Confessional Standard

This Congregation accepts and acknowledges all the canonical books of the Old and New Testament as the revealed Word of God, verbally inspired, and accepts and acknowledges all the Confessional Books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, contained in the Book of Concord of 1580, to be a true and genuine exposition of the doctrines of the Bible, and in this congregation no doctrine shall be taught or tolerated which is at variance with these Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, namely, (1) the three Ecumenical Creeds, the Apostolic, the Nicene, and the Athanasian; (2) the Unaltered Augsburg Confession; (3) the Apology of the same; (4) the Smalcald Articles; (5) Luther’s Large Catechism; (6) Luther’s Small Catechism; (7) the Formula of Concord.

Membership

We distinguish between child, communicant, and voting members, all of whom must be baptized.

Communicant membership requires that a person: (1) accepts the Bible as the only divine rule and standard of faith and conduct; (2) is familiar with the doctrines of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, at least to the extant as it is set forth in Luther’s Small Catechism, and declares his or her acceptance thereof; (3) attends divine services faithfully and partakes of the Lord’s Supper frequently; (4) abstains from manifest works of the flesh (Gal. 5:19-21) and leads a Christian life ((Matt. 5-7; Gal. 5:22-23); (5) contributes according to ability toward the maintenance of the congregation and the extension of the Church at large; (6) submits, for the sake of love and peace to the regulations already made, or still to be made, by this congregation provided they do not conflict with the Word of God, and suffers brotherly admonition when he has erred and given offense (Matt. 18:15-17); (7) is not a member of a Christless lodge or other organization whose principles and practices conflict with the Word of God.