Who We Are

We are people of the Bible. The Bible is our Sacred Scriptures, the Word of God. We treasure God’s Word because it teaches us about eternal life through Jesus Christ. The Word is Gospel (“good news”) because it assures us of God’s love and faithfulness. It inspires us to tell others. It moves us to help people in need.

We are a teaching church. Because God’s Word is so important, we emphasize Christian nurture. We offer Sunday school for children, youth, and adults and other Bible study classes and ministries to help people of all ages learn and apply the Word in their daily lives.

Our Missouri Synod congregations operate the largest Protestant school system in the United States. We have 1,000 preschools and day-care centers, 998 elementary schools, and 64 high schools.

Our 10 colleges prepare professional church workers and offer Christian training for Christian laity. Two seminaries provide education beyond the bachelor level to prepare pastors of our congregations.