Holy Trinity Lutz is a congregation of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) and a member of the Florida-Georgia District of the LCMS.
The word synod simply means “walking together.” As a congregation, we joyfully walk together with other LCMS congregations in believing, teaching, and confessing the Christian faith as it has been handed down through the Holy Scriptures and faithfully confessed throughout the history of the Church.
We are a Confessional Lutheran congregation. That means we do not attempt to reinvent Christianity for each generation, nor do we shape our doctrine around cultural trends. Instead, we receive the faith as God has given it, from the Scriptures alone, and gladly confess it with the Church across time and place.
God’s Word remains true in every age, and Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The faith once delivered to the saints is not revised, updated, or reimagined to suit the spirit of the times.
But at the same time, the way the Church lives out and applies these timeless truths to real people, real cultures, and real moments in history does change.
Jesus Himself did not conform to cultural expectations when they conflicted with God’s will. He was not driven by the norms of His age, but by the mission His Father had given Him. In the same way, the Church does not ask first, “What is popular?” but rather, “What is faithful?”
Guided by the Holy Spirit, we continually discern how best to engage one another and those around us for Christ’s sake, within our families, our congregation, and our community. This discernment is not a change in doctrine, but a faithful application of it.
We look to the mission of God (Missio Dei) as God’s ongoing work of reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, and so we seek to participate in that mission by:
In all things, we trust that the same Lord who has preserved His Church throughout history continues to lead, guide, and sustain her today.
We believe, teach, and confess that the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the inspired, inerrant Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16–17; 2 Peter 1:20–21).
The Bible does not merely contain God’s Word, it is God’s Word, through which the Holy Spirit creates, sustains, and strengthens faith in Jesus Christ.
Because Scripture is God’s Word, it stands above all church traditions, opinions, and authorities. In Lutheran theology this is expressed using two helpful Latin phrases:
We subscribe to the Lutheran Confessions as collected in the Book of Concord because they faithfully confess what Scripture teaches, not because they replace Scripture.
In the Reformation, the Lutheran reformers were not creating a “new” faith. Their concern, just as ours today, was to return ad fontes (“to the sources”), receiving again the teaching of the apostles and prophets as the Church had confessed from the beginning.
At the heart of Scripture is Jesus Christ, true God and true man, crucified and risen for the salvation of the world (John 1:1–14; 1 Corinthians 15:3–4).
We believe, teach, and confess that:
All Christian teaching, preaching, and life flows from Christ and returns to Christ.
We believe, teach, and confess that sinners are justified, that is declared righteous before God, by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8–9; Romans 3:28).
Salvation is entirely God’s work, from beginning to end. We do not cooperate in our conversion, nor do we contribute to our salvation. Faith itself is God’s gracious gift, created by the Holy Spirit through the Gospel.
Because of this, our confidence rests outside ourselves, not in our sincerity, obedience, or spiritual progress, but in Christ’s finished work for us (extra nos).
A central teaching of Lutheran theology is the proper distinction between Law and Gospel (John 1:17).
When confused, faith is burdened. When rightly distinguished, Christ is clearly proclaimed and consciences are comforted.
Closely related to this are:
These teachings help Christians live faithfully in the world while trusting fully in Christ.
We believe, teach, and confess that God delivers His saving gifts through what we call the Means of Grace, the ways in which God has promised to give forgiveness, life, and salvation through His Word and Sacraments (Romans 10:17).
The Means of Grace are not human works offered to God, but God’s gracious actions toward us, grounded in Christ’s command and promise. Through them, the Holy Spirit creates, sustains, and strengthens faith.
Baptism is not merely a symbol or public testimony of faith, but a gracious act of God, in which He works through water and His Word to:
In Baptism, God names us as His own and joins us to Christ’s saving death and resurrection.
Holy Communion is a precious gift given by Christ Himself. In this sacred meal, our Lord gives us His true body and blood, in, with, and under the bread and wine, for the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.
Because the Lord’s Supper is both a gracious gift of Christ and a confession of faith, Scripture teaches that those who receive this Sacrament do so with understanding, repentance, and trust in Christ’s promises. Receiving the Lord’s Supper also expresses unity in what we believe, teach, and confess as Christ’s Church.
For this reason, we invite to the Lord’s Table those who are baptized and who share this confession of faith. This practice flows from pastoral care and a desire to honor Christ’s gift, not from a wish to exclude anyone.
If you are visiting with us, exploring the Lutheran faith, or are uncertain about communing with us, please know that you are truly welcome here. We encourage you to speak with the pastor or an elder, before or after the service, so that we may walk with you and help discern the best next step.
During the distribution, you are also welcome to come forward to receive a blessing.
“Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.”
— 1 Corinthians 11:28
“Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.”
— 1 Corinthians 10:17
Good works do not earn God’s favor, but they naturally flow from faith (Ephesians 2:10). Christians live out their faith in their daily vocations, including family, work, church, and community, serving their neighbors in love.
We believe that Christian obedience flows from the Gospel, not coercion, and that the Holy Spirit is at work conforming believers to Christ throughout their lives.
The Church is not primarily a building or institution, but the assembly of believers where the Gospel is preached purely and the Sacraments are administered according to Christ’s command.
At Holy Trinity, our mission is simple:
We seek to live this out faithfully in worship, teaching, mercy, and witness within our community and our life together.