What We Believe
Welcome to First Lutheran, and thank you for taking the time to get to know us better. As a large downtown church, we believe God has placed us in "the Heart of the City, to be God's Heart for ALL in the City." Centered in Christ we are Called to a personal relationship with God in Jesus Christ, Gathered into Christ's family, Transformed into Christ-likeness, and Sent out to love serve the world in Christ's name.
Feel free to email any questions you might have at info@firstlutherancr.org. 
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Our Vision Statement
Imagine an extended family of thousands of passionate people of various ages who are fascinated with this simple fact: they are each CALLED by their loving God for a purpose. An onlooker will easily witness the vibrant rainbow of diversity here – different bodies, different ways of speaking, different ethnic heritage, different preferences for living. The community celebrates one another, aware that they are only a true community when all are radically welcomed, and guests are celebrated in whatever lot they are in. (Romans 12:3-5, 9-18)
This family knows well that all have been created in God’s holy image (Genesis 1:27) and GATHERED for God’s holy vision for the world. They are continually amazed that, in their averageness, they are called by the Holy One to participate in Christ’s healing of the world (John 3:16-17). In their broken and mistake-riddled lives, they find themselves continually forgiven and renewed (Psalm 51), strengthened and equipped, as if drinking from a never-ending well. On any given day, they can be found in their various vocations serving the needs of the world – all manner of activities (1 Corinthians 12:4-31) – school, work, relationships, ways of being simply present. They enjoy God and each other as they each say a passionate YES to being part of God’s holy vision for the world (Matthew 6:10). Regularly, this extended family meets at a kind of mission post which they call the church building of First Lutheran Church. Here, in the center of the city, they play, dream, worship, work, practice the vision of God for the world, and share a very common but holy meal around an enormous table. Just like their ancient ancestors in faith (Hebrews 12:1). Here they taste Christ in the bread and the fruit of the vine, in the sharing of fellowship, in witnessing the Word among them (Acts 2:42). Day after day, the people are TRANSFORMED. The community is always pointing to the love of Christ. Rather than formulas, easy answers, and churchy slogans, the community is deeply committed to radically welcoming anyone and everyone into the journey of faith. Their numbers grow continually because of the love (Romans 13:8) that invites spectators to be included in God’s vision of hope. They are surprising folks. They are less interested in assimilating members into their own circle than in creating disciples of Christ. From this mission post they are SENT out again to their unique and colorful callings (Ephesians 4:1-6). Every once in a while they understand the fullness of what God is calling them to: nothing less than the transformation of the world into the healing, challenging, globally-connected-in-all-time-and-space, culturally-subversive, powerful and tender, earthy and glorious presence of Christ (Ephesians 2:4-10; 1 John 1:1-10; John 3:1-17; Luke 13:18-21; Matthew 5:1-16). |
Our 9 Core Values
A commitment to be deeply rooted in the good news of God's love in Jesus Christ as recorded in the Bible.
We treasure the Biblical message of God's grace, his amazing love for undeserving people through the gift of his Son, Jesus Christ, and his death on the cross for us. (John 3:16) In fact, the Bible is central to, and the basis for, every aspect of our congregation's ministry for the sole purpose that Jesus Christ might be exalted as Savior and Lord. For us, the Bible is the primary source of truth. (II Timothy 3:16-17)
A commitment to become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.
As disciples (learners/followers) of Jesus Christ, we are called to grow from spiritual infancy to maturity (Philippians 3:3-14; Ephesians 4:12-14) and stay connected to Christ through an abiding personal relationship (John 15:1-17). Evidence of a genuine saving relationship with Jesus Christ is a life of holiness and obedience, attained by believers through the power of the Holy Spirit.
A commitment to stay connected to God through daily worship and prayer.
Worship is a personal and corporate encounter with the living God (Psalm 84:1-4, 10-12; Ephesians 1:3-14). True worship, recognizing the "worth-ship" of God and offering him praise and thanksgiving, involves both joyous exultation and quiet reverence. We believe that worship is not driven by a particular style, but rather by the experience of God's awesome presence. We also believe that God desires his people to pray and that he hears and answers prayer (Matthew 7:7-11; James 5:13-18). Understanding that, not only our personal lives, but also the ministries and activities of this church, are characterized by a reliance on prayer.
A commitment to live out our faith in relevant Biblical community.
Research demonstrates that people respond best to the gospel when it is presented within the context of loving relationships. Therefore, we believe that building relationships is vital to the spiritual growth of our congregation. We further believe that those relationships are best realized in small groups, places where we get to know one another, develop caring concern for each other, hold each other accountable, and offer newcomers a safe place to belong (Acts 2:42-47).
A commitment to cultivating a Christ-like and loving atmosphere within the body of Christ.
Loving relationships are the heart of a healthy community of believers. Jesus said that people will know we are his disciples by our love. We are a church of individuals, different in many ways, yet called together by God to be one in ministry and mission (John 17:20-23). Among us, love for one another is the norm (John 13:34; Romans 13:8), conflicts are resolved according to the teaching of Jesus (Matthew 18:15-17), and we seek to build each other up (I Thessalonians 5:11).
A commitment to multiply ministers for God's work in the world.
We hold to the creedal statement, Every member a minister.We believe that the primary responsibility of the pastors and program staff in the local church is to "equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ" (Ephesians 4:12) Church leaders, therefore, have the responsibility to help believers discover, develop, and exercise their spiritual gifts in appropriate ministries.
A commitment to reach out to the unchurched in meaningful ways.
Because all people matter to God (Luke 15:1-32; 19:10), we will continually seek new ways to connect with the unchurched so that they can consider the claims of Jesus Christ in an atmosphere of openness and encouragement. God desires for us, individually and corporately, to reach as many people as possible with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ. We believe it is our task to go out to help a dying world and are committed to that mission locally, nationally, and internationally (Matthew 28:19-20).
A commitment to generously share the resources God has given us.
We recognize that everything we have is a gift from God and that God expects us to manage these gifts wisely. However, we also understand that ultimately, good stewardship is not a matter of wise money management or even responsible living. It is a matter of extravagant love. The prophet Jeremiah proclaimed, "The unfailing love of the Lord never ends...Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day." (Lamentations 3:22-23) God's love toward us overflows. When hearts are transformed by that extravagant grace, believers generously share their resources with others and God blesses them in return. (Acts 2:32-34; Malachi 3:10)
A commitment to creativity, innovation, and excellence in all that we do.
In today's rapidly changing world, forms and methods must be continually evaluated, and if necessary, altered to fit new conditions. We are more concerned with effectiveness in ministry than with adherence to tradition (Luke 5:33-39). We also believe that our great God, himself a God of excellence, deserves the best we have to offer. The apostle Paul encourages us to "whatever your task, put yourselves into it, as done for the Lord and not your masters" (Colossians 3:23). Doing what we do with excellence honors God and inspires people.
We treasure the Biblical message of God's grace, his amazing love for undeserving people through the gift of his Son, Jesus Christ, and his death on the cross for us. (John 3:16) In fact, the Bible is central to, and the basis for, every aspect of our congregation's ministry for the sole purpose that Jesus Christ might be exalted as Savior and Lord. For us, the Bible is the primary source of truth. (II Timothy 3:16-17)
A commitment to become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.
As disciples (learners/followers) of Jesus Christ, we are called to grow from spiritual infancy to maturity (Philippians 3:3-14; Ephesians 4:12-14) and stay connected to Christ through an abiding personal relationship (John 15:1-17). Evidence of a genuine saving relationship with Jesus Christ is a life of holiness and obedience, attained by believers through the power of the Holy Spirit.
A commitment to stay connected to God through daily worship and prayer.
Worship is a personal and corporate encounter with the living God (Psalm 84:1-4, 10-12; Ephesians 1:3-14). True worship, recognizing the "worth-ship" of God and offering him praise and thanksgiving, involves both joyous exultation and quiet reverence. We believe that worship is not driven by a particular style, but rather by the experience of God's awesome presence. We also believe that God desires his people to pray and that he hears and answers prayer (Matthew 7:7-11; James 5:13-18). Understanding that, not only our personal lives, but also the ministries and activities of this church, are characterized by a reliance on prayer.
A commitment to live out our faith in relevant Biblical community.
Research demonstrates that people respond best to the gospel when it is presented within the context of loving relationships. Therefore, we believe that building relationships is vital to the spiritual growth of our congregation. We further believe that those relationships are best realized in small groups, places where we get to know one another, develop caring concern for each other, hold each other accountable, and offer newcomers a safe place to belong (Acts 2:42-47).
A commitment to cultivating a Christ-like and loving atmosphere within the body of Christ.
Loving relationships are the heart of a healthy community of believers. Jesus said that people will know we are his disciples by our love. We are a church of individuals, different in many ways, yet called together by God to be one in ministry and mission (John 17:20-23). Among us, love for one another is the norm (John 13:34; Romans 13:8), conflicts are resolved according to the teaching of Jesus (Matthew 18:15-17), and we seek to build each other up (I Thessalonians 5:11).
A commitment to multiply ministers for God's work in the world.
We hold to the creedal statement, Every member a minister.We believe that the primary responsibility of the pastors and program staff in the local church is to "equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ" (Ephesians 4:12) Church leaders, therefore, have the responsibility to help believers discover, develop, and exercise their spiritual gifts in appropriate ministries.
A commitment to reach out to the unchurched in meaningful ways.
Because all people matter to God (Luke 15:1-32; 19:10), we will continually seek new ways to connect with the unchurched so that they can consider the claims of Jesus Christ in an atmosphere of openness and encouragement. God desires for us, individually and corporately, to reach as many people as possible with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ. We believe it is our task to go out to help a dying world and are committed to that mission locally, nationally, and internationally (Matthew 28:19-20).
A commitment to generously share the resources God has given us.
We recognize that everything we have is a gift from God and that God expects us to manage these gifts wisely. However, we also understand that ultimately, good stewardship is not a matter of wise money management or even responsible living. It is a matter of extravagant love. The prophet Jeremiah proclaimed, "The unfailing love of the Lord never ends...Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day." (Lamentations 3:22-23) God's love toward us overflows. When hearts are transformed by that extravagant grace, believers generously share their resources with others and God blesses them in return. (Acts 2:32-34; Malachi 3:10)
A commitment to creativity, innovation, and excellence in all that we do.
In today's rapidly changing world, forms and methods must be continually evaluated, and if necessary, altered to fit new conditions. We are more concerned with effectiveness in ministry than with adherence to tradition (Luke 5:33-39). We also believe that our great God, himself a God of excellence, deserves the best we have to offer. The apostle Paul encourages us to "whatever your task, put yourselves into it, as done for the Lord and not your masters" (Colossians 3:23). Doing what we do with excellence honors God and inspires people.