North American Lutheran Church
Holy Cross Evangelical Lutheran Church became affiliated with North American Lutheran Church in September of 2017 and the Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ (LCMC) in November of 2011.
While the North American Lutheran Church endeavors to be both truly evangelical in its faith and life and truly catholic in the sense of proclaiming what has been believed by Christians “everywhere, always, and by all” (Vincent of Lerins), she does feel called to emphasize particular aspects of the Christian life in her practice of the faith. These core values are:
Christ Centered
Jesus Christ, revealed in Scripture, is the Lord of the Church and the only Savior of the World. The Holy Scriptures are the norm for all matters of our life and faith and the Lutheran Confessions, a faithful witness to the Scripture.
Mission Driven
The Great Commission is our only mission. We go taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth, making Disciples committed to Christ, baptizing in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, teaching people all that Jesus commands, trusting in His consistent presence and power.
Traditionally Grounded
We are a part of the faithful witness of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church across time and space. We endorse the creeds, forms, practices, Word and Sacrament ministry and worship that are consistent with the Scripture.
Congregationally Focused
The Congregation is the front line for mission and ministry. As interdependent partners we strengthen every local congregation to make it the most effective instrument possible for accomplishing Christ’s purposes.
Lutheran Churches in Mission for Christ
LCMC is an association of congregations and individuals who are:
Free in Christ
Accountable to One Another
Rooted in the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions
working together to fulfill Christ’s Great Commission to go and make disciples of all nations.
We are Free in Christ ~ Lutherans always have celebrated the freedom we have in Christ. Our freedom is based in the Biblical notion of freedom that Paul set forth in Romans 6. It is a wonderful paradox that Christians find their freedom by being bound to Christ. As we submit ourselves to the Lordship of Jesus Christ we discover the joy of real freedom.
We are Accountable to One Another ~ LCMC is an association of congregations. We have a great respect for the reality that the church is where the people of God are gathered together around Word and Sacrament. The local congregation is where the church becomes a concrete reality of God’s people.
At the same time, we are joyously aware that each congregation is a part of the greater body of Christ. The actions of each congregation within our association reflect on our association as a whole. And the actions of our association reflects on the whole body of Christ. For this reason, we have committed ourselves to a common set of ministry standards.
Congregations have significant latitude in ordering and shaping ministry in their local setting, and we intentionally have made joining and leaving the association simple. We also have a disciplinary process for addressing congregations whose actions violate our agreed-upon statements of faith and practice.
We are Rooted and Grounded in the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions ~ Our association is firmly committed to accepting the normative authority of the Bible. We reject the notion that science, personal experience, tradition, or other human endeavors have equal footing with the Bible. We are certainly aware that these endeavors contribute to our conversations and deliberations, but the Bible must be our final authority in matters of faith and practice.
We also believe that the Lutheran Confessions offer us accurate interpretations of the biblical witness and we commit ourselves to being guided by them in our life together as an association.
We are working together to fulfill Christ’s Great Commission to go and make disciples of all nations ~
LCMC has one primary mission: that of sharing the life-giving Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are focused on starting congregations in this country, supporting missionaries around the world, and raising up and training leaders to serve Christ and His church.
LCMC is committed to knowing Jesus and making Jesus known. The association is dedicated to helping member congregations live out this mission. Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ is headquartered at:
700 Sheldon Road, Canton MI, 48187-2753
Phone: 866-720-5262
Website: www.lcmc.net