Hosanna! Lutheran Church
Hosanna! has truly been blessed with extraordinary leadership, a gifted and dedicated staff, and awesome member leadership. We're trusting God's guidance for a future at Hosanna! that includes strong community service, ever-growing faith, and a commitment to spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Hosanna! now has an average worship attendance of over 3,875 per week at 3 services; over 6,154 baptized members (1,938+ households) (HALO) Sunday School enrollment of over 1,230 students age 3-grade 5, a middle school ministry program (PowerLife) with 750 students, and a senior high program (Catalyst) with 300 students!
Advancing God's Kingdom everywhere, one person at a time.
What We Teach
The Bible. We teach that the Holy Bible is God's Word, without error in the original manuscripts, and our final authority in matters of faith and life. (2Timothy 3:16, Psalm 119:105)
God. We teach that there is one God (Deuteronomy 6:4), eternally existing in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19, 2 Corinthians 13:13)
Jesus Christ. We teach that Jesus Christ is both fully God and fully human, who by His death on the cross has redeemed us. (1 Timothy 3:16, Isaiah 9:6, Colossians 1:15-20)
The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit's super- natural gifts are available and operative today for all Christians. (Acts 2, 1 Corinthians 12:1-31, 14:1-25, Romans 12)
Human Nature. We teach that human nature is sinful and is redeemed only through faith in Jesus Christ. (Romans 3:23)
Salvation. We teach that Christ alone (Acts 4:12, John 14:6) provides salvation. This salvation is a free gift. (grace Ephesians 2:8-9) We teach that one can be certain of eternal life. (assurance, John 5:24) We teach that we partake of this free gift of grace by faith alone (Romans 3:28, John 3:16), and thereby enter a lifelong process of change and growth. (Romans 12:2, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 2:20)
The Church. We teach that we are a part of one true Church (Ephesians 4:4-6, Romans 12:5) made up of all who believe in Christ as Lord. We extend the hand of fellowship to all members of this universal Christian Church. (Romans 15:7)
Prayer. We at Hosanna! are a people of prayer. We teach that God answers prayer and we encourage everyone to grow in prayer. (James 5:16, Matthew 18:18-20)
Baptism and the Lord's Supper. We teach that Jesus instituted Holy Baptism and the Lord's Supper. We teach that God truly acts in these sacraments, and that our faith is essential for their effectiveness. (Mark 16:16, 1 Corinthians 11:29, John 3:16)
Our Lutheran Heritage and Identity. We identify with the renewal
movement begun in the Lutheran Reformation. We teach the Lutheran themes of grace through faith alone, scripture alone, and Christ alone.
Changed Life. We believe that becoming a Christian leads to a changed life. (2 Corinthians 5:17) We call this change sanctification, which is a lifelong process of growth in selfless love, humility, service, stewardship, and holiness under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Change and growth are not optional for those saved by grace. (James 2:17, Romans 12:2) Because a good tree bears good fruit (Matthew 7:17-18), people justified by grace through faith act on that faith and will change and grow in Christ. (2 Peter 3:18, James 1:22, 2 Corinthians 3:18, 5:17, Ephesians 4:22-24)
In Addition...
We teach that the Bible is not conclusive on the following issues and hat they are a matter of human conscience:
- We do not teach that the Bible gives a clear teaching on specific age for a baptismal candidate and amount of water for baptism.
- We encourage a sense of readiness and a zeal for the return of Christ, but leave view on the exact sequence and complexity/simplicity of the last things up to the individual believer.
- We do not teach that the Bible gives a clear teaching on whether or not salvation can be lost.
Practicing our Faith
We teach that a full sexual relationship belongs within the boundaries of a publicly committed marriage between one man and one woman. (Genesis 2:24, Ephesians 5:31, Exodus 20:14, Romans 1:26-27)
We teach the sanctity and defense of all human life including the unborn. (Deuteronomy 30:19, Jeremiah 1:5, Proverbs 31:8)
We teach that we are to be proactive in peacemaking. (Ephesians 2:14, Matthew 5:9)
We teach that Christians are to work actively to break down the barriers that divide people; especially those of race, economics, and gender. (Acts 10:34-35, Galatians 3:28) We do not believe that these distinctions will matter in heaven and teach that the church on earth should begin to mirror
this eventual reality. (Matthew 6:10)
Our Associations
-At Hosanna! we are Christians first and Lutherans second.
-We associate freely with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
-We are members of the Willow Creek Association.
-We are committed to missions and outreach, because hurting and lost people matter to God. We feel especially called to share the gospel with Muslims in Southeast Asia.
