FIRST LUTHERAN
CHURCH OF ONTARIO, CA
ABOUT US
WHO ARE WE AT FIRST LUTHERAN
We are a church:
† Christian † Catholic † Apostolic
† Sacramental
† Historical † Confessional † Liturgical
We believe in Christ, that’s why we are called Christians.
The Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the World. (1 John 4:14) His Spirit walks with the church announcing the Kingdom of God.
We are Catholics because we are part of the universal church.
We belong to the church of the whole world and of all times. There are Roman/ Catholics, Lutheran/Catholics, Orthodox/ Catholics, Presbyterian/Catholics, etc...
We are an apostolic church, which means that our origins are in Jesus and the apostles. We keep in mind the apostles traditions, their customs and testimonies of faith. The apostles saw Jesus face to face and their testimonies are important to us.
Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19)
Our church is also sacramental.
There are three conditions to say which are the sacraments in the Lutheran Church:
It has to be ordained by the Bible.
Upon the completion of the sacrament one must comply with the promise made.
The sacrament has to include visible material element (water, wine, bread).
We have two sacraments: Baptism and Holy Communion.
We also have special rituals : Reconciliation, Confirmation, Anointing of the sick, and Ordinance of Priest.
We are a historical church.
Our roots are in Jesus Christ who came to this world in a determined time and place. We live by faith since the Reformation experience by the religious Martin Luther and other reformers in the XVI century.
One of our principles is: “A reformed church is always reforming itself”
We are a confessional church.
Everything we believe in and confess is based on the Bible.
We also have three creeds: (Apostolic, Nicene/Athanasius) and two Catechism (major & minor) and Augsburg Confession
Our church is liturgical which means that we praise and celebrate the presence of God in the community.
Our worship services have structure called liturgy. During the whole year we use a liturgical calendar which organizes the bible lessons to be able to know the life of Jesus Christ and the plan for humanity.
We are an ecumenical church. It means that we recognize other religious denominations are also God’s children.
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We permanently look for alternate ways to establish communication with sisters and brothers, believers in God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. If you don’t have a church where to celebrate your faith in Jesus Christ, we invite you to come and learn more about the Lutheran Church and your own way of living by faith.
OUR AFFILIATION
The ELCA began forming in 1982 (officially operating in 1988) from the American Lutheran Church, the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches, and the Lutheran Church in America. It is a church which confesses the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The church confesses Jesus Christ as lord and savior, and the Gospel as the power of God for the salvation of all who believe.
Web site for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Web site for the Lutheran Center for Mission & Learning