The following are the core beliefs of St. Mark's Lutheran Church based on the foundational truths taught in the bible. All of our teaching and ministry is rooted in and flows out of these biblical doctrines.
God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. God exists eternally as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The three are coequal and are one God. This is known as the Trinity.
Jesus is coequal with the Father/Creator and Holy Spirit. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on a cross. He arose from the dead on the third day in the tomb (The Resurrection - Easter) to demonstrate God's power over sin and death, and to share God's resurrection promise to all through Jesus. Jesus ascended to Heaven and will return again someday to earth, to lead us.
The Holy Spirit is coequal with the Father/Creator and the Son of God (Jesus). The Spirit is present in the world and in all of us to make us aware of our need for Jesus. The Spirit provides Christians with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what God intends for our lives. As Christians, we seek to live in harmony with God, one another and all of God's Creation, by following the Spirit's lead for our lives.
The Bible is the Word of God, written by human authors, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It is made up of an Old Testament and a New Testament and consists of 66 "books". It is the source of revelation of God's desire to have a relationship with us, his children. It is also the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs about living and loving.
People are made in the spiritual image of God, to be like God in character. Although every person has tremendous potential for good, all of us are marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God, called "sin." Sin separates us from God and causes many problems in our life and the lives of others.
We can never make up for our sin by self-improvement or good works.
Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God's offer of forgiveness,
can anyone be saved from sin's penalty. When we turn from our
self-ruled life and turn to Jesus in faith, we are saved.
The Church is meant to be the visible body of Christ, sent into the world to glorify God and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.
We believe that God acts through water and the Word to make us part of
God’s family. In Baptism we are claimed and named and given the power
to act and live as children of God.
We baptize infants, children and adults because we believe baptism is about
God's grace to us—not about anything we've done to deserve it.
The presence of Jesus comes to us in, with, and under the bread and cup of Holy Communion. When we celebrate this meal, Christ's love and forgiveness are given personally to each one of us.
You do not have to be a member of our church or our denomination to participate in Holy Communion at St Mark's .
Being a Follower of Christ
To trust in Christ is to follow Christ. To follow Christ is to love the world
sacrificially, to serve others joyfully,
and to proclaim the Gospel boldly to all peoples.
