"Christ would indicate the principal reason why the Scripture was given by God. Men are to study and search in it and to learn that He, Mary’s Son, is the one who is able to give eternal life to all who come to Him and believe in Him. Therefore, he who would correctly and profitably read Scripture should see to it that he finds Christ in it; then he finds life eternal without fail."
CORE VALUES of churches of the North American Lutheran Church
CHRIST
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MISSION
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TRADITIONALLY GROUNDEDWe affirm the ecumenical creeds and the faithful witness of the Church across time and space. We endorse the form and practices of the universal Church that are consistent with Scripture, particularly the office of the ministry and the tradition of worship under Word and Sacrament. We seek dialogue and fellowship with other Lutheran churches and with faithful Christians of other confessions.
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CONGREGATIONALLY FOCUSEDWe strive to be a church that is organized to facilitate the ministries of local congregations in a posture of servant-hood and a spirit of partnership, through the provision of resources, connections and information.
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So, what are "Lutherans" anyway?
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Martin Luther (1483-1546) was a 16th century German monk, priest, biblical scholar, and theology professor. Rejecting several teachings and practices of the Late Medieval Roman Catholic Church, he sought to work reform from within the church. He strongly disputed the claims by the church of the day that freedom from God’s punishment from sin could be purchased with money in the form of an indulgence. He believed the church was in error of its teaching insisting that forgiveness was something that God alone grants. Hoping for a scholarly debate on the issue, Martin Luther posted the 95 Thesis on the church doors of All Saints in Wittenberg on October 31, 1517 marking the beginning of what would become the protestant reformation of the church.
His refusal to renounce all of his writings at the demand of Pope Leo X in 1520 and Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in 1521 at the Diet at Worms resulted in excommunication by the Pope from the Roman Catholic Church and condemnation as an outlaw by the Emperor. Martin Luther taught that salvation and, in turn, eternal life are not something earned by one’s good works. Salvation and eternal life is to be received only as the free gift of God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ as redeemer from sin. His theology challenged the authority and office of the Pope by teaching that the Bible is the only source of divinely revealed knowledge from God. He further exacerbated the problem by insisting that all baptized Christians are to be a part of a holy priesthood responsible for proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ in word and deed to all the world. The Pope believed that Martin Luther had challenged the right and privilege of the priestly order in regards to offering the sacrifice at the Mass thereby opening that right to all those who are not ordained by the Church to the holy office of priest. Luther did no such thing. The Church still needs to set apart priests for the sake of word and sacrament ministry in the church. Martin only insisted that all baptized members have the responsibility of living out the salvation of Jesus Christ in their daily life, proclaiming His gospel in all that they did. Those who identified with these and other teachings of Martin Luther were labeled “Lutherans”. The name was meant pejoratively when used but was worn as a badge of honor by followers of Martin Luther. Luther himself insisted on Christian or Evangelical as the only acceptable names for individuals who professed Christ but Lutheran was the name that stuck. Another name used for those who sought the reform of the Roman Catholic church as Luther was the word “protestant” for those who “protested” the teachings of the church thought to be in err. Martin Luther was by no means the first priest or monk in the Roman Catholic Church to initiate reforms from within. Peter Waldo, John Wycliffe, and John Hus had all sought to reform the errors of the church. Luther was the only one who succeeded in sparking a wider, lasting movement. This was due in part to Gutenberg and his moveable type printing press which published Martin Luther’s teachings in the form of books and pamphlets and spread them throughout the realm. Reforms within the church continued beyond those that Luther sought through men like John Calvin, Ulrich Zwingli, and John Knox. Many of those reforms Luther thought went too far especially when it came to Christ’s presence in the sacrament (bread and wine). As a result, Lutherans hold a peculiar place within Christendom. They see themselves as a reform movement, committed to the protestant principal of justification by grace through faith alone apart from good works and catholic (the word “catholic” with a small “c” means “universal”) substance that grace is given through Word and Sacrament centered in the church and stewarded by ordained clergy. So Lutherans are Christians but they are not aligned with Roman Catholic Church but neither are they aligned with the Protestant Church. They hold a place somewhere between the two with the forms of liturgy and teaching more closely associated with the teachings and traditions of the Church in the West and East. |
Martin Luther
Martin Luther at the Diet at Worms
Martin Luther's posting of the 95 Thesis
Martin Luther
Katharina von Bora - wife of Martin Luther
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Peace's HistoryAfter a rather long study of demographics, representatives of the Indiana-Kentucky Synod of the then Lutheran Church in America (LCA) proposed a new mission start in the city of Connersville, IN. The synod approached members of its closest congregation, St. Paul Lutheran Church in Springersville for the purpose of beginning a congregation in town. On January 3, 1964, an organizational meeting was held at the local YMCA. Presiding over the meeting was Rev. George H. Hoog, member of the board of American Missions, LCA, and special assistant to Dr. Walter M. Wick, president of the Indiana-Kentucky Synod. Several members of St. Paul transferred membership to begin the new mission start.
The first worship service was held in the Dixon Dance Studios, 230 West 19th Street, on Sunday, January 19, 1964, at 10:45 am with 60 persons present and the Rev. George H. Hoog, presiding. On April 23, 1964, the congregation voted to purchase 3.1 acres of land from the Methodist Conference of Churches. The parcel was located just east of the Professional Arts Building on State Road 44 in Western Hills. The paperwork and purchase was finalized in September 1964. A formal worship service celebrating the charter of Peace Lutheran Church was conducted on June 14, 1964. The new mission church was affiliated with the Indiana-Kentucky Synod of the Lutheran Church in America. At this time the Board of American Missions issued an official call to the Rev. Theodore L. Hertenstein, a native of Carthage, Illinois to become mission developer and the first pastor of the congregation. Rev. Hertenstein was a graduate of Carthage College in Maywood, Illinois and a M. Div. graduate from Chicago Lutheran Seminary. In March, 1965, the architectural firm of Arend & Arend of Cincinnati Ohio was engaged to begin rendering of the church building. On April 26th, the building committee first met with the architect. On June 17th, preliminary plans were forwarded to the Board of American Missions in Chicago for approval. The building was to cover 4400 square feet at cost $107,000. Worship seating capacity was 140 people. Rev. Theodore L. Hertenstein announced his resignation as Peace’s pastor which would become effective by the end of 1965. After a series of supply pastors, the Rev. Clark Hobby was installed as pastor on June 5, 1966. Recognizing that the congregation was outgrowing the Dixon Dance Studio, and to be closer to the construction of the new facilities, the church council accepted an offer by the Fayette County School Board to conduct church services at the Frazee school building on West Third Street. This was just opposite the building site. Services were held at Frazee until the new building was dedicated. Construction of the church proceeded on schedule and a cornerstone laying service was held at the church site immediately following worship on Sunday, April 16, 1967. Dedication of the new church took place Sunday, July 30, 1967. Homilist was Dr. Walter M. Wick, president Indiana-Kentucky Synod, LCA. Rev. Clark Hobby, pastor, was the liturgist. Between July 1967 and April 1970, the church grew to more than 300 worshippers, warranting contemplation of a church expansion. In April 1970, the Rev. Clark Hobby announced he had accepted a new call and would be leaving at the end of May. By August 2, 1970, a call was extended and the Rev. Landis Coffman of Plainfield, PA was installed as pastor. Between August 1970 and May 1977, the congregation went through a series of attendance and financial adjustments making expansion of the facilities tenable. Pastor Coffman resigned as pastor May 15, 1977. By June 1977, the Rev. Paul Krebs had been extended a call to become pastor and was installed on July 17, 1977. In 1978, the entire LCA was introduced to a new hymnal, The Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW) which was to replace the Service Book and Hymnal and which the congregation adopted for use in all its services of worship. Early in the 1980’s, contemplation for an addition to the church was again forwarded to the congregation with completion of a new roof, fellowship hall, and classrooms being completed in 1987. In 1988, Lutheran congregation who were a part of the Lutheran Church in America (LCA) – of which Peace Lutheran was associated, American Lutheran Church (ALC), and the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches (AELC) merged to form the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). After 20 years of ministry, pastoral leadership changed at Peace as the Rev. Paul Krebs resigned and the Rev. William Peterson was installed May 1, 1999. On November 14, 2010, after nearly 23 years as members of the ELCA, the congregation voted to sever ties with the denomination due to continued unorthodox church teaching regarding the authority of Scripture, the Doctrine of the Trinity, the sanctity of the estate of marriage, and the laxity in the practice of Holy Communion to name just a few. Because the constitution of the ELCA does not allow pastors to serve in congregations that are not in full-communion relations with the ELCA, Pr. Peterson decided to retire in March 2011. By April 2011, Peace received official documentation from the Indiana-Kentucky Synod of the ELCA that their ministry was severed. The congregation joined and began the call process as a congregation of the newly formed North American Lutheran Church (NALC). Pr. Peterson remained as the supply pastor until a new pastor was called. On January 19, 2012, the Rev. Norman E. Dew was installed as pastor. |
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