Determining a Church's Beliefs

When searching for a church, there are several important questions to have answered concerning their beliefs and practices. One of the ways to tell what a church believes is to look at what Lutheran Synod the congregation belongs. Another is by what they say. Below you will find a high-level overview in our words of what we believe, teach and confess.

There are several links on the Weblinks Pages to the ELS including a link to a brief statement on What the ELS Believes, Teaches and Confesses.

What We Know God's Word says about Homosexuality

"You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. it is an abomination." Leviticus 18:22

"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God?  Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites etc,.............will inherit the Kingdom of God." 1 Corinthians 6:9-10

Our Purpose

Our purpose as a congregation of believers is both serve it's members and to spread the kingdom of God by the preaching of the Word of God, by the administration of the Sacraments, and by the religious instruction of the youth and adults, according to the confessional standards of the Lutheran Church and to foster Christian fellowship and charity.

Our Beliefs

This congregation acknowledges and accepts all the canonical books of the Old and New Testaments as the revealed Word of God, verbally inspired, and acknowledges and accepts all the Confessional writings of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, contained in the Book of Concord of the year 1580, to be the true and genuine exposition of the doctrines of the Bible.

Confessional Writings

The Evangelical Lutheran Church's Confessional Writings are the three Ecumenical Creeds (Apostles', Nicene, and Athanasian), the Unaltered Augsburg Confession, the Smalcald Articles, Luther's Large and Small Catechisms, and the Formula of Concord.

More Information

We don't expect that a few paragraphs on our beliefs will answer all your questions. Please feel free to contact us with your questions so we can address them. Use our Contact Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church page for all the methods to get in touch with someone.