Today, there are 74 million Lutherans around the world. Of the 7.6 million Lutherans in North America, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, has 2.2 million baptized members and ranks as the 11th largest denomination in the USA . Lutherans are those Christians who believe, teach, and confess the Bible-based teachings of Martin Luther that inspired the reformation of the Christian Church in the 16th century. The teachings of Luther and the reformers are summarized in three phrases: Grace alone, Faith alone, Scripture alone.
God loves the people of the world, even though we are sinful, rebellious, and do not deserve His love. The only way for us to be in a right relationship with our perfect God is through His grace. Grace is God’s undeserved kindness given to us in Jesus Christ who lived, died, and rose again to forgive us and open the door to everlasting life.
The grace of God becomes ours, not by being good, but only by trusting that Jesus is our Savior. Jesus suffered and died for our sins, forgives our past offenses, and promises us a future with Himself. Those who hear this Good News and believe it have the eternal life that God offers. God’s grace motivates us to do good as our way of saying thank you.
The Bible is God's Word, in which He reveals Jesus Christ and the salvation He offers to all. The Scriptures are the only source and authority for Christian teachings.
Because of these distinctive Scriptural truths, we believe that "God wants Christians to join with other believers in churches which correctly teach God's Word and administer Holy Baptism and Holy Communion according to the teachings of Scripture." ~ from What Lutherans Believe.