Who We Are

We are Part of the ELCA
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with nearly 3.3 million members in more than 8,900 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region.

www.elca.org/

We Belong to the La Crosse Synod
The La Crosse Area Synod is made up of 73 congregations that are members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.  Together the people of the synod are living out our call to live out and share the way of Jesus through relationships that grow out of God’s love in the communities in which we live.

lacrosseareasynod.org/

​What We Believe
As part of the ELCA, Bethany and East Lemonweir confess the Triune God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  We proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  In our preaching and teaching the ELCA trusts the Gospel as the power of God for the salvation of all who believe.
The ELCA’s official Confession of Faith identifies the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments (commonly called the Bible); the Apostles, Nicene and Athanasian Creeds; and the Lutheran confessional writings in the Book of Concord as the basis for our teaching.  ELCA congregations make the same affirmation in their governing documents, and ELCA pastors promise to preach and teach in accordance with these teaching sources.  This Confession of Faith is more than just words in an official document.  Every Sunday in worship we hear God’s word from the Scriptures, pray as Jesus taught and come to the Lord’s Table trusting the mercies that the Triune God promises to give us.  Throughout the week our members continue to live by faith, as they seek to serve others freely and generously in all that they do because they trust God’s promise in the Gospel. 
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Ecumenical Partnerships
The ELCA is committed to fostering unity among the children of God for the sake of the world.  We are in full communion with the Presbyterian Church (USA), the Reformed Church in America, the United Church of Christ, the Episcopal Church, the Moravian Church, and the United Methodist Church.  We cooperate with the Lutheran World Federation and the World Council of Churches.