Yesterday, I spoke to the North American Mission Executives (primarily the district leaders) of the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod. I was impressed with their passion for the God's mission and desire to reach those without Christ. We talked primarily around issues of the missional church and a bit about church planting. Earlier this week I mentioned their Ablaze! outreach strategy. And, I shared a bit last year about the LCMS when I spoke at Concordia University in Irvine, CA.

Several of my friends asked (via Twitter and Facebook), "What makes a Lutheran a Missouri Synod Lutheran?" For many non-Lutherans, they may not be aware of the different groups in Lutheranism, but there are some important distinctions.

You can find an official introduction to the LCMS here. I have included some excerpts from Wikipedia that I found helpful.

First, some basic information about the LCMS from Wikipedia:

The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod (LCMS), founded in 1847 in Chicago, is the eighth largest Protestant denomination in the United States, and the second-largest Lutheran body in the U.S. after the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. It is a moderate conservative, Confessional Lutheran denomination with German immigrant roots.

They have 2.4 million members, making them the second largest Lutheran group, behind the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (and, in this case, "Evangelical Lutheran" is not the same as the designation "an evangelical" in common use today). The ELCA would generally be classified as a more liberal denomination than the conservative LCMS.

The LCMS (along with several other groups) are Confessional Lutherans (an important distinction and the link is worth following to understand the nuances of that term).

To understand Lutheranism, you have to understand the Book of Concord. Wikipedia explains:

One of the signature teachings of the Lutheran Reformation is the teaching named Sola scriptura--"Scripture alone." The Missouri Synod believes that the Bible is the only standard by which church teachings can be judged. It also holds that the Holy Scripture is explained and interpreted by the Book of Concord--a series of Confessions of faith composed by Lutherans in the 16th century. Missouri Synod pastors and congregations agree to teach in harmony with the Book of Concord because it teaches and faithfully explains the Word of God. The Missouri Synod also teaches Biblical inerrancy, the teaching that Bible is inspired by God and is without error. For this reason, they reject much--if not all--of modern liberal scholarship.

Wikipedia explains the Lutheran view of salvation:

The Missouri Synod believes that justification comes from God "by divine grace alone, through faith alone, for Christ's sake alone." It teaches that Jesus is the focus of the entire Bible and that faith in him alone is the way to eternal salvation. The synod rejects any attempt to attribute salvation to anything other than Christ's death and resurrection.

One of the important distinctions of Lutheranism is the "means of grace." Methodists use the same term, but differently.

Wikipedia explains:

The Synod teaches that the Word of God, both written and preached, and the Sacraments are means of grace through which the Holy Spirit gives the gift of God's grace, creates faith in hearts of individuals, forgives sins for the sake of Christ's death on the cross, and grants eternal life and salvation. For Missouri Synod Lutherans, sacraments are actions instituted by Jesus and combine a promise in God's Word with a physical element.

I am no expert on Lutheranism, but I am blessed they would allow me to come and share with their leadership and hopefully encourage them in some way.

The Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod official website is here.