Mamrelund Lutheran Church is part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA). The Lutheran Church is a reform movement within the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church of Jesus Christ. Martin Luther was a 16th century German monk in the Roman Catholic Church who sought to correct abuses in the church of his day. He specifically wanted to make clear that salvation (eternal life with God) is freely given by God through the life, death, and resurrection of his son, Jesus. Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone. Good works do not play a part in our salvation. In grateful response to God’s gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ and as disciples Christians gladly devote his/her life to worship, prayer, holy living, and service to one’s neighbor.
Faith in Christ as Savior and Lord is enabled by the Holy Spirit who incites and strengthens faith through the Word of Christ which comes primarily through Christian witness, Holy Scripture, preaching and through the visible and enacted Word in the sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion.
The Lutheran church confesses the historic statements of faith of the universal church including the Nicene, Apostles’, and Athanasian creeds. Lutherans also confess the Augsburg Confession of 1530, the Small Catechism of Martin Luther, and the other writings of the Book of Concord. Lutherans ordain (set apart) pastors to the work of proclaiming the Word of God and administering the sacraments within the local congregation. Bishops are pastors who have oversight over a larger grouping of congregations.
There are over 70 million Lutherans worldwide. Individual congregations join themselves to larger regional or national Lutheran church bodies. The Lutheran World Federation is a communion of 145 Lutheran churches throughout the world. Mamrelund Lutheran Church is a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Since our beginning in 1988, the ELCA has been one church body organized in three expressions — congregations, synods and the churchwide organization. Each expression has its particular functions but all three together share a common mission of doing God’s work in the world and proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ. Together, they ensure a solid foundation of leadership, active involvement in communities, opportunities for dialogue and diverse perspectives, creative partnerships, and support for members and ministries of the ELCA. The churchwide organization is based out of the Lutheran Center in Chicago and functions with the ELCA’s 65 synods and nearly 10,000 congregations across the 50 states, Caribbean and U.S. Virgin Islands. The churchwide organization’s work and functions are guided by the Churchwide Assembly, the Church Council and four elected officers. Its staff and elected officers work at the Lutheran Center and in other locations around the world serving as administrators, advisors, conveners, partners and resource people for the ELCA and its ministries. The ELCA also nurtures important connections with Lutheran, ecumenical and interfaith partners, and related organizations. We work alongside 27 colleges and universities related to the ELCA, 7 seminaries, more than 2,000 schools and early childhood education centers, campus ministries, outdoor ministries, social service agencies, and other agencies and institutions across the country and throughout the world. The work God calls us to do in the world is never done alone or in isolation, and the churchwide organization plays a key role in developing and supporting a culture of interdependence, diversity and common mission across all expressions of the ELCA and its partners. This is Christ's church.There is a place for you here.We are the church that shares a living, daring confidence in God's grace. Liberated by our faith, we embrace you as a whole person--questions, complexities and all. Join us as we do God's work in Christ's name for the life of the world.