Thinking about finding a Lutheran church

[HopingForJesus]

I was raised Catholic and have been a Wesleyan for about four years. I have thought about becoming Lutheran for awhile as it seems like it might be a better fit for me. I feel that the most important thing any Christian can have is a relationship with the Lord. I cannot fault Christians from any of the denominations by going around condemning others from different denominations. As much as I loved the church I went to, I feel that it is time to change. I was wondering if anyone could explain the basics of the Lutheran faith in a simple way I can understand. What is the view on salvation? I've been baptised twice. My hubby and I were married in the court but not in the church and he was married once before but his ex cheated. I am a bit conservative. Will my hubby and I be accepted? Do Lutheran churches have both traditional and modern worship music? I guess one thing that has been bothering me for quite some time is it seems like some folks believe that people from certain Christian faiths are not saved for one reason or another. Anyways God bless you all.

 

[Tangible]

I would start by reading the Small Catechism, a very concise statement of core Lutheran doctrines. You can find much more about Lutheranism at Home - The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod

The Small Catechism - Book of Concord

 

[Lizabth]

Good morning, Hoping!
Hubby and I are going thru membership classes @ an LCMS church. To become members, we must agree with the Small Catechism, which we are studying in class. Our church is pretty welcoming. There is a tendency in the Lutheran-from-birth crowd to be a tad stand-offish at first, but they warm up after a time.
Faith alone, grace alone, scripture alone. BUT, of course Lutherans have differing degrees of understanding, just like any other body. Lutherans can be just as contentious and frankly vile as the worst Calvinists in their insistence that THEIR view on every jot and tittle is correct, and if you do not view things just as they do, you're not of faith. Ignore these folks. Just smile and go about your walk with the Lord. I would def steer clear of WELS churches. These folks are prime example of pride and contention and mishandling of scripture, IMO.
Your marriage is not an issue, as long as it is faithful and true. Your baptism(s) is not an issue.
Visit several churches if possible. I like liturgical churches, BUT, it seems sometimes as though the more liturgical it is, the more likely the church will have a strong vein of pride in it, and a strong tendency to read into the scriptures doctrines of their own making. Just be wise, talk with the pastors in depth. God will lead you!
Also, pick up the Lutheran Service Book and that will give you good insight into services used(LCMS), hymns sung, etc. I got one used on Amazon for 6 bucks.
Remember...all you have to accede to in order to become a lay-member in the LCMS is the Small Catechism. And you are joining the Evangelical Lutheran Church in your vows, not a synod. That thought comforts me a great deal. I love my Luther and old theologians. The new guys(Walther, Pieper) not so much. If I had to subscribe to every jot and tittle of LCMS's brand of theology, I'd not become a member. Fortunatly, I don't. I have to subscribe to the Small Cat, and that alone.

 

[Lizabth]

Well, how vexing...that wasn't to be one long paragraph, ha.

 

[DaRev]

Good morning, Hoping!
Hubby and I are going thru membership classes @ an LCMS church. To become members, we must agree with the Small Catechism, which we are studying in class. Our church is pretty welcoming. There is a tendency in the Lutheran-from-birth crowd to be a tad stand-offish at first, but they warm up after a time.
Faith alone, grace alone, scripture alone. BUT, of course Lutherans have differing degrees of understanding, just like any other body. Lutherans can be just as contentious and frankly vile as the worst Calvinists in their insistence that THEIR view on every jot and tittle is correct, and if you do not view things just as they do, you're not of faith. Ignore these folks. Just smile and go about your walk with the Lord. I would def steer clear of WELS churches. These folks are prime example of pride and contention and mishandling of scripture, IMO.
Your marriage is not an issue, as long as it is faithful and true. Your baptism(s) is not an issue.
Visit several churches if possible. I like liturgical churches, BUT, it seems sometimes as though the more liturgical it is, the more likely the church will have a strong vein of pride in it, and a strong tendency to read into the scriptures doctrines of their own making. Just be wise, talk with the pastors in depth. God will lead you!
Also, pick up the Lutheran Service Book and that will give you good insight into services used(LCMS), hymns sung, etc. I got one used on Amazon for 6 bucks.
Remember...all you have to accede to in order to become a lay-member in the LCMS is the Small Catechism. And you are joining the Evangelical Lutheran Church in your vows, not a synod. That thought comforts me a great deal. I love my Luther and old theologians. The new guys(Walther, Pieper) not so much. If I had to subscribe to every jot and tittle of LCMS's brand of theology, I'd not become a member. Fortunatly, I don't. I have to subscribe to the Small Cat, and that alone.

A little more is required to join an LCMS church than just accepting the Small Catechism. It requires acceptance of the canonical books of Scripture as the source and norm of all teaching in the Church. These teachings are explained in the Book of Concord, the Confessions of the Lutheran Church. The Confessions are more than the Small Catechism. That is merely a teaching tool to introduce the doctrines of the Church. One's acceptance and continual learning are more involved.

If you're not going to subscribe to the Confessional doctrines of the Lutheran Church, then don't bother joining. While reading your post above I am confused why you are even joining a Lutheran Church. You obviously have issues with it. If you were in my new member class and exhibited such an attitude, I would have some real problems with accepting you into membership.

 

[DaRev]

I was raised Catholic and have been a Wesleyan for about four years. I have thought about becoming Lutheran for awhile as it seems like it might be a better fit for me. I feel that the most important thing any Christian can have is a relationship with the Lord. I cannot fault Christians from any of the denominations by going around condemning others from different denominations. As much as I loved the church I went to, I feel that it is time to change. I was wondering if anyone could explain the basics of the Lutheran faith in a simple way I can understand. What is the view on salvation? I've been baptised twice. My hubby and I were married in the court but not in the church and he was married once before but his ex cheated. I am a bit conservative. Will my hubby and I be accepted? Do Lutheran churches have both traditional and modern worship music? I guess one thing that has been bothering me for quite some time is it seems like some folks believe that people from certain Christian faiths are not saved for one reason or another. Anyways God bless you all.

God's blessings on you and your Christian journey. It would be beneficial to you to allow Lutherans on this forum to answer your inquiries regarding the Lutheran Church. Tangible's response to you is a good one. Check the website of the LCMS and look through the FAQ's for answers to some specific questions.

If you have any specific questions, ask away.

 

[Moses Medina]

Hello HopingforJesus, I pray that your spiritual journey be a great one. I am currently at this myself, just waiting to go home so I can meet my new confessional lutheran church! :-D

 

[wordsoflife]

You can find much more about Lutheranism at Home - The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod

Also, by clicking on that link for lcms.org and going to the upper right hand corner "Locators & Directories" you can Find a Church that is LCMS in your area.

 

[wordsoflife]

Do Lutheran churches have both traditional and modern worship music?

This varies by congregation. I go to an LCMS Church and we have traditional services. My brother goes to a Wisconsin Synod Lutheran Church and they have both traditional and modern worship. I prefer the traditional worship as I think that the hymns are deeper and more scriptural then the shallow modern worship choruses.

 

[HopingForJesus]

Thank you all! You are awesome. I found one church in the Missouri Synod about 20 minutes from here. I definitely have a lot of reading to do. I am hoping one of these times hubby and I can actually go to one of the services. God bless and have a super week.!

 

[gracefulone1980]

Our LCMS church offers two traditional liturgical services and one comtemporary liturgical service, so it would depend on the church on the kind of music played. I enjoy both.

To become Lutherans, my husband and I took member classes at our church with our pastor. When we were taking classes, I also purchased the book Lutheranism 101. I highly recommend it. I also have the Lutheran Study Bible that my husband and I study. We were both raised Roman Catholic. Tomorrow is Reformation Day, I would suggest reading about. Actually, my husband and I just watched a Martin Luther documentary on Netflix...for the third time.

There are many posts within the group with loads of information that you can check out. You can also pick up Luther's Small Catechism. You can probably view this online...not sure, I have a copy from my church.

Blessings to you on your journey!

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9

 

[HopingForJesus]

Thank you Gracefulone for your input. I have done some reading so far but it will be better using a computer. I am really hoping hubby and I can go sometime soon. God bless you.

 

[John Constantine]

Hello HopingForJesus,

May God bless you on your journey.

I have been on such a journey for several years now. My word of advice would be: Patience.

Don't rush and don't assume anything. Take your time and ask questions and read and research. In the mean time, maintain your communion with our Lord and follow the guidance of the Spirit of Truth.

I'd follow up on the advice to read Lutheranism 101 and the Small Catechism. If you are an avid reader, then you should have no problem reading into the Book of Concord. I have: "Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions 2nd ed.".

Blessings.

 

[MarkRohfrietsch]

Thank you Gracefulone for your input. I have done some reading so far but it will be better using a computer. I am really hoping hubby and I can go sometime soon. God bless you.

Hello HopingForJesus,

May God bless you on your journey.

I have been on such a journey for several years now. My word of advice would be: Patience.

Don't rush and don't assume anything. Take your time and ask questions and read and research. In the mean time, maintain your communion with our Lord and follow the guidance of the Spirit of Truth.

I'd follow up on the advice to read Lutheranism 101 and the Small Catechism. If you are an avid reader, then you should have no problem reading into the Book of Concord. I have: "Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions 2nd ed.".

Blessings.

Good suggestions John; I would also suggest this book as well, not only for those seeking, but for all of us!: Spirituality of the Cross - Expanded & Revised

 

[PreachersWife2004]

Faith alone, grace alone, scripture alone. BUT, of course Lutherans have differing degrees of understanding, just like any other body. Lutherans can be just as contentious and frankly vile as the worst Calvinists in their insistence that THEIR view on every jot and tittle is correct, and if you do not view things just as they do, you're not of faith. Ignore these folks. Just smile and go about your walk with the Lord. I would def steer clear of WELS churches. These folks are prime example of pride and contention and mishandling of scripture, IMO.

I just wanted to address this. WELS and LCMS are very close in doctrinal beliefs aside from our defintions of the Ministerial office, fellowship and the role of women in the church.

I believe that your opinion that we are prideful and contentious and that we mishandle scripture is quite unfounded. In my experience, the people who truly believe this were often on the end of some church discipline that they disagreed with.

If Hoping is interested in looking at the WELS and really learning what they believe, she can start with www.wels.net. There's a good number of WELS churches that have scripturally grounded contemporary worship services if you're looking for something like that. We also have wonderful old-school liturgical services. Your divorce won't be an issue and as long as the baptism was done in the name of the Triune God then there's no issue there either. There's usually a 6-8 week class you take where you will learn what Lutheranism is, through the study of the catechism, much like what happens in a LCMS church.

 

[Lizabth]

PW...you have to admit that WELS is quite a bit more 'exclusive' than LCMS. Unless there is full doctrinal unity, there can be no fellowship, including prayer.

That hardly seems like the sort of church Hoping would be comfortable in, according to her initial post. LCMS would be a much friendlier body, and they don't seem to have quite the sort of problems WELS does, in its leadership.

LCMS has some goofy stuff floating about, no doubt, but they seem to be truly caring and welcoming. WELS, not so much. This is my opinion, as someone who has looked in from the outside, much as Hoping is and chose LCMS. I understand your attachment to your synod, but I would never recommend it, personally, to anyone.

 

[Lizabth]

To me, WELS took a lot of the little things wrong with LCMS and diluted them down to a strong and bitter doctrinal drink. Just my humble opinion, which you may certainly weigh or not, Hoping. God's Blessing!

 

[Moses Medina]

As much as I don't believe or encourage relative truth, I will say that this is a matter of how it is seen from the person, I feel that the LCMS churches generally do offer christianity at it's fullness, I see it as truth, and I would very much be okay with visiting a WELS church. But I do myself see where you are coming from Liz, with that being said, I'm still an outsider myself and am still learning and have a long road ahead of me.

 

[DaRev]

PW...you have to admit that WELS is quite a bit more 'exclusive' than LCMS. Unless there is full doctrinal unity, there can be no fellowship, including prayer.

That hardly seems like the sort of church Hoping would be comfortable in, according to her initial post. LCMS would be a much friendlier body, and they don't seem to have quite the sort of problems WELS does, in its leadership.

LCMS has some goofy stuff floating about, no doubt, but they seem to be truly caring and welcoming. WELS, not so much. This is my opinion, as someone who has looked in from the outside, much as Hoping is and chose LCMS. I understand your attachment to your synod, but I would never recommend it, personally, to anyone.

How long have you been a member of an LCMS congregation?

 

[wordsoflife]

To me, WELS took a lot of the little things wrong with LCMS and diluted them down to a strong and bitter doctrinal drink. Just my humble opinion, which you may certainly weigh or not, Hoping. God's Blessing!

My brother attends a WELS church. I visited when his daughter was baptized. I didn't much care for the service. It was modern, no liturgy and the sermon was watered down. I find my LCMS church service to be much deeper and more scriptural.