Who We Are

 

WHO WE ARE & WHAT WE BELIEVE

We would like to welcome you to Zion Lutheran Church, located in Hinsdale IL, about 10 miles west of Chicago.  Our congregation is a place for family and friends to worship God and to grow in a personal and meaningful relationship with Him.

If you are thinking that you might like to find a church home, consider whether Zion might be "that place" and take up our challenge and Try 5!  Check us out for five weeks before you make any decisions.  Meet some new people and hang around after the service.  Why?  Because it is an important decision and one visit just isn't enough to get the feel of who we are.

At Zion our mission is to help as many people as possible grow in their personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  That's because we value God's vision for His people, which is:

 To Build and To Strengthen Relationships with Jesus Christ, with Each Other and With Our Neighbor.

 

OUR CORE BELIEFS

About God

God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe.  He has eternally existed in three persons:  the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  These three Persons are one God.

About Human Beings

We are made in the spiritual image of God and to be like Him in character.  Although we have tremendous potential for good, we are marred by attitudes and actions of disobedience toward God.  Even though we may desire "goodness," we often fall short and "miss the mark."  The Biblical word for this is "sin."  Sin separates people from God.  Yet, God loves us so much that He has made a way to restore our relationship with Him,  to give us hope in this life and assurance of life with Him forever.

About Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ is the Son of God and fully divine.  He is both True God and True Man.  He lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on the cross.  He rose from the dead after three days, thereby demonstrating His power over sin and death.  He ascended to heaven and will return again to earth in glory.

About Salvation

God loves us so much that He has offered the greatest gift to humanity.  Human beings can never make up for sin by acts of charity and good works or through self-improvement techniques.  It is only by God's offer of forgiveness (grace), and our personal reception of that gift, that men and women can be saved.  Salvation and life with God begins the moment a person receives and confesses Jesus Christ as Lord by faith.

About the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is present in the world to make people aware of their need for Jesus Christ.  The Holy Spirit also lives in every Christian from the moment of Baptism or the reception of the message of salvation through the written or spoken Word of God.  The Holy Spirit provides the believer with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth and guidance in doing what is right.  The Christian seeks to live under the Spirit's control daily and to perform the will of God for the benefit of those in his/her circle of influence.

About the Bible

The Bible is God's Word to all people.  It was written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit.  This process is called inspiration.  It is the only source of truth for Christian belief and living.

Priesthood of Believers

In the Old Testament we read that people were able to come to God through intercession made by a priest.  The New Testament teaches that Jesus Christ is our Prophet, Priest, and King.  We have access to the Father through faith in Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Because of this, all believers are called a "royal priesthood" and we are invited to come with confidence to God in the name of Jesus Christ.

About Eternity

Human beings were created to exist forever.  God's desire is for all people to come to Him through faith in Jesus.  Those who receive God's grace through Jesus will live eternally in union with God.  Those who do not receive the free gift of Jesus' forgiveness will remain eternally separated from God because of their sin.