Silver ornate chalice with intricate detailing, reflecting the surrounding environment, and a plate with bread slices on a white surface in a well-lit room with cream-colored walls, a cross, and a plant in the background.
Silver ornate chalice with intricate detailing, reflecting the surrounding environment, and a plate with bread slices on a white surface in a well-lit room with cream-colored walls, a cross, and a plant in the background.

St. John Lutheran Church is an apostolic Church, bearing witness to the love and truth of the Word of God as proclaimed by the apostles and affirmed by fellow believers for the past 2,000 years.

What We Believe

  • We believe and teach that God is the Creator of everything that exists as He reveals Himself in the Holy Scripture. He is One God who reveals himself in Three Persons : the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  We affirm the apostolic witness to the Triune God as expressed in the historic Apostles’, Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds.

  • We believe and teach that Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus lived a sinless life and died in our place, all of which was to save us from hell, empower us for sanctification, and bring us to heaven. Jesus, the living Word of God, is our Savior and Lord.

  • We believe and teach that the Holy Spirit is the power and presence of God Himself at work in the world, convincing sinners of their need for God’s grace, showing them the beauty of Jesus Christ, and empowering each of us for transformed and growing Christian lives of discipleship.

  • We believe and teach that the 66 books of the Bible are the inspired, infallible Word of God and the authoritative source and norm of our proclamation, faith, and life. The truth of the Bible is both reliable and dependable for believing and living as followers of Jesus Christ.

  • We believe and teach that the Church is the family of God, the Body of Christ, created and sustained by God Himself. The biblical expression of being a part of the Church is faithful and regular participation in worship, daily prayer and study of the Bible, regular fellowship, and generous support through time, talent and treasure of the mission of the Church.

  • We believe and teach that all are born with sin which intrinsically affects who we are and what we do. Thankfully, God provides a means through “water and the Spirit” (John 3:5) for us to be reborn as children of God. We call that means the sacrament of Baptism. Therefore, we are called to be baptized, so God might fill us with His renewing Spirit in the covenant of grace and faith. Both children and adults are candidates for baptism, which means we baptize both believers and children of believers. We teach that it is essential for children who are baptized to come to a personal faith in Christ in order for the promises of baptism to be effective.

  • We believe and teach that in addition to baptism, Holy Communion is a second sacrament through which God forgives and strengthens us, uniting us in true fellowship with Him and with one another. We affirm with the Lutheran Confessions that we receive the real presence of Christ’s body and blood “in, with, and under” the bread and wine. All baptized, Christians who are walking with Jesus are welcome to participate in Holy Communion.

  • We believe and teach that the Scriptures and the 2,000-year-old orthodox tradition of the Church are clear on such matters as sexuality and marriage. We affirm that marriage is the lifelong union of fidelity between one man and one woman and is the only conjugal relationship God has ordained.

  • We believe and teach that the mission of the church is to attend to and serve others. God calls us together for worship, learning, and fellowship and then sends us out to take the Good News of Christ to the world in both word and deed. We are committed to engaging in a number of mission outreaches locally in the Roanoke Valley, regionally in this part of the U.S. and globally. We thus advocate and work toward preserving and sustaining the lives of all people across the full span of life—from the preborn to the elderly and sick.

People sitting and standing in a room, with a woman with red hair and a denim jacket prominent in the center, and a blurred foreground with people's heads and hair.

Our Affiliation:

north American Lutheran church logo, new nalc image symbol

St. John is affiliated with the North American Lutheran Church (NALC).

Formed in 2010, the NALC is a fast-growing Christian church in the Lutheran tradition, uniting more than 150,000 believers in more than 400 congregations across North America. It is a church family committed to the authority of the Bible as the inspired Word of God. In keeping with the Lutheran Confessions, the NALC professes that all doctrines should and must be judged by the teaching of Scripture. The NALC has embraced four core values which shape its denominational life: Christ-Centered, Mission-Driven, Traditionally-Grounded, and Congregationally-Focused. It is a church centered on the unique Gospel of Jesus Christ, animated by missions and evangelism, grounded in the 2,000-year tradition of Christian faith, and organized chiefly to serve our congregations. A renewed Lutheran community moving forward in faith, the NALC is focused on living out Christ’s Great Commission to go and make disciples in North America and around the globe.