WHAT WE BELIEVE

WHO IS WELCOME?
‍We welcome all people at St. John’s, because we believe God loves and welcomes all people.
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WHO ARE WE?
St. John’s is a growing, multi-generational family of faith dedicated to our mission to love God and love others in a way that brings hope to the world. Founded in 1898, our church has been a place of worship, community, and service for over a century.

‍Our vision is for all people to “Be Known”—known by God, known by others, and knowing oneself. Jesus said in John 10:14-16, “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me...” We seek to be a place where people encounter God’s deep, personal love, experience genuine community, and grow in self-awareness through Christ’s transforming grace.

At the heart of our faith is the Good News of Jesus Christ: that through His life, death, and resurrection, God has made a way for all people to be forgiven, restored, and brought into a relationship with Him. We believe that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life—and that in Him, we receive grace, healing, and the promise of new life. This Gospel shapes everything we do and invites us into a lifelong journey of transformation and hope.

In a world marked by division, we are committed to cultivating unity in Christ, embodying the generous, invitational love of God and the neighbor-centered vision of the Kingdom (Ephesians 2:14-16, John 17:20-23). We are a community made up of people with a wide range of backgrounds, theological perspectives, and political convictions. We welcome this diversity, uniting in our shared pursuit of Jesus—rooted in Scripture, shaped by grace, and lived out in community.
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A CHURCH WITH ROOTS
St. John’s is a church with roots in the Lutheran tradition. But that doesn’t mean you need a Lutheran background—it simply means we draw from a grace-filled, Christ-centered tradition that helps shape how we worship, teach, and follow Jesus today. Because of this, we welcome members from a wide variety of church backgrounds, including Roman Catholic, Baptist, Evangelical, Non-Denominational, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Methodist, Orthodox, Anglican, and others.

Lutheranism is a branch of Christianity that traces its origins to Martin Luther, a German monk and Catholic priest who lived from 1483 to 1546. He raised concerns about certain church practices that, contrary to Scripture, suggested God's love and the gift of salvation could be earned or purchased. These concerns sparked the movement now known as the Protestant Reformation, calling all Christians to return to a foundational understanding of the faith—one firmly rooted in the principles of Sola Scriptura, Sola Gratia, and Sola Fide, Latin for “Scripture Alone, Grace Alone, and Faith Alone.”
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WHAT DO WE BELIEVE?
The Apostles’ Creed is one of the most historically significant and widely accepted summaries of our faith, tracing back to the early centuries of Christianity: 

‍I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

OUR SACRAMENTAL LIFE
Our life together is grounded in the proclamation of God’s Word and the celebration of the sacraments. At St. John’s, we celebrate two sacraments—Baptism and Holy Communion—means of God’s grace and presence in our lives.

Baptism marks our entry into the life of faith, a visible promise of God’s love we receive as infants or adults. Baptism is not just a moment but a lifelong journey—an identity we live into daily as God's beloved, called to follow Christ in the world.

Holy Communion is a sacred meal where Christ truly meets us with forgiveness, renewal, and unity. In, with, and under the bread and wine, we believe Christ is truly present—strengthening our faith and binding us together in love. All who follow Christ and desire to receive His gifts are welcome at the table—regardless of age, background, or denomination.

Whether you come from a liturgical tradition or are exploring these practices for the first time, we invite you to experience God’s grace through the sacraments in ways that are accessible and life-giving.