About Us

Concordia Lutheran Church can best be seen through our Mission statement: “Concordia is the Church where love of Christ is shared through our hearts, our hands, and our voices.” You will see our hearts displayed in our programs for spiritual growth, our hands displayed in our missions to serve others, and our voices displayed in our joyous Worship services. We provide a solid foundation of faith for our members and guests. Shown below are the building blocks of that foundation.

Beliefs of Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod

Concordia Lutheran Church voluntarily choose to be affiliated with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS). This affiliation means we share the belief system espoused by LCMS. For those who would like a more in-depth description of this belief system, please go to the following site (LCMS).

Mission, Vision, and Values

Concordia is the Church where the love of Christ is shared through our hearts, our hands, and our voices.

Concordia Lutheran Church proclaims the gospel of Jesus Christ to all people and is a dynamic, growing community of believers that welcomes everybody. The church focuses on God’s Word and sacraments, serving our neighbors, worshipping our heavenly Father, and sharing those gifts with others.

Core Values

We believe in one God, our Father, His Son Jesus our savior and shepherd, and His Holy Spirit our helper and comforter. We believe that God comes first in our lives. Therefore, attendance and worship and active, enthusiastic, and persistent involvement in God’s mission are vital to our witness.
We believe that trusting God’s love for us all is at the heart of our relationship to Him, and to our relationships with each other, and should be a part of every aspect of church life (1 Corinthians 13; John 13:34-35).
We believe that every person matters to God, and therefore, all people matter to the church. Likewise, we believe that we should be a loving, welcoming, and compassionate place that actively invites our community and neighbors to join us (Luke 15; Luke 5:30-32).
We believe, as Christ’s followers, that we have been humbled, that we should be authentic (real) about our own need for forgiveness, that we live in God’s amazing grace, and that we yearn for continuous growth (Ephesians 4:25-26; Hebrews 12:1).
We believe that God’s church is one, and holy as He is Holy, and that His love and forgiveness is universal in scope, and that we should remain faithful to the Biblical truths passed on to us by Christ and Scripture, the apostles, and expressed in Lutheran doctrine while engaging with our surrounding culture through our facility, mission efforts, and communications (1 Corinthians 9:19-23).
We believe the pursuit of full devotion to Christ is normal for every believer and this includes the teaching or servanthood and putting our faith into action, stewardship and the pursuit of kingdom goals (Philippians 2:1-11; 2 Corinthians 8:7).
We believe God is uniting His people into one Body with His over-arching ministry of reconciliation, and that every believer is endowed with certain unique spiritual abilities and we should equip them to minister out of their gifts and passion (Ephesians 4).
We believe that we are to be patient, kind, gentle, honest, peaceful, loving, and that having self-control is essential to our witness and church effectiveness. This includes speaking the truth in love, communicating honestly with one another, and practicing forgiveness with one another (Galatians 5:22-25; Ephesians 4:15).
We believe excellence honors God and inspires people, and that our giving of thanks for whatever we can do, see, or find that is excellent, brings God honor. We also believe that God has given us First Article gifts with which we work to be innovative, adaptable, and dynamic in the way we minister to our communities (Malachi 1:6-14; Proverbs 27:17; First Article of The Apostles’ Creed).
We Believe that we are to be a people of prayer as Jesus taught us, calling on God as children ask their dear Father. We pray continually for our families, for Church, for our communities, for out leaders, for our nation, and for the Holy Spirit to bring all people to faith (Matthew 6:9-15).

Baptism

Christ our Lord commands his followers in the last chapter of Matthew: “Therefore go make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:29)”

Baptism is one very special way God delivers to us the incredible gifts Christ won for us. It is not something we do, but something God does, which means it is far more than a symbol or a ritual. In Baptism, God himself is present as his name is joined to the water, with all his power and all his blessings of forgiveness, life, and salvation.

Concordia’s pastor is happy to schedule baptisms for people of all ages, both members of the congregation and non-members. For more information, please contact the church office at 301-797-5955 or email Pastor Mark, at pastormarkmoretz@gmail.com

Gospel

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

Simply stated, the Gospel is the good news of the redeeming work of God through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

What is the “good news?” It is that Jesus Christ died and was raised again for you and me so that we, through faith in Jesus, might be delivered from eternal condemnation because of our sin, and thus, we might live eternally in the presence of Jesus.

Sin came into the world through the disobedience of Adam-original sin.
We are all sinful and we need to be redeemed from sin to be in the presence of God.
Jesus is true God and true man in one person.
Jesus is the son of God.
Jesus physically died on a cross to redeem our sins-according to witnesses.
Jesus physically rose from the dead in three days-according to witnesses.
Jesus physically ascended into heaven-according to witnesses.
The Church (the body of believers) awaits Jesus’ second coming when He will judge all people.
Those who trust (believe) in Jesus as their Savior will rise to live eternally in the presence of Jesus.
Those who deny Jesus will be cast out of His presence and spend eternity in hell.

Where Do You Go After You Receive Faith In Jesus

Jesus sanctifies those who believe in Him by sending the Holy Spirit into their hearts to rule, comfort, and make them alive. The Holy Spirit defends them against the devil and from the power of sin. Go to the “Ministries” page to find ways to mature your faith and live a God pleasing life.

History

Concordia Lutheran Church was started in 1960 by six families, and officially came into being in November, 1961, with the adoption of a constitution and bylaws. The first meetings were in the Junior Fire Hall on North Potomac Street. Acceptance in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod followed in April of 1962. By December of that year, baptized membership had grown to 75, and the group moved to a large garage on Jefferson Blvd. In November, 1968, a groundbreaking service was held for our own building, and services were moved to the Halfway Fire Hall. On October 12, 1969, our present church building on Garden Lane was dedicated. The Education wing was completed and dedicated in 2006. A long awaited elevator was finished and placed into use in 2011.

Read More History

Luther's Small Catechism

I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the virgin Mary, is my Lord, who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity.

External Links

These links to other internet sites are presented solely for your interest and convenience. Concordia Lutheran Church is not responsible for any content on any of these sites.