Childcare
Beliefs
Rooted in Christ
For more than 2,000 years, people have asked who Jesus is. The Bible we have the record of His birth, life, death on the cross, and resurrection.
Through the study of the Bible, everyone can seek the answer to the age-old question:
Who is Jesus?
The Bible
As a congregation, our preferred Bible translation is the ESV, though each translation has its own benefits.
We uphold the Bible as God-given truth without error. But because we are human, we won’t all agree on how to interpret what we read in the Bible, and that is ok. Once we get to Heaven and meet Jesus in person, we will gain a new understanding.
For now, as we read God’s Word, we rely on guidance from our greater church body (The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod) and the teachings of Martin Luther and the reformation, ordained LCMS ministers, deacons, teachers, scholars, saints who have gone before us, and our own wisdom from the Lord as we spend time with him to help us learn and uphold God’s Truth.
The Trinity
We believe in One Triune God, wherein all persons are coequal and coeternal: the Father- the Creator of all that exists, the Son-Jesus Christ-who became human to suffer and die for the sins of all humankind and rise to life again in the ultimate victory over death and Satan, and the Holy Spirit-the Creator of faith through God’s Word and Sacraments.
What it means to be Lutheran
Our congregation accepts and preaches the Bible-based teachings of Martin Luther that inspired the reformation of the Christian Church in the 16th century: Grace alone, Faith alone, Scripture alone, Christ alone, and to Him alone be the glory!
For more about what it means to be Lutheran, check out the LCMS beliefs.
Holy Communion
Also known as the “Sacrament” or the “Lord’s Supper,” the practice of communion is a gift which enables us to receive forgiveness of all our sins through receiving Jesus’ Body (bread) and Blood (wine). Because Jesus said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” and “...this is my blood” (Matthew 26:26-28), we take Jesus at His Word that “is” means “is.” We therefore follow Martin Luther’s teaching that Jesus is truly present in this meal, that He is in, with, and under the bread and wine. As such, bread and wine are not symbolic representations of Him.
As a community, we participate in Holy Communion each Sunday (except for a few special services). Participation in the Lord's Supper is an act of confession of faith, and our church body ordinarily communes only those who have been instructed in the teachings of our church and who have confessed their faith in these teachings. If you are a visitor to Vine & Branches and/or are unclear what communion means to us as a church, our Pastor would love to speak with you personally about this Gift. This way you may receive it wholeheartedly with thanksgiving when you are ready.
Grace & The Gospel
Grace is a gift, freely given, which we do not deserve. When we believe in Jesus and what he has done for us – dying on the cross to forgive us of all of our sins – we realize he has already wiped all of our wrongdoings away.
We are seen as holy in His eyes. What a gift! We thank God and yearn to know Him more, to love others as He does, and to follow His commands—not to earn grace and forgiveness, but because we deeply desire to be more like Him.
There is no relationship like the one we are invited into with the Lord. It all begins with grace.
Holy Baptism
We believe that the Bible teaches a person is saved by God’s grace alone through faith in Jesus Christ alone. We also believe Baptism is a means through which we receive God’s grace, and Jesus himself commands it (Matt. 28:19-20).
Through baptism, God creates and strengthens the gift of faith in a person’s heart (see Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16; 1 Peter 3:21; Gal. 3:26-27; Rom. 6:1-4; Col. 2:11-12; 1 Cor. 12.13). We believe this gift of baptism is for everyone, regardless of age. This means infants, too. The Bible says that infants can believe (Matt. 18:6) and that new birth (regeneration) happens in Baptism (John 3:5-7; Titus 3:5-6). The infant’s faith cannot yet, of course, be verbally expressed or articulated by the child, yet it is real and present all the same (see e.g., Acts 2:38-39; Luke 1:15; 2 Tim. 3:15).
The faith of the infant, like the faith of adults, also needs to be nourished by God’s Word (Matt. 28:18-20), or it will die. Faith can also be created in a person's heart by the power of the Holy Spirit working through God's written or spoken Word. Baptism should then soon follow belief (cf. Acts 8:26-40) for the purpose of confirming and strengthening faith in accordance with God's command and promise.
If you are interested in baptism for yourself, your child, or your infant, please reach out to Pastor Chris for more info.
Marriage
We believe God gave marriage as a picture of the relationship between Christ and His bride the Church (Eph. 5:32), and the Bible tells us marriage is a gift to be enjoyed between one man and one woman. If you are curious about getting married at Vine & Branches, our Pastor would be delighted to speak with you.
Have more questions about our beliefs? Read the vast collection of FAQ’s and articles from the LCMS, or pop-in to Pastor’s office during his open office hours.
We want to remind you that none of us is perfect at Vine & Branches. While we have specific beliefs as a church body, we do not all agree upon the nuances. We believe in discussing differences, rather than allowing them to drive us apart. We desire to love our neighbor regardless of nuances, politics or beliefs. We are here to learn from one another and grow closer to the Lord as we strive to live out His commands—not to earn grace (we already have it!), but as an act of thankfulness flowing from a deep desire to be more like Jesus. Won’t you join us on the journey?
*While most of these statements have been created, edited, and made our own, we have occasionally used language directly from the LCMS website.
