Calvary Lutheran Church

Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod

Our Larger Church Body (WELS)

Calvary Lutheran Church, Canyon Country, California, is a member of the larger WELS Church Body that:

· Stands boldly on the truth of God’s Word

· Focuses on sharing the gospel with all people

· Is a confessional church that teaches all the doctrines of the Bible

· Values Christ-centered worship

· Recognizes the important of Christian education on all levels

· Cherishes the fellowship that unites us in a common faith

· Is relevant, where every sermon preached and every class taught touches the everyday faith and life of God’s people

· Is joyful and optimistic, living in the joy and confidence that only the gospel can give

· Is friendly and welcoming to all

· Upholds the blessings of marriage as God has defined it

· Values and defends the human life that God has created from conception

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

Our acronym stands for the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS). We admit, it’s a mouthful. But each word is significant.Wisconsin is where three pastors serving German immigrants joined together in a common fellowship more than 150 years ago. Today, it is still where more than half of our membership calls home—but now we have congregations spread all across North America and missions spanning the globe.

Evangelical is a Greek word. Literally translated it means “gospel oriented.” It is an apt description, for the gospel of Jesus Christ is at the core of all we believe and proclaim.

Lutheran refers to those who adhere to the teachings of Martin Luther, the leader of the Reformation in Germany. God used Luther to point out the errors of the church some 500 years ago—that salvation was something that must be earned. It was Luther who once again made clear that salvation is received through faith in Jesus as a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8,9).

Synod literally translated means “walking together.” As a fellowship of Christians, we walk together as individuals and congregations sharing a common bond of faith in Jesus articulated in the Lutheran Confessions.

We invite you to walk with us.

MISSION WORK OF THE WELS

We support work in world mission fields like Cameroon, Malawi, Nigeria, Zambia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Pakistan, Russia, Taiwan, Thailand, Albania, Bulgaria, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Mexico, Bolivia, Brazil, and Colombia. We also support mission work in the United States, Canada, and the West Indies.

United States

1,270 congregations
369,221 baptized members
19 preaching stations
2,377 teachers
1,394 pastors
1,342 students training for the public ministry
95 staff ministers
24 seminary student vicars
19 non-traditional pastoral students
109 seminary students

Worldwide

454 congregations
79,780 baptized members
252 preaching stations
9 teachers
218 national pastors
23 student pastors
170 national evangelists
19 national vicars
325 Bible institute students
122 seminary students

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