Messiah Lutheran Church

Address: 915 Oneida St, Lewiston, NY 14092

Lutheran Church

Another area we researched was the Lutheran Church / Lutheranism. Founded by
German monk Martin Luther in the 1500’s, Lutheranism is one of the largest divisions of
Protestantism. It was something that started as a religious movement that was meant to reform
the Roman Catholic Church. Luther never intended to create a whole new religion, he simply
wanted to share his concerns regarding some of the practices of the Catholic Church. He was
hoping that people would listen and be willing to make some changes. Instead, the result was so
much contention and debate, that Luther ended up being excommunicated from the Catholic
Church. After many years of enduring countless challenges and controversies, Lutheranism was
finally recognized as a formal religion.
One of the core beliefs within Lutheranism is the concept of Trinitarian. This is the idea
that there is only one God, the Triune God, who exists in three separate but equal entities – the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Martin Luther explained The Trinity saying, “I believe that
God has created me and everything that exists. I believe that Jesus Christ is my Lord ... and I
believe that the Holy Spirit has called me to Jesus. God consists of three distinct
persons”(Jaensch).
In the mid 1800’s, some of the European Lutherans immigrated to America, settling in
Buffalo, New York. Shortly after arriving, they formed one of the first Lutheran churches in

Western NY, The Trinity Lutheran Church. Starting with just a dozen parishioners, the church
has gone through extensive renovations over the past 170 years, to accommodate the continually
growing congregations. In addition to the physical church building, they also have a Trinity
Lutheran School to help foster both the spiritual and educational needs of the local Lutheran
community. Lutherans believe salvation comes from their faith in the Savior Jesus Christ; that
Christ is the head of the church; and that they accept the Bible as the authority in determining the
guidelines of the church. Based on those beliefs, the mission of the Trinity Church is “to make
more and better disciples of Jesus Christ”(Trinity Lutheran Church). They pride themselves on
being caring and welcoming to all those who would like to join their ministry.

Works Cited:

Fairchild, Mary. “Lutheran Beliefs and Practices.” Learn Religions, Learn Religions, 5 May
2021, https://www.learnreligions.com/lutheran-beliefs-and-practices-700531. Accessed
30 Nov. 2022.

Jaensch, Andrew. The Lutheran school: communicating hope, vision, and leadership in
challenging contexts-historical and global perspectives1, Jaensch, Andrew; Lutheran
Theological Journal; Adelaide Vol. 45, Issue. 2, Aug 2011,
https://www.proquest.com/docview/926221725?OpenUrlRefId=info:xri/sid:primo&accou
ntid=28167. Accessed 30 Nov. 2022.

Roberts, Rev. Derek. “Lutheran Belief and Practice.” Praise Lutheran Church, 30 May 2018,
https://praiselutheran.com/about/lutheran-belief-and-practice/. Accessed 30 Nov. 2022.

Trinity Lutheran Church Editors. “History.” Trinity Lutheran Church,
https://www.trinitywestseneca.com/about/history/. Accessed 30 Nov. 2022.

Written by: Dominic Delvecchio

Messiah Lutheran Church Website