We are ordained Lutheran ministers who…
- adhere unanimously and steadfastly to the Holy Scriptures as the inspired and inerrant Word of God;
- recognize the Confessions of the Lutheran Church, as published in the Book of Concord of 1580 (German) and 1584 (Latin), to be a correct exposition of the Holy Scriptures and an accurate representation of the common Christian faith;
- are committed to preaching and teaching the Gospel purely and administering the Sacraments correctly, according to God’s institution and in harmony with the faith confessed in the Book of Concord;
- recognize one another as orthodox Christian brothers, and are, therefore, in altar and pulpit communion with one another, together with the flocks entrusted to our care;
- are committed to reflecting the love of Christ in the world, in our congregations, and in our dealings with one another and to spurring one another on to love and good works;
- are committed to supporting one another through prayer, regular interaction, mutual encouragement, joint theological study, mutual oversight, and fraternal correction;
- are committed to providing financial support to one another and other faithful ministries around the world, as needs arise and as means permit;
- are committed to training, examining, and ordaining qualified men for the Office of the Holy Ministry;
- are committed to using forms of worship that are consistent with liturgical tradition and sound Lutheran practice;
- agree to submit our rites and practices to one another for review, and to approve one another’s rites and practices wherever they are found to be in line with Scripture and not likely to cause offense;
- agree not to use rites or practices that are found to be objectionable to other members of the Ministerium;
- agree not to hold membership in any heterodox (as determined by unanimous agreement of the Ministerium) church organization while holding membership in this Ministerium;
- agree to receive new members into this Ministerium only by the unanimous consent of the current members.
Specific Beliefs
Our beliefs are well summarized in the Lutheran Confessions. On certain issues of the day concerning which other so-called Lutheran groups may teach differently, we affirm:
- A literal 6-day creation and the reliability of the Biblical genealogies;
- That abortion is sin, according to the Fifth Commandment;
- That marriage is between a man and a woman, according to God’s institution;
- That extramarital sexual relations, homosexuality, and divorce for unscriptural reasons are sins, according to the Sixth Commandment;
- Closed Communion as the faithful practice of the Christian Church;
- That the Office of the Holy Ministry is the authority and responsibility that God gives to certain men (and not to women), through the call of the Church, to preach the Gospel and administer the Sacraments;
- That God justifies sinners solely by faith in Christ. We reject the teaching called Objective/Subjective or Universal Justification in which God is said to have declared the whole world righteous apart from faith in Christ Jesus.