Welcome to Holy Trinity Lutheran Church!
SECOND SITE:
427 College St.
Smiths Grove, KY
Our Beliefs
1
Who Are We?
We, the members of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church (HTLC), commit ourselves as a congregation to our Lord's never changing mission to make disciples of all people through Holy Baptism and the faithful teaching and preaching of the Gospel (Matthew 28:19-20). Through the power of the Holy Spirit we aim to demonstrate a faith that is alive in its love for God and our neighbor. In addition we will strive to honor our Triune God by, public worship of Him, learning and growing in His Word, our witness and service to others, and our fellowship with each other. We desire to be living examples of His love for all people and truly alive in Christ.
2
We Are All God's Children In Christ
At whatever age you were baptized, you are a child of God, reborn from heaven (John 3:3), not by human decision, but by God's will (John 1:13; John 15:16). In spite of the temptation to view ourselves as mighty heroes within the Kingdom of God, we remain tiny infants and children in the arms of our loving saviour. After all, scripture teaches, "Truly, I say to you, unless. you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:3) and "suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of God" (Mark 10:14).
3
We Are The First "Evangelicals"
HTLC is not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation for all who believe it. To be evangelical is to be people of the Gospel. The Gospel is that eternal message that in Christ Jesus, true God and true man, by His perfect life, by His innocent suffering sacrificial death, and by His resurrection, He accomplished salvation and freely gives HIs gifts of forgiveness, salvation, and life to all who believe it, and rescued us from death and the power of the devil, apart from works of the law. He is both just and the Justifier of the one who has faith in Him by the Gospel.
4
We Are Confessional
Belief in Christ necessitates a response or a confession of what one believes about Him, especially when error/false teaching is proclaimed, as Satan, the world, and sin war against the pure teachings of Christ. HTLC boldly confesses and practices in accordance with the Book of Concord, as it is a true explanation of Scripture and correctly refutes many errors. The Book of Concord, also known as the "Lutheran Confessions", is a collection of writings compiled by Christians in 1580 that set forth the beliefs and confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. It corrects errors in the Roman Catholic church and demonstrates how we are different from other protestants.
5
We Worship Biblically and Historically
We value the traditional Lutheran liturgy, a treasure handed down to us from our forefathers, with roots stretching all the way back to the Old Testament and aligned with the majority of Christians for nearly 2,000 years. Such worship forms have stood the test of time. It has nourished countless souls over the ages. It transcends fads. It is dense with direct Biblical quotes. It unites us to believers from across time and place. It points us to Christ, who makes Himself present for salvation in the Word of God, Holy Baptism, and the Sacrament of Holy Communion.
6
We Are Sacramental
Holy Trinity believes, in accordance with Holy scripture, that Christ unites His powerful Word to physical elements such as water in holy baptism, and bread and wine in the Lord's Supper, to create and sustain the precious gift of faith. At Holy Trinity, the Lord's Supper is celebrated at each Divine Service. Everyone is welcome at Holy Trinity Lutheran and considered a precious lamb for whom the Lamb of God gave His life. Out of love for each one, driven by the Biblical teachings about fellowship and the Lord's Supper, and expressed throughout the tradition and history of the Christian church, Holy Trinity practices closed Communion.