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6 Years a Lutheran

 It's been an interesting journey from Episcopalian to Presbyterian to Episcopalian to Anglican to Lutheran.  As an Episcopalian, beliefs came from what was preached from the pulpit.  As Presbyterian in the Presbyterian Church in America, it was the pulpit, the Bible, John Calvin, and other reformed and Puritan voices.  Back to Episcopalian, it was the Bible and the 39 Articles. The 39 Articles were the standard for theology in the Church of England, but in the Episcopal Church, in 1979, they were relegated to a section at the back of the Book of Common Prayer called "Historical Documents of the Church."  What that meant was that they weren't taken seriously, except for the few clergymen (all men until 1974) who took the Bible and the 39 Articles as the basis of the faith as it had been received in Anglicanism.  Returning to the Episcopal Church, under a priest who was evangelical, the 39 Articles took on new importance for me.  They were like the West...
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Worshiping Lutheran, Part Two

 There are 1.7 million members of the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod, according to the latest statistics that I have seen.  Those members worship in 5,826 congregations.  I have worshiped in four of them.  That's a really small sample size, but even so, what I've found in those four congregations is some variety of worship practices. In our two local congregations where I've worshiped, Holy Trinity in Chenango Bridge, my home church, and Grace Lutheran in Vestal, the worship is according to the Lutheran Service Book.  Grace uses projection screens, but other than that, the worship in the two congregations is similar. At Immanuel Lutheran Church, in Madison, Wisconsin, the worship is similar to our local congregations, but at Calvary Lutheran Church in Silver Spring, Maryland, it's a whole different story.  In fact, the worship at Calvary is even closer to Anglican worship, my previous tradition, than the other three churches.  The following is from an...
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Worshiping Lutheran

 As far as I know, on November 26, 2019, I worshiped in a Lutheran church for the second time.  The first time was at a Lutheran church in Gainesville, Florida.  I was a member of a presbyterian church (PCA) at the time.  I had read some about Martin Luther and some of Luther's writings, and I was curious about the Lutheran tradition.  There are three Lutheran churches in Gainesville, and I'm not sure which one I attended.  It was an evening service of installation of a new pastor.  Honestly, the service made no impression on me whatsoever. I recall the thoughts of a musician with whom I played in the U.S. Army Signal Corps Band.  He said he was a Lutheran because the Lutheran service had the most music in it.  That doesn't strike me as the best reason to become a Lutheran, but his observation is correct, in my experience. On November 26, 2019, I worshiped at Grace Lutheran Church in my hometown of Vestal, NY.  The worship was according ...
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Becoming Lutheran

 I am a cradle Episcopalian who has recently been received as a pastor in the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod.  It's been a long road, but I am thankful to be part of the LCMS.  Allow me to give you a bit of my journey. I grew up in New Jersey, attending three Episcopal Churches.  After three years in the Army, I completed college, got married, and started seminary at Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry.  I served four churches in the Episcopal Church.  The final church I served left the Episcopal Church in 2006 and became part of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America.   After serving that church for over 21 years, I retired and started attending an LCMS congregation.  About four and a half years later, I am in the process of becoming the pastor of the LCMS church that I attend. Part of becoming Lutheran has been relearning theology.  Part of becoming a pastor in the LCMS has been a process called Colloquy.  It is a way th...
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