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Mission
Statement
As people forgiven by God's grace, Welcome We welcome all people in our fellowship of Christ's love, Grow We grow together in faith by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Care We care about other people and social conditions, Reach Out We reach out to be salt and leaven in our family, work, and world. |
Our Pastor (click here to read about Our Pastor)
We are Lutherans
(click here to read about Christianity and Lutheranism)
Although there are several denominations or branches of the Lutheran Church, all Lutherans are Christians who believe in God as the Creator, who believe in Jesus Christ as the Savior, and who follow the teachings and Biblical interpretations of Martin Luther. Martin Luther (b. November 10, 1483, in Eisleben, Germany, d. February 18, 1546 in Eisleben) is known as the Father of Protestantism. He had studied to become a lawyer before becoming an Augustinian monk in 1505, and was ordained a priest in 1507. While continuing his studies in pursuit of a Doctor of Theology degree, he discovered significant differences between what he read in the Bible and the theology and practices of the church. On October 31, 1517, he posted a challenge on the church door at Wittenberg University to debate 95 theological issues. Luther's hope was that the church would reform its practice and preaching to be more consistent with the Word of God as contained in the Bible.
What started as an academic debate escalated to a religious war, fueled by fiery temperaments and violent language on both sides. As a result, there was not a reformation of the church but a separation. "Lutheran" was a name applied to Luther and his followers as an insult but adopted as a badge of honor by them instead.
Lutherans still celebrate the Reformation on October 31 and still hold to the basic principles of theology and practice espoused by Luther, such as Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, Sola Scriptura:
- We are saved by the grace of God alone -- not by anything we do;
- Our salvation is through faith alone -- we only need to believe that our sins are forgiven for Christ's sake, who died to redeem us;
- The Bible is the only norm of doctrine and life -- the only true standard by which teachings and doctrines are to be judged.
Many Lutherans still consider themselves as a reforming movement within the Church catholic, rather than a separatist movement, and Lutherans have engaged in ecumenical dialogue with other church bodies for decades.
Luther's Small Catechism, which contains teachings on the Ten Commandments, the Apostles' Creed, the Lord's Prayer, Holy Baptism, Confession and Absolution, Holy Communion and Morning and Evening Prayers, is still used to introduce people to the Lutheran faith, as is the Augsburg Confession.
We are Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church
Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church was established in Dearborn in 1947 as a mission church of the United Lutheran Church in America. The first worship services were actually held in June of 1946 in the homes of future members. They soon found a more permanent home for their worship services by renting space at the Penn Elementary School, one block from the future home of the church. Hope Lutheran Church was officially formed on March 16, 1947 when 80 members signed the charter establishing Hope as a congregation. The new congregation began to grow and began to save money for a new church building, which was finally dedicated on September 17, 1950 at the corner of Carlysle and Madison Avenues.
Hope continued to expand its membership and its facilities throughout the next 20 years. A new sanctuary and fellowship hall were dedicated in 1960 and the church was expanded to its current size when a large educational unit was constructed to replace the original church building in 1971.
We are a member congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
The ELCA, along with other Lutheran churches, can trace its roots directly to the Protestant Reformation that took
place in Europe in the 16th century. Martin Luther, a German monk, became aware of differences between the Bible and
church practices of the day. His writings, lectures and sermons inspired others to protest church practices and call for reform.The ELCA is the product of a series of mergers and represents the largest (5.2 million member) Lutheran church body in North America. The ELCA was created in 1988 by the uniting of the 2.85 million-member Lutheran Church in America, 2.25 million-member American Lutheran Church, and the 100,000-member Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches. Previously, the ALC and LCA in the early 1960s came into being as a result of mergers of eight smaller ethnically-based Lutheran bodies composed of German, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Swedish, Slovak, Dutch, and other folk.
ELCA MEMBERSHIP
- Baptized Members: 5,149,668, down 28,557 from previous year
- Communing and Contributing Members: 2,457,252
- Members of Color or Whose Primary Language is Other Than English: 127,217 (2.4%).
( Included are African-Americans, 50,834; Latinos, 35,314; Asian and Pacific Islanders, 22,569; American Indian and Alaska Native People, 7,351; other, 11,149)- Average Worship Attendance Each Week: 1,567,755 (30.4 percent).