster relief and development work. You can learn more about these partnerships at http://www.elca.org .