Our Beliefs
Fishers of Men Lutheran Church is a congregation of the Texas District of The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod.
Overview
We hold to the historic teachings of Christian orthodoxy as articulated in the Apostles’, Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds. We also subscribe to the summaries of Christian doctrine articulated in the Lutheran Confessions. We profess that these creeds and confessions are faithfully drawn from and rightly express what is taught in the Holy Scriptures. This is what being “Lutheran” means.
God’s Word
We believe that God speaks to us and that his Words have the power to create and nurture faith in Jesus Christ. The Word of God comes to us in three ways: the Word written (the Bible), the Word proclaimed (when the Gospel is preached or shared), and the Word made flesh in the person of Jesus Christ.
The Problem – Sin
The Bible reveals that sin is the condition of all people that separates them from God. Sin entered the world through the disobedience of the first man and woman. It continues today as disobedience toward God, discord and dysfunction among people, and personal pain, distress, and death.
God’s Grace
Grace is the undeserved and unearned favor of God. We believe that there is nothing within us as sinful creatures that warrants or deserves God’s kindness and that there is nothing we can do to make ourselves more worthy.
Faith in Christ
Faith is a relationship of trust in the person, work, and promises of Jesus Christ alone, namely, trusting that it is for you. Faith is established by God through his Word.
Salvation
Salvation means forgiveness of our sins, reconciliation with God (and therefore with one another), and eternal life with God free from the burdens of sin and its curse.
The Church
We believe that the Church is not a building, but is God’s family, bound together by a saving faith in Jesus Christ and a common confession. We are born into this family through Holy Baptism and empowered to live as members of this family by the Holy Spirit, which we share. That’s who we are.
The Means of Grace
We confess that God normally works through means. He therefore chooses to deliver his grace through means. These are like pipes that bring “the goods” directly to you. We normally talk about the means of grace in terms of “Word and Sacrament.”
Baptism
Baptism is one of the “means of grace,” through which God creates and/or strengthens the gift of faith in a person’s heart (see Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16; 1 Peter 3:21; Gal. 3:26-27; Rom. 6:1-4; Col. 2:11-12; 1 Cor. 12.13).
At Fishers of Men we baptize all ages, from infants to elderly. All of us, regardless of age, need God’s grace and forgiveness, and faith in Christ. We can’t get this on our own. Baptism is the means, commanded by Jesus (Matt. 28:19-20) by which God mysteriously and officially connects us to forgiveness and marks us a member of his family. Your journey with Jesus, young or old, begins in your Baptism.
The Lord’s Supper
We believe that the body and blood of Jesus are mysteriously yet truly present in our celebration of the Lord’s Supper, in, with, and under the bread and wine according to Christ’s own words. This meal, therefore, is not merely a church custom or ordinance, but a divine means of grace instituted by our savior for the spiritual nurturing of his people to strengthen them to live in the faith and love their neighbors.
The Image of God
We believe that the body and blood of Jesus are mysteriously yet truly present in our celebration of the Lord’s Supper, in, with, and under the bread and wine according to Christ’s own words. This meal, therefore, is not merely a church custom or ordinance, but a divine means of grace instituted by our savior for the spiritual nurturing of his people to strengthen them to live in the faith and love their neighbors.
Mission
We believe that Christians are called not to condemn the world, but to hold out the Word of life through the sharing of the Gospel. (Philippians 2:16) We show mercy to others as Jesus did, that all people might come to know God as a merciful Father…
What does “Synod” mean?
The word “Synod” in The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod comes from Greek words that mean “walking together.” The term has rich meaning in our church body, because congregations voluntarily choose to belong to the Synod.
Study Resources
The Synod’s Commission on Theology and Church Relations provides study documents and statements of theological issues. Answers to theological questions may be found on the Frequently Asked Questions web site.
The Christian Cyclopedia has served thousands of students, church professionals, and lay persons as a one-volume compendium of historical and theological data, ranging from ancient figures to contemporary events.