What we at St. Matthew Lutheran Church believe:
We are a community of faith that believes there is a God, and this God created all that exists, including humankind.
We believe that what God is like, and what God desires for the world is revealed in the Holy Bible of the Christian faith.
We believe that while God is perfect and immortal, we, his creatures are neither perfect nor immortal. Because of our nature as mortal, imperfect creatures, we do things in this world which do not fit with God’s desire for us or his world. This disconnect is what the church calls “sin.”
We believe that the Bible reveals how God desires that we act toward God and each other. This is described in the 10 commandments, and summarized by the 2 great commandments: love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself.
We believe that the consequences of living against the desire of God is “death;” that is, ultimate separation from God, rather than living with God for eternity in peace and joy.
Yet we believe that God’s principal nature is one of love, mercy and forgiveness, rather than wrath and punishment.
To this end, we believe that God entered the world in the person of Jesus Christ, and in Jesus’ dying on the cross, God took the punishment that we deserve. By rising form the dead Jesus destroyed the power death has over creation, and over us.
By recognizing this gift of love, and living in relationship with God through Jesus Christ, we, the created, can be forgiven and restored to relationship with God, our creator.
We believe that in the knowledge of this love and forgiveness, we are called to live as God’s forgiven people in the world, bearing a message of forgiveness and reconciliation.
We are to live this message by what we say, by what we do, and by inviting others to know the One in whom they can find forgiveness and reconciliation, Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
We believe we are called to unity in Christ even when we are not unanimous in our understanding on issues of the day.
We believe God calls us to use all the gifts of intellect and compassion that we are given to make a difference for good in this world, helping it to better meet the desires of God’s heart.
We believe that God allows us to explore and discover so that we might know more about the world, and how we can help others for His sake.
We believe that science and research are gifts from God for the sake of the world, not threats to faith in the God who established the world. Faith asks “Who did all this?” where science explores “How does this work?”
We believe that, as people of faith, we are called to live the Marks of Discipleship (one who follows another). That is, we are to pray daily, worship weekly, read scripture daily, serve our neighbor, be in relationship with other believers, and give generously of ourselves and our resources. We do this not because we must, but in thankful response for all God has done for us.
We are part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. To learn more about our identity as part of the greater community of faith, please visit: https://www.elca.org/