Our Philosophy
At Messiah Lutheran, we teach that Jesus Christ was crucified for our sins, offering us salvation that cannot be earned but is freely given by God. His love and mercy are gifts available to all who seek them, through baptism, repentance, and a prayer of invitation, welcoming Jesus as Lord and Savior.
We honor two Sacraments—Baptism and the Lord’s Supper—as means of receiving God's Grace. In obedience to the Lord's command, we baptize people of all ages: infants, children, teenagers, and adults. We then encourage each individual to deepen their faith through regular worship, ongoing education, and daily prayer with a repentant heart.
Building a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is central to our faith. Jesus is the one way to God the Father—He is the way, the truth, and the life. We nurture this relationship as we would any other: by spending time in His presence, loving those He loves, aligning our values with His, seeking His forgiveness when we fall short, and reading His Word daily.
We celebrate the unique gifts and abilities of every believer. At Messiah Lutheran, we empower our members to use their talents both within the congregation and in the wider community. We train leaders and volunteers to use their skills and faith to make Jesus known to all who seek Him. We believe in welcoming strangers and fostering connections within our church family, depending on the prayers, financial support, and volunteerism of our members to sustain and honor our ministry.
Our community involvement extends beyond our congregation, as we actively engage in the Joliet area and the world through our gifts, time, and prayer. We support missionaries, maternity homes, orphanages, homeless ministries, and respond to emergency needs as they arise. We are committed to loving, teaching, and supporting families, and we offer many opportunities for you to share your talents and faith with others.
Our Beliefs
We proclaim Jesus Christ was crucified and raised from the dead.
We believe in the
Triune God;
The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit
We believe that we are saved by Faith alone, Grace alone and God’s Word alone.
We practice two sacraments: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
Our Lutheranism is founded on the Book of Concord, Luther’s Small Catechism, the Augsburg Confession and the three great Creeds:
The Apostles’ Creed, The Nicene Creed and The Athanasian Creed.
We teach that every person can have a personal faith relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.
We believe the Bible to be the inspired Word of God and the closest picture of that universal Truth this side of death.
We recognize that we are part of the Lutheran Christian church and all Christian denominations around the world. We support them in prayer, gifts, fellowship and mission.
We encourage every believer to be faithful in worship, generous in giving, regular in receiving the Lord’s Supper and free in volunteering time, talent and faith.
We believe there is Truth. We fear and enjoy the consequences of our actions in the reality that God has created and made known to us. A mysterious reality that governs our lives and is outside of our control.
We do not define truth, Truth defines us.
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