Who We Are
First Lutheran Church is an intergeneration congregation centered on Faith, Family and Fellowship. We are informal in our worship style with a focus on including children. We are Christians who are Lutheran, and our Sunday worship reflects the importance of Scripture, prayer, music, and the Sacraments. We also believe God calls us, Jesus saves us, and the Holy Spirit fills and shepherds us. We are thankful for God’s grace and mercy in our lives and through our work we look for ways to share this grace and mercy with all people.
Our Context
First Lutheran Church of Cresco, Iowa is 148 years old and has been located at its present location since 1966 (56years). We are an independent church following democratic and republican principles of governance. The authority of our church is with its Baptized and Confirmed members. However, we have also chosen to unite with other Lutheran congregations of like mind to expand mission and ministry efforts. Nationally we are in mutual ministry with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (The ELCA). Locally we are in mutual ministry with the Northeastern Iowa Synod of the ELCA (The NEIS.) National Offices of the ELCA are in Chicago, Illinois, and local offices of the NEIS are in Waverly, Iowa. We have always believed both independent thinking and interdependent thinking has its advantages. As Christians who are Lutheran, First Lutheran Church believes as a church we are better at mission and ministry when we are together with other Lutherans.
First Lutheran Church also believes in interdenominational mission efforts, and we cooperate when we can with the other churches in our community. We are independent but we also believe we are better for our community when we work together. At First Lutheran Church we appreciate and are thankful for the people who preceded us in this church. God blessed them and their blessings have been passed on to us. It is our hope as we continue to live in the present and plan for the future, God’s hand of blessing will continued to be with us, and we can continue to pass on this blessing to those around us.
Leadership
The governing principles of Lutherans are found in their church constitutions. We are a representative democracy. The Baptized and Confirmed members of the congregation hold the governing authority and the Congregation Annually elects Church Council members to oversee the gathering and work of the church. The elected Council Members hold various ministry positions and represents a Committee at the Council Meeting. Church Committees rely on volunteers and are responsible for planning, organizing, and fulfilling its mission goals. When needed, the Church Council supports the work of the committees. The Pastor of the Congregation is Called by the Congregation at a special meeting. When the Pastor accepts the Congregational Call, they promise to help lead and work with the Church Council, the Committees and Organizations of the congregation to fulfill the vision and mission of the Holy Spirit. We believe in Mutual Ministry. Working together where neither Council nor Pastor “Lords” themselves over the other. Through this kind of democratic governance, we are blessed and hope to be a blessing to each other, our community, and our world.
Confirmation
In Confirmation God calls us to gather as his people to experience his presence through Education, Music, Fellowship, and Communion. We understand as we grow closer to God, He grows closer to us. This purpose statement is rooted in James 4:8. The Bible and Luther’s Small Catechism are the basis of our teaching material.
