More than a value system, Christian was the name first given to followers of Jesus in the first century (Acts 11:26).  By faith, both the righteousness and the sacrifice of Christ have been counted as ours. There is nothing we could ever do to gain God's favor. As Christians, we bear the name of the one who saved us. All who believe in Christ receive the free gift of eternal life.

The Lord doesn't wave a wand and zap people into the Christian faith. The Gospel message about Christ is the good news that our sins have been paid for and heaven won for us and promised to us as a gift. The gospel is the means of grace that the Holy Spirit uses to bring us to believe in Christ and keep us believing in Christ.

Baptism and the Lord's Supper have at times been referred to as the visible gospel. We have been redeemed by Christ, body and soul. God brings the gospel to us not only with words but also with words combined with physical elements, so that our senses can also feel and taste and touch the forgiveness of sins. The sacraments are included in the means of grace that God uses to give us faith.

God's Word is a powerful thing. God spoke the universe into existence. In his written Word, we have that same Word of God, and every word is God's Word. When we are not clear what God's Word says or means, we let God do the talking and he explains himself quite well in other places in the Bible. We are happy to follow the principle that scripture is its own interpreter.

The true hallmarks of Lutheran teaching are Sola Gratia (by grace alone), Sola Fide (by faith alone), and Sola Scriptura (by scripture alone). These were the guiding principles that Martin Luther followed during the reformation of the church in the 16th century.

The teachings that Lutherans confess on the basis of God’s Word are summarized in the Book of Concord of 1580. This collection of nine documents includes statements of faith that unite us with all Christians and statements that summarize what Lutherans specifically believe.

Synod is from a Greek word that means walking together. We are part of a national church body that trains future workers, supports local congregations, and funds and operates home and world missions.  WELS is the third largest Lutheran church body in the United States. For more information, you can click here.