Confession of Faith
1. We confess the Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
2. We confess Jesus Christ as Lord of the Church. The Holy Spirit creates and sustains the Church through the Gospel and thereby
unites believers with their Lord and with one another in the fellowship of faith.
3. We hold that the proclamation of God’s message as both Law and Gospel is the Word of God, revealing judgment and mercy
through word and deed, beginning with the Word in creation, continuing in the history of Israel, and centering in all its fullness
in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
4. We acknowledge the Holy Scriptures as the norm for the faith and life of the Church. In the continuation of this proclamation in
the Church, God still speaks through the Holy Scriptures and realizes His redemptive purpose generation after generation.
5. We accept the Apostles’, the Nicene, and the Athanasian creeds as true declarations of the faith of the Church.
6. We accept the Unaltered Augsburg Confession and Luther’s Small Catechism as true witnesses to the Gospel, and we acknowledge
as one with us in faith and doctrine all churches that likewise accept the teachings of these symbols.
7. We accept the other symbolical books of the evangelical Lutheran church, the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, the Smalcald
Articles and the Treatise, Luther’s Large Catechism, and the Formula of Concord as further valid interpretations of the
confession of the Church.
8. We affirm that the Gospel transmitted by the Holy Scriptures, to which the creeds and confessions bear witness, is the true
treasure of the Church, the substance of its proclamation, and the basis of its unity and continuity. The Holy Spirit uses the
proclamation of the Gospel and the administration of the Sacraments to create and sustain Christian faith, fellowship, witness,
and service. As this occurs, the Church fulfills its divine mission and purpose.
The Nature of the Church
1. All power in the Church belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ, its head. All actions of the Church are to be carried out under His rule and
authority.
2. The Church exists both as an inclusive fellowship and as local congregations gathered for worship and Christian service.
Congregations find their fulfillment in the universal community of the Church, and the universal Church exists in and through
congregations. The local church is truly the Church, but it is not all the Church there is. The Church, therefore, derives its
character and powers both from the sanction and representation of its congregations and from its inherent nature as an
expression of the broader fellowship of the faithful. In length, it acknowledges itself to be in the historic continuity of the
communion of saints; in breadth, it expresses the worldwide fellowship of believers and congregations.
Additional Statements of Polity and Theology
1. The Statement of Visions and Expectations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America as in effect prior to its 2009 Assembly
expresses the policy of this synod.
2. The primary mission of a synod is to uphold the historic doctrine and biblical teaching of the Church, changes to which should be
allowed only by the approval of three-quarters of each of the Council of Bishops, the Ministerium, and the Member
Congregations (acting at a Congregational meeting of members).
3. The revelation of God in Jesus Christ is definitive and not to be confused with human aspiration, creativity, or experience.
This is a collection of documents that pastors, councils and congregations can read to more fully understand the mission and purpose of ELST. It is a work in progress as things change very quickly. But for a quick understanding of who we are, this is a great place to start.
Provisional
September 24, 2009 |
