St. Paul Lutheran Church is part of the Southern Ohio Synod of The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). As ELCA Lutherans, we believe in the Triune God — God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit — mysteriously three in one.
We believe God is the creator of the universe and all that is in it. We believe Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior, whose life, death, resurrection, and ascension fashions a new creation reconciling all creation to God.
Born in sin, humanity cannot live the life God intended for us on our own. We are saved by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, living in the freedom of Christian love and responsibility. Unable to live this freedom on our merit, we believe that the Holy Spirit calls, gathers, enlightens, sanctifies, and sustains the whole Christian church.
We believe the Old and New Testaments are the written Word of God, inspired by God's Spirit. Through their authors, they record and announce God's revelation, centering on Jesus Christ. Through them, God's Spirit speaks to us to create and sustain Christian faith and fellowship for service in our world.
To cultivate welcoming communities of faith with our Neighbors and World
A world where everyone experiences God's love
Lutherans understand that God comes to us through the Means of Grace - the Word of God and the Sacraments of Baptism and Communion. Our relationship with God deepens through them as we grow in our faith.
Baptism is the means of grace by which we become children of God and are given the promise of the Holy Spirit. Through water and the Word, God liberates us from sin and death by joining us to the death and resurrection of Jesus. We are born to a fallen humanity, in bondage to sin, yet through baptism, we are reborn children of God and inheritors of eternal life.
Communion is the means of grace by which God forgives, restores, welcomes and builds community. We believe that through the earthly elements of bread and wine, the body and blood of Christ are truly present. At St. Paul, we welcome all to God's table!