The people who belong to the local congregations of The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod are people of the Bible. The Bible is our Sacred Scriptures, the Word of God. We treasure God's Word because it teaches us about eternal life through Jesus Christ. The Word is Law and Gospel ("good news"). It shows us our sin, but also assures us of God's love and faithfulness. It inspires us to tell others. It moves us to help people in need.
As members of some 6,100 U.S. congregations, we count 2.6 million baptized members in The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod. We emphasize the local congregation. That's where people are touched one-to-one. That's where the Word is taught and where our sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper sustain our life with God.
Our national organization serves in support of and on behalf of its local member congregations. Support includes Sunday school lessons, hymn books, resources for ministry and worship material. Local churches receive help for special areas of ministry so that they can serve people in the congregation and in the community.
As a Synod, we combine our strengths and resources to do things that individual congregations can't do. We send missionaries to other countries, maintain colleges and seminaries, provide loan funds for building churches, and operate a health and retirement system for full-time workers.
The word "synod" comes from two Greek words: syn, meaning "a meeting or assembly," and hodos, meaning a "way or journey." We describe ourselves as congregations "walking together," because our congregations all confess and practice the same teachings of God's Word.
The Synod was formed in 1847 by 16 congregations, representing German Lutheran settlements in several U.S. locations. It was first known as the German Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio and Other States.
While our forefathers were German, today we count members with ancestry from every continent, including North America.
Yes, the national office is in Missouri--in Kirkwood, part of the St. Louis metropolitan area.
Together we coordinate missionaries in 55 other countries and connect with nearly two dozen partner churches worldwide. We provide food and medicine where there is famine, and we give support and instruction so other people can become self-sufficient.
Because God's Word tells us that He knew us even before we were conceived, Missouri Synod Lutherans care for human life. That is why we oppose abortion, yet offer love and forgiveness to those who have been affected by abortion and help when we can.
Our care for human life moves us to give from our personal resources to support hospitals, nursing homes, adoption services, and for individuals and families.
Our Missouri Synod congregations operate the largest Protestant school system in the United States. We have 1,000 preschools and day-care centers, 998 elementary schools and 64 high schools.
Our 10 colleges prepare professional church workers and offer Christian training for Christian laity. Two seminaries provide education beyond the bachelor level to prepare pastors for our congregations.
Because God's Word is so important, we emphasize Christian nurture. Our congregations offer Sunday school for children, youth and adults. We hold other Bible study classes and small- group ministries to help people of all ages learn and apply the Word in their daily lives.
Every organization, every people must have a base to stand on. For us in the Missouri Synod it is God's Word, the Bible, which is without error or contradiction.
In the 16th century, Martin Luther, a German monk, made his stand on the Word, stripping away human traditions and requirements that had drawn attention away from God's truth. Our beliefs, based on what the Scriptures teach, are explained in the Lutheran confessional writings in the Book of Concord.
From the Word, we know that there is one God, but that He has three persons--Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They are of the same essence--equal in power, in eternity and in majesty.
We believe the Father created and sustains the world. The Scriptures tell us that human beings chose to follow their own way and fell into sin--direct disobedience to God.
We believe that Jesus Christ, true God and true man, suffered and died on earth in our place as punishment for all human sin. He lived in perfect obedience to God; He was without sin. It is only because of Him--not because of anything we can do--that our originally perfect relationship with God is restored through the forgiveness of all sin. Then God counts the righteous life of Jesus as if we lived it. Now we can confidently come to God in prayer.
We believe that the Holy Spirit inspired the writers of the Bible and through it inspires faith in us. Through the Word and the Sacraments--Holy Baptism and the Lord's Supper--He also keeps us in faith.
Three principles undergird our beliefs: Scripture, faith and grace. The Scripture is the only source of knowledge about God and His will for us. God's Law tells us that we human beings cannot earn God's love, forgiveness or everlasting life. But, grace tells us of God's kindness in pardoning us for Jesus' sake. It is all a gift of His love. Only by faith in Jesus Christ do we receive God's forgiveness. Through faith in Him, we come into a peaceful relationship with God.
Jesus died on the cross--but He rose from the dead to assure us that God accepted His sacrifice. He lives and we too will live with Him forever. And that is reason for celebration!
The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod
Board for Communication Services
1333 S. Kirkwood Road
St. Louis, MO 63122
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