LCMS vs ELCA, What's the Difference? 

I'm a lutheran pastor from Norway. Thanks for providing this video, it helped me to understand the differences between the LCMS and the ELCA. The lutheran church of Norway (former state church) is very similar to the ELCA with it's ever-adapting-to-the-Zeitgeist-attitude. Personally, I'd prefer the profile of the LCMS. Good to see there are lutheran churches as the LCMS sticking to Gods word.

I was baptized in what would become the ELCA sixty years ago. I am getting to the end of my "crisis of doctrine". LCMS here I come. Thank you for your help pastor Wolfmueller.

As a member of the WELS, I share your pain. It gets tiring to point out, "That's not us!" I AM happy to point out our differences with ELCA, but it does get tiring. We'll keep holding to the Bible, thank you very much.

Beautifully and Christianly done. A great lesson on how to deal with doctrinal differences.

I am a Lutheran from Papua New Guinea. It's interesting to see differences in different churches from Lutheran denomination in USA. Thank you for clarifying the differences among the Churches there. It is sad to see that we are loosing our original Lutheran Doctrines. Keep up your good work and God Bless.

Your explanation of scriptural differences in this video was such a blessing to me. I had been investigating Lutheranism and was unaware of denominational differences believing Lutheran churches were akin to structure as the Catholic Church or UMC. Unknowingly my first few visits were to an ELCA congregation. Your videos have helped me alot. The LCMS & AALC give me some hope. I just ordered a copy of the Book of Concord and Luther's Small Chatechism and began reaching out to Lutheran pastors such as yourself. I am extremely grateful for your ministry!

Hi Pastor Wolfmueller, Just completed my 2nd year being part of LCMS, Trinity Lutheran in Burr Ridge, Ilinois. I am a Professor of History and Fulbright Scholar. Not the typical Lutheran. 😊Thank God every day to be part of LCMS. I am German, and translating Gothic scripture into English.

Very well presented. I will stay with LCMS !

As N.T. Wright once said, "The Church that forgets to say “we must obey God rather than human authorities” has forgotten what it means to be the Church. The spirit of the age [or culture] is in any case notoriously fickle. You might as well, walking in the mist, take a compass bearing on a mountain goat."

My husband is a lifelong Lutheran. He was born into, baptized and confirmed in ELCA church. I joined in 1986. We had many frustrations with our church over the years, but we loved our congregation. We kept saying that our church was a little different from the ELCA as a whole. However, I hit a breaking point at the beginning of the lockdown. Our church went entirely on Zoom. One such “service” involved telling us that we are all racist. That’s when I had enough. I started attending an LCMS church. Not long after, my husband joined me. It has been almost 4 years and I couldn’t be happier. Salvation through grace alone, Faith alone. Sola scriptura.

Awesome - love the old school paper based visuals!

Im Presbyterian PCA but we definitely relate to this with the PCUSA. Very interesting video and learned a lot about the Lutheran synods.

I'm not a Lutheran (yet) but this sounds just like what I am dealing with. My churches (non-denominational) that I associate with are allowing the culture to dictate everything. Thus, overriding the Bible. Sad.

I am a life_long member of the LCMS related to a retired ELCA Pastor. Your explanation of the source of ELCA error arising from the foundational error of higher criticism is spot on. Thanks for bringing such clarity to the issue.

I just found this podcast. I am pastor at Zion Lutheran in Kerrville, TX. Very well said. I left the ELCA IN 2000.

Thank you for this enlightening explanation! I am a born and raised LCMS member. Your talk really helped my understanding of the differences I have seen over the course of my life, and I appreciated this sooooo much! God bless the work you are doing to get "The Word" out. Keep telling the story and your story. Loved your paper helpers!

Such a good explanation. Thank you!

My background - LCA, then ELCA, then to LCMS. I saw the handwritiing on the wall a long time ago. Focusing more on going to the lowest common denominator than standing up for God's Word.

I'm from Germany and it's very interesting to me how the churches in the USA are organized. At least you have organizations that are distinct. Here the teachings vary from church to church and you have to find out the hard way if it's right. And of course it's becoming more and more difficult to stick with scripture against pressure from media and society. 😞 Good bless you!

What a thorough, yet concise and simplified explanation of some key differences. I always highly value your input on such issues and this is no exception

Thank you very much for doing this video. I found it to be very informative. We left our ELCA church in the summer of 2018 after some frustration in our church and learning about the speakers and happenings at the Youth Convention last summer.

I was l listening to an interview on "issues etc" today with a layman (who didn't self identify otherwise) who was in attendance at the ELCA conference and was dismayed that they voted down Jesus' words "I am the way,the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, but through me." This was in reference to a proposed amendment on an item of inter-faith fellowship. It seems there is a new Even Higher Criticism, in which not only is the Bible fallible, but the perfect Jesus wasn't all he was cracked up to be either.

I highly recommend listening to Issues Etc. Episode 2393 - Interview with Zachary Johnson. Very eye opening interview with regard to the current state of the ELCA.

Higher Criticism was a multi-faceted movement, but it's main early proponent was a German (Silesian) Calvinist named Friederich Schleiermacher (d. 1834). At the same time, the Prussian Union of Churches (1817) ordered the mingling of Calvinist and Lutheran Churches in Germany. Lutheranism + Calvinism = Calvinism. Thus "Lutheran" became a nomenclature without a distinction within Germany and was dependent upon the predilections of the local pastor. Much like within the LCMS today, where walking into an LCMS church does not assure "Lutheran" theology, although walking into an ELCA church almost certainly guarantees non-Lutheran, and likely, non-Christian theology.

A very good video Pastor. I am a former LCA/ELCA member, baptized on 18 May 1980. I joined LCMC back during the issues of "Called to Common Mission". I saw it as an affront to scripture. However, it wasn't long before I saw problems within LCMC as well. I was in my particular LCMC church long enough for it to go from being a member of the "Northwest Network" to being a member of the "Northwest District". However, the pastor of the church soon began to excommunicate anyone who dared to disagree with him, which included a retired pastor and his wife, along with myself and my family, which led us to the LCMS. Yes, the ELCA has many problems and has so veered away from scripture and Luther's teachings that they really can not be called Lutheran any longer. The most extreme case of this is Ebenezer Lutheran in San Francisco, which has completed abandoned Christianity in favor of goddess worship, yet they are somehow still in fellowship and regarded as a member in good standing with the ELCA. Very confusing that one.

I am a member of an ELCA church but my heart and beliefs are now LCMS.

Thank you for this helpful comparison and contrast.

ELCA sounds (sadly) to have a lot in common with the Norwegian Lutheran church. Although the progression hasn’t reached as far in Norway. Kyrie Eleison.

Thanks for such an awesomely clear video!

I watched this again because in my area they have a lot of women Pastors. however in watching it again thank you pastor Wolfmueller I like it when you break out the cards it was very helpful for me I liked how you explained it thank you, GOD bless you and praise the LORD always

As a former ELCA member, I can sum up their approach to scripture in two words - trajectory hermeneutic.

Thank you fir allowubg me to hear you on this subject, it was very informing for me and easy to understand.I have had the question for many years and now I feel a peace..God Bless

Thank you for visually/audibly sharing this important information, Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller. :)

When you listen to orthodox guys like Bryan, and people like President Harrison, and the whole Issues, Etc. gang, it makes the LCMS and the WELS versus ELCA look like Canada and the United States versus Yemen (sorry, Yemen.) Keep it up and the Synodical Conference will be back together again. Boy would Satan hate that!

You hit the nail on the head. Very good exposition of the basic details of the differences between ELCA and lcms and wels for that matter. I have kindly talked to many people till I'm blue in the face about the blatant denial of scripture in the ELCA. some have listened, but so many have not. Sadly many in the lcms and the wels have left their faith without even blinking an eye. So the church is fraught with difficulty on all fronts no matter what the confession. That's not to say that the confession isn't important, it is! Having grown up in the alc then ELCA, I have very little qualms saying that they are apostate. The other issue that is very real is 30% of confessional Lutherans do not attend worship regularly. The remaining 70% probably 1/2 of them don't know what they believe or are there because they grew up there, so they are culturally conditioned. Of that remaining 35% only a few are stepping up and serving in their congregations in material ways making it a real tough pull for those that do. I am talking about everything from cleaning the church, serving at funerals ushering and attending Bible class. No Muslim is going to come and take your church people, you willingly give it up without a blink. Come on people.

A sincere question for Lutherans: I was born into a devout Roman Catholic family who, for a variety of reasons, descended into the 1960s-70s religious roller coaster of the Charismatic Renewal followed by Pentecostalism, various Fundamentalist churches and Faith Healers ... all played out from my infancy through my college years. As an adult, I didn't want what I saw in my youth. I did, however, want a relationship with Jesus. I sought it in the much more comforting and "sane" world of the Episcopal Church, but in the last 40 years, the Episcopal Church morphed into something I no longer find remotely Christian. There are Christian Episcopalians to be sure ... but I don't care for the church. So I started looking again. Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran are the churches in my town. I love Luther. I have since I was a little boy and read his biography. I love Lutheran theology (LCMS that is). It inspires me and makes sense. I don't like Calvin. But if Luther was right - and Lutheran theology is the "most" correct - why has the Lutheran church been such an abysmal disaster? I'm serious. I'm not being disrespectful. I need answers. Why the disaster of 19th Century theological liberalism that sprung from Lutheran Germany and has ruined Christianity? Why have all the historically Lutheran countries in Europe become the most atheistic countries today? Why are most Lutheran's in the Americas today so liberal? Why doesn't Lutheranism last. No matter how hard the Communists tried, they couldn't kill the Orthodox faith anywhere. They couldn't kill the Catholic faith in Poland, Hungary or Slovakia (and Czechia was a problem before Communism). But the Communists pretty effectively erased the Lutheran faith wherever it was practiced under them. Formerly Lutheran Estonia boasts itself the most atheistic country in the world. I very much want to be Lutheran. But I'm only going to join one more church before I die. I need answers. Why doesn't Lutheranism survive persecution? Why is it so susceptible to falling away? I'm getting old. I don't want to spend my final decades in yet another apostatizing church. If the Lutherans have the right idea, why does their fig tree bear such rotten fruit? Please help me. Thank you.

This was great. Many good points and reflections🙂

Thank you Pastor. SCRIPTURE ALONE! Peace

Everything you say comes back to The Word. That’s grounding. Thank you.

Perfect explanation! Much thanks!!#

I hear ya about having ties to the ELCA. My grandfather built some of the furnishings at Abiding Love Lutheran. I really wish that church body would repent of its errors.

Excellent explanation! Thank you!!

Thank you! Just found you thru fb, and will follow you. I am a 62 year old new Lutheran....learning. Bless you!

I didn’t hear Christ Crucified in the ELCA clips! Former Mo Synod member here who joined the largest Lutheran church in the Western Hemisphere in Minneapolis! Going back to LCMS now! Have been reading Walther’s Law and Gospel for 40 years and my Theological Understanding of Scripture has been dulled until finding this You Tube channel! Thank God, and Thank You Pastor! God Bless you!

Thank you for such a clear, simple explanation of this issue. I’m LCMS, and proud of our synod’s stand against the pressures of culture. Gottes Wort und Luther’s lehr vergehen nun und nimmermehr!

Thank you for your teachings! Here a Vicar Valencia from Saint Paul Lutheran Church Mount Prospect, LCMS. Working with the Hispanic community around our church. God bless you!

Thank you Pastor Wolfmueller. I left an ECLA Lutheran Church a few years ago because they had a woman pastor contrary to Scripture. When I questioned it, I was reminded that “we are all one in Christ.” That didn’t cut it for me. That verse in Galatians 3:28 has become the new catch phrase for many who make their own doctrine. I searched and found an LCMS Lutheran Church and now fully understand the differences. I also want to thank you because your video lectures helped to prepare me for my new member orientation. I am now a member of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Old Bridge, N.J.

Thank you!!!

Approximately 30 years ago the late E.L.C.A. Bishop McDaniel gave a presentation at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, regarding his church body. He remained in it in order to try and bring it around to Scriptural faithfulness. In his presentation he clearly stated that his own church was not Lutheran (i.e., holding to the authority of God's Word as taught in The Lutheran Confessions) and if it kept going the way it was it would no longer even be Christian. He didn't mean that there were no true Lutherans/Christians in the E.L.C.A but rather that as a church body according to its doctrine and practice it could no longer claim to be Christian. He didn't live to see his prophecy come true. Today, the E..L.C.A. is not a Lutheran church body and worse not Christian. You cannot advocate open sin (abortion/murder, homosexuality, co-habitation, etc.) and be a Christian church. To every pastor and person in authority in the E.L.C.A. God's Word to Ezekiel is directly on point! Ezekiel 3:17-18 (ESV) 17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. 18 If I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. Kyrie Eleison!

Can you do a similar presentation but differences between LCMS and WELS? I’d like to hear the LCMS side of the split back in 1961. I grew up and was confirmed WELS and now LCMS

I’m an ELCA Lutheran, but probably am closer to the world view of LCMS than ELCA. (Throw in the fact that I was educated by Jesuits and you’ll see that I’m hopelessly confused.) But I don’t feel any pressure from ELCA to change my mind about things and am comfortable going my own way within my congregation. I’m not really worried about what other members think because it’s beyond my control, and I think judging the rightness of their ideas is not for me to do. Both churches have elements that are stumbling blocks for the others’ members.

I truly wish the ELCA would purge the name Lutheran from their name.

It's more like the Ecumenical Lukewarm Church of Apostasy.

If its not fashionable or too "smug" to call blasphemous/heretical nonsense by its name perhaps it would be more acceptable to ask of the ELCA, "On what basis do you call yourself Lutheran?" and wait for an answer. After all, their using a name under false pretenses and the LCMS can prove it with a Bible and a Small Catechism. Smug is a pretty minor offense compared to what the ELCA has inflicted on the good name of Martin Luther/ Lutheranism and the Christian religion.

Thank you for this video. I was so confused. God bless you!

You bring up an excellent point Pastor.. If culture is an authority and the Holy Spirit works through culture to bring us to a fuller understanding of truth, first of all which culture are we talking about? The culture of Nazi Germany? The culture of Saudi Arabia? And if they say "no" it's our culture why does the Holy Spirit work only through our culture? Why are we so special? Secondly, culture constantly changes and shifts with changing tastes, interests and lifestyles, so basically the Holy Spirit is changing all the time.

My Uncle is a retired LCMS Pastor. He lived through Seminex in person while in the Seminary and stood firm with LCMS. So glad he did!

I took piano lessons for 11 years from one of the sweetest women - all the way though high school. She and her husband were pillars in their ELCA congregation, we'd hold our recitals at their church. Toward the end of my senior year, she asked where I was planning to apply for college, at the time as a music performance major. I listed a Presbyterian University, a Methodist University, an ELCA University, and a Concordia (LCMS). I knew really not much more about any of those denominations other than they were Christians, I was raised in a relatively progressive Roman Catholic parish. Her only advice was that we should be careful of Concordia, that they're "not the fun Lutherans - they're pretty mean." I've lost touch with her over the last about 25 years, but I often wonder if she's still on board with the culture that her church has chased after. As for "us," I think it's important to keep speaking the truth - clearly, unwaveringly, and most importantly in kindness and love. But that needs to be love in the sense of concern for our neighbor's salvation - not whether or not they'll still invite us to their next barbecue.

Love your video ... well said Sir!!!

The LCMS subscribes to the Lutheran Confessions (Book of Concord) as true and correct in their entirety. The ELCA accepts the Lutheran Confessions as true and correct only "insofar as they agree with Scripture." That opens the door.

Great video! My grandfather was a minister with the ALC . Though he retired in 1960. I am Reformed though I do like the LCMS. I love your videos. Take care.

Very well presented. Appreciate your way of breaking this down. Easy to understand. Would be interested in your feelings towards the NALC. Thanks again

I appreciate yout video and find it very helpful! On a related note to high criticism... In a past video where you presented on your book at the University, a question was asked about interpretation vs the Word, which do we trust? You said it would talk a whole nother night to flesh it out...could you make a video fleshing it out it by chance?

Pastor, it occurred to me this morning that when a person is taking culture or reason and lifting them so highly as the ELCA is, that it also betrays a weak (at best) theology of Original Sin.

Can't wait to hear you at our school soon!

Very well explained. I have struggled to maintain membership in ELCA (LCA + ALC). Its a mission field.

"I think your theology is a little bit racist." - Well said!

I’m kind of ‘Church shopping’ (I’m 19) so this is really helpful I’m interested in Lutheranism, Episcopalianism and Catholicism. I think I might go catholic but this is still a great explanation.

I did mean to also say that I feel that your video is a very easy to understand presentation for lay persons trying to understand what is going on. Thank you!

I share in your frustration. I enjoy your listening to your pastoral heart. Thx for sharing

You are so humbly joyfully SUPERB!

This is great thank you!!

You break it down so eloquently Amen 🙏

Wow, watching the short clips of the ELCA, I was shocked to see how far left that church has gone. They are breaking the commandments and preaching lies! You can’t get any worse than that!! God have mercy on their souls !!!

Explained very well. God bless

ELCA Lutheran here. Even though I don't agree with you in everything I enjoy your presentation!

Thankyou so much for this video Pastor Brian. I'm an Australian Lutheran and I think we are more aligned with the LCMS as is my understanding. Although, in recent years I have seen alot of the culture override creeping in and even though I have learned to be tight lipped, I still find it upsetting. I'm relying very much on your videos at the moment due to being isolated from a bible believing (and preaching) congregation due to location and proximity. So thankyou for giving us these small snippets to think about, talk about and pray about.

God's word should produce a change in people. People should not be changing God's word. It's not just ELCA though. My dad left his Episcopal Church, I left my Presbyterian Church, and my brother left his church (I don't remember the denomination) all because they have drifted away from scripture.

I am not a Lutheran, but I have a TH.M from Dallas Seminary. The distinction between saying that the Bible is Gods word and saying that it contains Gods word is very important because it is a seminal idea. If it is Gods word ,then it stands in judgement of you , if you believe that it contains Gods word then you stand in judgement of it. If the ELCA is correct. then we all get to decide what God says? If the Bible is not Gods word, how could Luther argue before the Roman Church that salvation was based on faith alone authoritatively ? How did he know that part was correct?

Last year I left a Presbyterian church that began lectures on inclusion (specifically LGBT....), I started visiting other churches and landed at a Lutheran church which I later found out to be ELCA. i was happy to hear that they do not agree with the modern wokeness of ELCA and will continue to do what they've done for decades. God bless.

As someone who is trying to find my place in the faith, i want to thank you. I had alot of concerns about the ELCA (out of love) and had began to attribute their beliefs to the wider lutheran church. I especially appreciate you honesty and clarity, which seems to be really hard to come by in these times. God bless you.

Hahaha “I’m not sure if we can use this term anymore”

I spent a short time in the ELCA on my way back to the Catholic church I was born into. I don't agree with every point you made here, but I think you've done an excellent job of illustrating just what's wrong with Christian churches that lean left in general, especially among the mainstream Protestant denominations: They let the culture define them. That's why they're always tweaking their message. They continue to make the Gospel fit the culture, rather than the other way around. I found the same thing when I was with the Episcopalians, the Quakers, and, to my surprise, the Mennonites. They all seemed obsessed with contemporary sexual mores and virtue-signaling to that effect, with the end result that it didn't feel like a church service so much as some kind of NPR coffee klatch. I go to church for spiritual edification and to hear the timeless message of the Gospels -- not to hear about how woke the pastor is. Thanks for the video -- very informative.

Why not mention that many ELCAs individuals and churches are traditional Lutherans?

Pastor Wolfmueller is good!

Good job from these WELS members also. From your perspective, what is the difference between LCMS and WELS/ELS? WELS was once part of LCMS and still today we order books and supplies from CPH when NPH doesn't have it (i.e., numbered church giving envelopes, certain youth education programs, etc.).

This was a great explanation. I don't know if the ELCA is Christian anymore after the interfaith resolution they passed, they imply that Jesus may not be the only way to heaven, very sad. I pray for the ELCA, we all should.

thanks for the explanation

ELCA teaches that homosexuality is acceptable while LCMS still calls homosexuality a sin and is unacceptable.

I am LCMS but I think ELCA is trying to be all inclusive and that to some means way too much. THey are all about the idea that God loves all...but I am not sure what they consider sin or just "being yourself" . God created us the way we are.

I noticed one thing also not addressed (or I missed it) is the ELCA's ecumenism with church bodies that teach vastly different things. They are in altar and pulpit fellowship with Presbyterians, Methodists, Anglicans/Episcopals which all teach something vastly different about communion.

Thank you for the video and information. I just started attending an ELCA church several months ago. I didn't really know what the differences were between ELCA and LCMS at the time. I just assumed Lutherans were Lutherans. I grew up Pentecostal. I just knew I needed to start attending church again (I hadn't attended church regularly in many years). I feel like I tend to agree more with the LCMS on the authority of scripture. The ELCA congregation I'm now a member of was very welcoming to me and they are very close to my home. I've enjoyed going there, and so far I haven't heard anything crazy coming from the pulpit. There are not any LCMS congregations near my location, so it's not really an option. I do really enjoy your videos, and I look forward to learning more about Lutheran tradition and history.

As a former member of the LCMS, very very brief former member of the ELCA and now current Independent Lutheran (generalized and standard Lutheran) because each Synod in Lutheranism contains truth & fables. The ELCA on their website attracted me until the Pastoress referred to God as a She and that turned me off from the rest of the sermon and I haven't ever been back. Left the LCMS as they barely have any serving opportunities and barely any activity groups and if you want to volunteer, you have to be Voted Yes by the PPC (Pastoral Parish Counsel), even if you have been a member & grew up in that very church. I attend AG services as they let me volunteer and because I feel God's spirit in the AG church. But as a Pastor of my Independent Lutheran ministry, Yearning For Christ, we hold very very orthodoxy beliefs of Christianity found in the original beliefs of Lutheranism that help explain the doctrine and beliefs. Subscribe to the Augsburg Confessions.

Thank you for the great videos, Pastor! I’m a member of the ELCA and would never judge you nor anyone else of the LCMS. May God bless you this Eastertide!

Structurally speaking, the LCMS is a congregational polity (Down-Up) governance structure. We collectively agree to walk together (Synod). The ELCA is the product of the merger of several church bodies and has a top-down structure. I grew up in the ELCA/LCA/ALC and was taught that Scripture is the inerrant word of God. However during my College years, the ELCA changed this and a few politically powerful groups within the ELCA were able to force congregations to abandon our traditional Lutheran understanding of Scripture over the overwhelming objections of the congregation. Many of us had to decide whether to stay within the ELCA and try to bring it back, or to leave. As the congregation I attended in College was LCMS, this was a no-brainer. I would rather drive 1.5 hours to hear God's Word preached than to live through the conflict of people fighting a losing battle.

Thank you Pastor Wolfmueller. Our LCMS Pastor discusses these very major differences on almost a weekly basis during numerous bible-studies. As many of our liberal friends seem to feel there is nothing wrong with marriage between 2 men or/or 2 women, I would ask where they'd be today, if 'their' parents were both men or both women? As I write this, there is currently an ELCA woman pastor acting as an interim pastor not far from our home. She is currently married to a woman and in the process of getting a divorce from her wife. I know many of the older (over 50) folks in the congregation have left, or are in the process of leaving and looking for a new church. Today's young people are more concerned of what others think, that what God thinks. Their ears long to listen to 'what they want to hear' rather than scripture; which tells us what we should hear. Thank you for your video and helping folks see that the bible is the true word of God. If we treat God's Word as an opinion and/or a suggestion, there simply wouldn't be much hope for us.

I'm about your age, was also baptized in the LCA confirmed in the ELCA as a teenager. While I had not been an active member for a few years, when they adopted a doctrine accepting practicing homosexuals as clergy, that was it. This was something that they had taught me growing up in the church that sort of this was wrong. Now they condone and celebrate it. I wrote a letter to the local leadership and asked them to formally take my name off their rosters for good. I joined an LCMC congregation about two years ago. Work keeps me from participating as much as I would like, but that will change in the coming year and I am looking forward to it. But I digress. Changing God to suit culture is very wrong. Culture should change to suit God!

Your comments about the vicissitudes of culture reminded me of a quote from N.T. Wright about making culture our guide: "The Church that forgets to say “we must obey God rather than human authorities” has forgotten what it means to be the Church. The spirit of the age is in any case notoriously fickle. You might as well, walking in the mist, take a compass bearing on a mountain goat.”

Hold fast to the Truth brother! Cling to the Word of God and don’t let go by God’s grace! Keep fighting the good fight the gates of hell will not prevail!

"Do you confess the unaltered Augsburg Confession to be a true exposition of Holy Scripture and a correct exposition of the doctrine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, and do you confess that the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, the small and large catechisms of Martin Luther, the Smalcald Articles, the Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope and the Formula of Concord as these are contained in the Book of Concord are also in agreement with this one scriptural faith? " - from the LCMS ordination rite