In General:

• That God is the creator of the universe, & made us in His image.
       "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male & female he created them." - Genesis 1:27

• That man fell when our original parents Adam & Eve first sinned & that our own attempts to change human nature, or to please God with our own actions is doomed to fail.
       "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." - Ephesians 2:8-9

• That God forgives our sins because of the sacrifice made by Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary.
       "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through him." - John 3:16-17

• That the Bible is the source of knowledge about God & His forgiveness, & is also the way in which He speaks to us today. The Bible was written by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, & so is true & without error.
       "All Scripture is breathed out by God & profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, & for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work."  - 2 Timothy 3:16-17

The Sacraments:

Holy Communion

     Jesus Christ gives the communicant his true body & blood in the bread & wine, & we receive the forgiveness of sins & the strengthening of our faith. By communing together, we acknowledge our common commitment to all the doctrines of the Bible as they are confessed in the Lutheran Church. Therefore, Concordia practices "close communion", meaning that participation in Communion is normally limited to members of this congregation or of sister congregations within the confessional fellowship of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. If you are visiting & would like to commune with us, we respectfully request that you speak with the pastor or an elder prior to the service.

     "Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, & after blessing it broke it & gave it to the disciples, & said, 'Take, eat; this is my body.' And he took a cup, & when he had given thanks he gave it to them saying, 'Drink of it all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.'" - Matthew 26:26-28

Holy Baptism

     We are baptized with water through the power of God's word & faith, which provides the forgiveness of sins, deliverance from death & the devil, & eternal salvation to all who believe this.

     "Go therefore & make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father & of the Son & of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." - Matthew 28:19-20

Office of the Keys & Confession

     The Office of the Keys is the church power which Christ has given to His Church on earth to forgive the sins of penitent sinners, & to refuse forgiveness for those unrepentant.
     "And with that he breathed on them & said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.'" - John 20:22-23
     Confession embraces two parts: we confess all our sins, even those we don't know of like we do in the Lord's Prayer; we receive absolution or forgiveness. Combined, this means that we can confess our sins to God & to our pastor, & as surely as our pastor forgives us our sins, we can be certain that God Himself has forgiven us.

The Apostle's Creed:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven & earth.

And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died & was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, & sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge both the living & the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, & life everlasting.

Amen.

What does this mean? - taken from Luther's Small Catechism:

I believe that God has made me & all creatures; that He has given me my body & soul, eyes, ears, & all my members, my reason & all my senses, & still preserves them. Also clothing & shoes, meat & drink, house & home, wife & children, fields, cattle, & all my goods. That He richly & daily provides me with all that I need to support this body & life. That He defends me against all danger, & guards & protects me from all evil, & all this purely out of fatherly divine goodness & mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me. For all which it is my duty to thank, praise, serve & obey Him.

I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the father from eternity, & also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord. He has redeemed me, a lost & condemned creature, purchased & won me from all sins, from death, & from the power of the devil, not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood & with His innocent suffering & death. He did this that I may be His own, & live under Him in His kingdom, & serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence & blessedness, even as He is risen from the dead, lives & reigns to all eternity.

I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified & kept me in the true faith, even as He calls, gathers, enlightens, & sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth, & keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In the Christian Church, He daily & richly forgives all sins to me & all believers, & will at the Last Day raise up me & all the dead, & give me & all believers in Christ eternal life.

This is most certainly true.