Saint Ansgar's Lutheran Church
Montreal - Quebec - Canada

What exactly is a Lutheran?

As Lutherans, we believe that we are adopted by God (as children and co-heirs with Christ of eternal life) and saved from sin (for we are all sinners) solely by the grace (which is a free gift) of God. Our salvation is through faith alone. This faith is a confident trust in God who, in Christ, promises us forgiveness, life and salvation. No works of our own hands contribute to this salvation.

We also believe that the Bible is the norm for faith and life. It is the only standard by which teachings and doctrines can be truly judged.

Most other Christians believe this as well, but it is on these points that we place our emphasis.

As other Christians, we believe in salvation through Jesus Christ, who, being without sin, died as a sacrifice for our sins, according to God's plan, and was resurrected from the dead, to sit eternally at God's right hand. As Lutherans. we follow other "mainstream" Christians, in believing in the doctrine of the Trinity (God, the Father; God, the Son; God, the Holy Spirit, who are all separate and equal and yet are one.) and we ascribe to the commonly accepted creeds of Christianity: The Apostle's Creed, the Nicene Creed and the Athanasian Creed.

Our unique vision of Christianity stems from the actions of Martin Luther, a monk who, in 1517, posted on the door of his church a list of 95 theses (http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/95_Theses) which he felt needed to be discussed, corrections needed in Church doctrine and practice. He never intended, in doing so, to launch the Protestant movement. Key documents which can provide an insight into Luther's vision include Luther's Small Catechism (Download in Pdf), The Augsburg Confession and the Book of Concord (Online Version: http://bookofconcord.org).

We gather for worship on Sundays. Ours is a liturgical worship service, which is similar from week to week. We share this liturgy, many elements of which date back to early Christianity, with other churches, such as the Roman Catholic and the Anglican (Episcopal). Worship includes readings from the Bible and usually Holy Communion, and lots of singing.

Find Out More about Lutherans

Luther's Coat of Arms:
In 1530, while Martin Luther was still living in Coburg Castle, Prince John Frederick ordered a signet ring for him that was characteristic of Luther's theology.
The black cross on a heart (faith in Christ who died and rose again) rests on a white rose (joy, comfort, and peace beyond that of this world) in a sky-blue field (the beginning of a heavenly joy), and is encircled with a gold ring (the eternal and precious possession of salvation).
(Wikipedia)