What We Believe

The Word of God

The Bible alone is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and having supreme authority in all matters of faith and life.

Jesus Christ & Salvation

All people are sinners by nature and by choice and are, therefore, under the judgment of God.  The central purpose of the Bible is to point sinful people to the availability of God’s grace.  Those who accept and believe that Jesus Christ paid the penalty for their sin by his death on a cross 2,000 years ago receive complete forgiveness of their sins.  They become family members of God and are promised a life in heaven which lasts forever.

The Church

The invisible Christian Church consists of all believers in Jesus Christ throughout the world and throughout time.  The visible church is the local community of believers in Jesus Christ.  Believers in a local church are called by God to gather together to worship, pray, teach the Word of God, participate in the sacraments of baptism and holy communion.  They are to fellowship and to minister to one another through the development and use of talents and spiritual gifts.  The local church is directed by God to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world, beginning in their own communities and reaching cross culturally to the ends of the earth.

BAPTISM

Scripture and our Lutheran Confessions call Baptism a second birth, the creation of a brand-new life begun in Christ, and reaching its fullness on the day of resurrection. By preparing to bring your child to be baptized you are taking the most important step in raising your child in the Christian faith. Baptism is not just plain water, but it is the water included in God’s command and combined with God’s Word.

Zion’s pastoral staff performs baptisms for both members and non-members. Both are asked to meet with a pastor before the baptism takes place. For more information please e-mail Pastor Neal or Pastor Schultz.

HOLY COMMUNION

Holy Communion is a precious gift of God in which Christ gives us His true body and blood (in a miraculous way), together with the bread and wine, for the forgiveness of our sins and the strengthening of our faith.  This gift from Jesus Himself is for the baptized, believing follower of our Lord who: confesses Jesus as Lord and Savior, understands that our Lord is truly present in the Sacrament, and is striving for a life of sacrificial discipleship.

We at Zion desire to hold this special gift up to the highest level of respect possible.  Because of the mobility of people in today’s world there are many opportunities to have guests and visitors in our congregation on any given Sunday.  Some of those visitors will be seasoned Christians who have grown up in the church and understand the great depth in the historic Christian faith.  Other visitors may be first timers who have never before set foot in a Christian church.

We ask all those attending this Holy Meal to examine themselves before communing by asking the following questions:

1.) Do I acknowledge that I am a sinner?

2.) Do I believe that Jesus is my personal Savior?

3.) Do I recognize the true body and blood of Jesus, present in and with the bread and wine, given and shed for me?

4.) Do I believe that through this meal God will strengthen my faith to amend my life?

If you are unsure of what has been stated here, or if you have not been baptized or instructed to receive this sacrament, or if you are unable to answer yes to any of these questions please speak with the pastor before communing.  For more information please contact the church office (zionhopkinsweb@gmail.com) for a brochure with details regarding Holy Communion.

Zion is a member congregation of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.