What Lutherans believe, and how they worship

Lutherans follow the teaching of Martin Luther as set out in the Augsburg Confession and the Small Catechism, centred on justification by grace through faith and on Christ's presence in baptism and Holy Communion. Canada has two Lutheran churches: the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and Lutheran Church–Canada.

What Lutherans believe

Lutherans are heirs of Martin Luther’s Reformation of 1517. Their confession of faith is collected in the Book of Concord (1580), above all the Augsburg Confession (1530) and Luther’s Small Catechism (1529). They confess the three ecumenical creeds and hold Scripture as the only rule and norm of doctrine.

At the centre is justification: in the words of the Augsburg Confession, we “receive forgiveness of sin and become righteous before God by grace, for Christ’s sake, through faith.” Lutherans read the Bible as Law and Gospel, God’s demand and God’s gift, and stress that God comes to us through “means of grace”: the preached Word, baptism and Holy Communion. Infants are baptized, since baptism is God’s work and promise, and in the Lord’s Supper Christ’s true body and blood are believed to be present “in, with and under” the bread and wine.

Canada has two Lutheran churches. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC, formed 1986) is the larger; it ordains women, is in full communion with the Anglican Church of Canada, and since 2011 has permitted its pastors to marry same-sex couples. Lutheran Church–Canada (LCC, formed 1988, formerly part of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod) is more conservative: it confesses the inerrancy of Scripture, ordains only men and practises “close communion” (communion for those who share its confession).

Worship: what a service is like

Lutheran worship is liturgical and sung. The Divine Service opens with confession and forgiveness, then moves through the Kyrie and a hymn of praise, three Scripture readings with a Psalm, a sermon of fifteen to twenty minutes, the creed, prayers, the peace and Holy Communion, which most congregations celebrate weekly or every other week. ELCIC congregations use Evangelical Lutheran Worship; LCC congregations use Lutheran Service Book. Pastors wear an alb and stole, and the hymns are sturdy chorales with organ.

How Lutheran churches are organized

Each congregation is self-governing under a council and calls its own pastor. ELCIC congregations belong to one of five synods led by bishops; Ontario is in the Eastern Synod, based in Kitchener, under a National Bishop. LCC congregations belong to one of three regions (Ontario is in the East Region) under a President. Pastors train at Martin Luther University College in Waterloo (ELCIC) or the Concordia seminaries (LCC).

Compared with Reformed churches

Lutherans and Reformed Christians are the Reformation’s two great families and share its heart: Scripture alone, grace alone, faith alone, the creeds and infant baptism. A Lutheran visiting a Canadian Reformed church would recognize the set liturgy, confession of sin, creed and organ, and the catechism: the Heidelberg Catechism plays the role Luther’s Small Catechism plays for Lutherans, and one of the two Sunday services is preached from it.

The historic difference is the Lord’s Supper. Lutherans confess that Christ’s body and blood are present in the bread and wine; Reformed churches confess that believers truly feed on Christ by faith through the Holy Spirit while the bread and wine remain signs, and celebrate it several times a year rather than weekly. Reformed singing is mostly Psalms to Genevan tunes rather than chorales. The Canons of Dort teach unconditional election and the perseverance of the saints, where Lutheran confessions warn that believers can fall away. Reformed churches are governed by elders rather than bishops. Lutherans would be warmly welcomed at the local Canadian Reformed church.

What Lutherans believe, and how they worship