Our movement started out with Martin Luther in the 1500s; if you’re looking for an exact date, you can try October 31st, 1517, when Luther nailed 95 Theses for debate on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. What started out as a protest against abuses in the Roman Catholic Church has changed in 500 years. Luther himself never wanted a church named after him as he believed it to be Christ’s church, and he also never wanted to start a new denomination; he was all about reforming those abuses. But the name stuck and Lutherans are now one of many branches in the Christian family tree. 

So, what makes us distinctive from those other branches? Well, the technical theological term is justification by faith alone. OK, so what does that mean? It means that we believe that the things we do are not what makes us right with God; rather, it is our faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior that makes us right with God. So, does that mean that we don’t have to do any good works? Well, yes and no. Jesus has already saved us, so we don’t need to do anything to get right with God. But Jesus did not mean for us to sit around and twiddle our thumbs all day. Instead, Jesus calls us to get out there and do good things for other people, living in community with others, all the while sharing the good news of God’s love for us. 

Immanuel Lutheran Church is part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the largest Lutheran denomination in the country. Together with other congregations in the country, we participate in groups like ELCA World Hunger, which brings relief to hungry people around the world; Lutheran Disaster Response, which brings relief to people suffering from disasters like hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, and other natural disasters; and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, which helps immigrants and refugees get settled in new homes in the United States.

Lutherans are also all about working with other Christian denominations to help minister in their community. In the ELCA, we are in full communion with The Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian Church, USA (PCUSA), the United Methodist Church, the Reformed Church in America, the United Church of Christ, and the Moravian Church. This means that among these denominations, we can share joint worship, members can receive communion at one another’s congregations, and we have a common commitment to evangelism, witness, and service. This does not mean that we won’t work with other denominations; on the contrary, we continue to have conversations with others and will work on community service projects together. But we do have a closer relationship with those with whom we are in full communion, and we look forward to the day when we can be in full communion with other denominations.

We invite you to come and worship with us at Immanuel Lutheran Church and experience God’s love and grace through our Lord Jesus Christ. No matter who you are, who you love, what your past is: God loves you no matter what. Come and experience that love with us.