The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod

Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church was established in 1920 as a congregation of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS). The LCMS was founded in 1847 and is the second largest Lutheran church body in America.

The word “synod” means “walking together.” Member congregations of the LCMS are committed to walking together in our theology and practice in order to faithfully proclaim Christ crucified for the forgiveness of sins and administer his sacraments.

Go to LCMS.org to learn more.

God is Triune. He is one in essence, yet three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is a mystery that our reason cannot grasp, we can only confess it by faith.

In the beginning, God created all things that exist through his Word. He declared everything that he made to be very good—including the man and the woman who he created in his image and to whom he entrusted stewardship over his creation.

The man and the woman rebelled against God’s will. As a consequence, we human creatures have inherited from Adam a sinful nature that makes us incapable of fearing, loving, and trusting God as he commands us. We daily sin against God in thought, word, and deed. The wage our sin earns us is death. Both our sin nature and actual sins make us deserving of God’s present and eternal punishment.

In the fullness of time, God the Father sent his Son to redeem humanity from the curse of sin. Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary and is true God and true man in one person. Jesus obeyed God’s will perfectly. He willingly suffered the penalty of our sins when he died in our place on the cross. Three days later, he rose from death. He is now ascended into heaven, where he rules and reigns over all things. One day he will return to judge all men. Those who have died in the faith will be raised to everlasting life.

Jesus gives salvation and the gift of the Holy Spirit to all who believe in his name. We are given peace with God by faith (trust) in the promise that all of our sins are forgiven by the work and merit of Jesus Christ. We cannot add to his work by any of our own works. All of our righteousness before God comes from Jesus—it is a righteousness that is freely given when we believe, not earned by our works.

We are given this faith through the ministry of the Church—where the gospel is proclaimed and the Sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion are rightly practiced. The Holy Spirit works through these “means of grace” to create and sustain saving faith in our hearts our whole life long.

Having received pardon and peace with God through faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit renews our hearts and gives us the desire and the power to obey God’s will. Our good works flow from true faith like fruit from a good tree. God uses our good works to care for our fellow human creatures and the rest of creation.

Holy Baptism is a “washing of regeneration” (Titus 3:4-7) by which our sins are forgiven, we are given the gifts of faith and the Holy Spirit, and we are made members of God’s family—the Church. In baptism, the old sin nature is drowned and God brings forth a new creation.

Even after baptism, we still struggle with sinful inclinations and weaknesses. We should daily confess our sins to God and receive his forgiveness. This return to God’s baptismal promises should characterize our entire lives.

In Holy Communion, Jesus gives us his true body and blood in bread and wine for the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. We reject the teaching that the bread and wine are mere symbols or that we only receive Christ in a spiritual way (i.e., not by eating and drinking).

We believe, teach, and confess:

For more on what our church believes, teaches, and confesses visit LCMS.org/about/beliefs and read through Martin Luther’s Small Catechism (takes about 15 minutes).