Our Beliefs
Bethlehem Lutheran Church is a congregation of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. We are a
confessional and liturgical congregation. In accordance with Holy Scripture, and in the unity of
the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church, we believe, teach, and confess the Christian faith.
We commit ourselves to this faith as it is articulated in the Symbolical Books of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church.
Our faith is the faith of Holy Scripture, which is perfectly encapsulated in the Niceno-
Constantinopolitan (Nicene) Creed, which reads as follows:
I believe in one God,
the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth
and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only begotten Son of God,
begotten of his Father before all words,
God of God, Light of Light,
very God of very God,
begotten, not made,
being of one substance with the Father,
by whom all things were made;
who for us men and for our salvation
came down from heaven
and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary
and was made man;
and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate.
He suffered and was buried.
And the third day he rose again
according to the Scriptures
and ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of the Father.
And he will come again with glory to judge
both the living and the dead,
whose kingdom will have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord and giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son together
is worshipped and glorified,
who spoke by the prophets.
And I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church,
I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins,
and I look for the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
We are a sacramental church. Our entire life as a congregation revolves around hearing the Word
of God preached aloud and receiving the Sacraments of Holy Baptism, Holy Absolution, and
Holy Communion.
As confessional Lutherans, we commit ourselves to the teachings of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church, namely, to the writings contained in our Lutheran Confessions, which are:
The Three Ecumenical Creeds
The Augsburg Confession
The Apology of the Augsburg Confession
The Large Catechism
The Small Catechism
The Smalcald Articles
Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope
The Epitome of the Formula of Concord
The Solid Declaration of the Formula of Concord
Being a liturgical church, we follow the ancient liturgy as it has been passed down from the very
early days of the Christian faith, refined during the Reformation, retained and shared with us by
our faithful forefathers in the Missouri Synod.
Beyond the clear testimony of Holy Scripture and the guidance of our Confessions, history and
beauty are our greatest teachers in life. At Bethlehem, you will experience a truly historical faith
bound up with the sublimity of liturgical worship.
Ours is the ancient faith, always relevant, always powerful, always needed.
And ours is a congregation which heartily welcomes all sinners in need of the Gospel of
forgiveness through Christ’s atoning sacrifice.
confessional and liturgical congregation. In accordance with Holy Scripture, and in the unity of
the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church, we believe, teach, and confess the Christian faith.
We commit ourselves to this faith as it is articulated in the Symbolical Books of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church.
Our faith is the faith of Holy Scripture, which is perfectly encapsulated in the Niceno-
Constantinopolitan (Nicene) Creed, which reads as follows:
I believe in one God,
the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth
and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only begotten Son of God,
begotten of his Father before all words,
God of God, Light of Light,
very God of very God,
begotten, not made,
being of one substance with the Father,
by whom all things were made;
who for us men and for our salvation
came down from heaven
and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary
and was made man;
and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate.
He suffered and was buried.
And the third day he rose again
according to the Scriptures
and ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of the Father.
And he will come again with glory to judge
both the living and the dead,
whose kingdom will have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord and giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son together
is worshipped and glorified,
who spoke by the prophets.
And I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church,
I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins,
and I look for the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
We are a sacramental church. Our entire life as a congregation revolves around hearing the Word
of God preached aloud and receiving the Sacraments of Holy Baptism, Holy Absolution, and
Holy Communion.
As confessional Lutherans, we commit ourselves to the teachings of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church, namely, to the writings contained in our Lutheran Confessions, which are:
The Three Ecumenical Creeds
The Augsburg Confession
The Apology of the Augsburg Confession
The Large Catechism
The Small Catechism
The Smalcald Articles
Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope
The Epitome of the Formula of Concord
The Solid Declaration of the Formula of Concord
Being a liturgical church, we follow the ancient liturgy as it has been passed down from the very
early days of the Christian faith, refined during the Reformation, retained and shared with us by
our faithful forefathers in the Missouri Synod.
Beyond the clear testimony of Holy Scripture and the guidance of our Confessions, history and
beauty are our greatest teachers in life. At Bethlehem, you will experience a truly historical faith
bound up with the sublimity of liturgical worship.
Ours is the ancient faith, always relevant, always powerful, always needed.
And ours is a congregation which heartily welcomes all sinners in need of the Gospel of
forgiveness through Christ’s atoning sacrifice.
Our Vision
Empowered by Jesus to be His hands and feet, Bethlehem is a caring community called to be His compassionate presence in this world and to build community by reaching out with the life-giving Word to those in our neighborhoods who are wearied and burdened by life’s demands and changing circumstances.