Located in Beaverton, Oregon, St. Andrew is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), which includes nearly 3.3 million members and more than 8,900 worshiping communities across the U.S. and the Caribbean region. The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States.
We believe that we are what God has made us, people whom God has created by grace to live in union with Jesus Christ. By God’s grace we can and do live confidently and generously in this community of faith and in service to others.
We Are Lutheran
We are a church that walks by faith, trusting God’s promise in the gospel and knowing that we exist by and for the proclamation of this gospel word. We proclaim Jesus Christ crucified and raised from the dead for the life of the world.
We understand that to be Lutheran is to be ecumenical. We are committed to the oneness to which God calls the world in the saving gift of Jesus Christ, recognizing the brokenness of the church in history and the call of God to heal this disunity.
We Are Church Together
Because God gives us our unity in Christ, we are able to see and respect the diversity within Christ’s body. We respect and honor the diversity of histories, traditions, cultures, languages, and experiences among us.
Just as God has joined us to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ in baptism, we are also joined to others, not only in the ELCA, but in all communities of Christian faith around the world. None of us lives in isolation from others. Jesus is our peace and has broken down the walls that divide us–walls of judgment, hatred, condemnation, and violence–and has made us into one new community dependent only on God’s mercy.
We Are Church for the Sake of the World
Because Christ has freed us from sin and death, even from ourselves, we can live as ministers of reconciliation in loving and generous service to our neighbors. In Jesus Christ, all of life–every act of service, in every daily calling, in every corner of life–flows freely from a living, daring confidence in God’s grace. We are liberated by our faith.
The Synods of the ELCA
The ELCA includes 65 synods that vary greatly in size, geography, membership, staffing, and program. The smallest synod has 30 congregations, while the largest has nearly 300. Grouped into nine regions, the synods unite the work of congregations within their areas, serve as regional support, and guide pastoral and other staff candidates.
The Oregon Synod
Some 115 churches across the state, including St. Andrew, comprise the Oregon Synod. Just as the ELCA acts as a collaborative body, so does the Oregon Synod. As Bishop Laurie Larson Caesar has said, “We are a diverse body of faith . . . and better because of it. We are united in the waters of our baptism and in our call to love and serve one another and God’s beautiful, broken world.”
To learn more about St. Andrew’s relationship to the Oregon Synod, read Jan Smith’s presentation to the congregation. Jan is a St. Andrew member currently serving on the Oregon Synod Council.