What Lutherans Believe

Our faith is all about Jesus, and it is based first and foremost on the Divinely-revealed Holy Scriptures. The purpose of all other documents and creeds is to explain the teachings of the Bible. The Christian faith is summarized in the three ecumenical, or universal, creeds.

• Apostles' Creed (A.D. ~150) - Click here for a video version
  
• Nicene Creed (A.D. 381)
  
• Athanasian Creed (A.D. 360-390)
  

What about you? What do you believe? Click here to explore.

Our faith is also confessed in the Book of Concord of 1580, which includes:

• Augburg Confession
  
• Apology (Defense) of the Augsburg Confession
  
• Small Catechism
  
• Large Catechism
  
• Smalcald Articles
  
• Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope
  
• Formula of Concord - Epitome and Solid Declaration
  

Additional Information

What About...? is a series of 29 pamphlets, written by former LCMS President A.L. Barry, that address doctrinal topics, moral issues and concerns in the church to help Christians grow in their understanding of these important questions. These documents are available here in PDF format. You will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view them.

• Introduction
• The Gospel
• The Bible
• The Small Catechism
• The Ten Commandments
• The Apostles' Creed
• The Lord's Prayer
• Holy Baptism
• Confession and Absolution
• The Sacrament of the Altar
• Being a Lutheran
• Lutheran Worship
• The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
• Telling the Good News about Jesus
• Christian Families
• Angels
• Death and Dying
• Pastors
• The New Millennium
• Christian Stewardship
• Fellowship in the Lord's Supper
• The Difference between the ELCA and the LCMS
• The Ordination of Women to the Pastoral Office
• Homosexuality
• Abortion
• Living Together Without Marriage
• Creation and Evolution
• The Jehovah's Witnesses
• Islam