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Ancient traditions.

Progressive theology.

Our Values

Welcome Statement

We are openly and intentionally welcoming and affirming of everyone as beloved creations of God: Of any gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, ethnicity, age, denomination, or faith. We explicitly reject systems of white supremacy, and we are committed to working for racial justice and equality.

Mission & Vision

Lord of Light is an inclusive Christian community, forming faithful servants for the sake of the world. We are:

  • Gathered as we are, into inclusive Christian community

  • Fed in body, mind, and spirit

  • Sent to love and serve the whole world

Values

Welcome

As a community of welcome, we practice Christian hospitality, always striving to respect each person’s unique identity and story.

Worship

As sojourners in faith, we gather in worship around Word, Sacrament, and song that empowers us for lives of love and service.

Leadership

As people of God, we challenge and strengthen faithful servant leaders for the sake of the world.

Adaptation

As Christians in a Lutheran key, we honor the heart of our faith and traditions while continually bringing the gospel in new ways to a changing world.

Social Justice

As followers of Jesus, we strive for social justice, peace, and healing, locally and globally, through advocacy, education and action.

How We Interpret the Bible

Theologian Karl Barth wrote that "We must hold the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other." Like other mainline Protestant denominations, the ELCA takes a historical-critical view of the Bible, meaning we look at the cultural and historical context of the texts and interpret them accordingly. We also look at the original Greek and Hebrew and compare translations to see how that impacts what the text is saying to us in our time. To us, the Bible is a living document, a library of texts written by people in a certain place and time, and through which God can speak to us differently and meaningfully depending on what we're going through.

LGBTQ+ Inclusion

Lord of Light has been fully inclusive of LGBTQ+ people since 1987. We were the fifth ELCA congregation in the country to become officially welcoming through the Reconciling in Christ program.

 

This means our LGBTQ+ members have full participation in all church activities. This includes:

  • Weddings, Baptisms, Communion

  • Serving in church leadership roles

  • Being accepted to seminary and ordained as clergy

LGBTQ+ Inclusion
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