CONFIRMATION CLASS LESSON 9

What is Church and what makes a church a “good church?” Why are there so many churches that call themselves “Christian?”

The Christian Church The Gospel in all its forms: WORD, baptism, & Lord’s Supper)..

Denominations (& visible churches) 1. Does God want all Christians to be united? I Corinthians 1:10 Yes 2. What should be the basis for this unity? Matthew 28:19-20 John 8:31b Everything Jesus commanded us and the teachings of Scripture

Denominations (& visible churches) 3. What should we do when we find a church which teaches all of God’s Word in truth? Hebrews 10:23-25 I Thessalonians 5:11 God wants us to support/join such a church. God wants us to spur one another one toward love and good deeds, meet together for worship, encourage one another, and build each other up.

Denominations (& visible churches) 4. What should we do when we find that a church teaches something other than God’s Word (by adding to it, taking away from it, or changing it)? 2 Timothy 4:3-4 Hebrews 13:9 Romans 16:16-17 Keep away from them

Discussion Question What is a “non-denominational” church?  "Non-denominational" institutions or churches are those not formally aligned with an established denomination, or that remain otherwise officially autonomous. This, however, does not preclude an identifiable standard among such congregations. Non-denominational congregations may establish a functional denomination by means of mutual recognition of or accountability to other congregations and leaders with commonly held doctrine, policy and worship without formalizing external direction or oversight in such matters. Some non-denominational churches explicitly reject the idea of a formalized denominational structure as a matter of principle, holding that each congregation is better off being autonomous.denominationdoctrinepolicyworshipautonomous  Non-denominational is generally used to refer to one of two forms of independence: political or theological. That is, the independence may come about because of a religious disagreement or political disagreement. This causes some confusion in understanding. Some churches say they are non-denominational because they have no central headquarters (though they may have affiliations with other congregations). Other churches say they are non-denominational because their belief structures are one of a kind… (Wikipedia) Is such a thing a good thing? No. No solid foundation of doctrine.

Zion As a Christian church body, our calling is to nurture the faith of our members and to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world. Everything about the way we're organized is designed to serve that dual purpose. We are the third largest Lutheran church body in America with 1,287 churches; 383,506 baptized members; and 303,130 communicant members. We have 12 districts to allow for more area-specific ministry, personal contacts, and member involvement. We support work in world mission fields like Malawi, Zambia, Cameroon, Nigeria, Albania, Bulgaria, Japan, Russia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, India, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico. We also support mission work in the United States, Canada, and the West Indies. We maintain Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Minn., Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon, Wis., and two preparatory high schools: Luther Preparatory School in Watertown, Wis., and Michigan Lutheran Seminary in Saginaw, Mich., for the education of our pastors, teachers, and staff ministers. Our congregations—either individually or as federations—operate one of the largest Lutheran school systems in the country with 324 Lutheran elementary schools; 403 early childhood ministries; 25 area Lutheran high schools; and Wisconsin Lutheran College, Milwaukee, Wis. We run one of the largest Christian prison ministries in the nation, distributing hundreds of thousands of Bibles and Bible correspondence courses to inmates across the United States over the last 20 years. We are a member of the Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference, an organization of 20 confessional church bodies throughout the world. Statistics are taken from WELS' 2011 Statistical Report. School enrollment numbers are from the school year stats: Total number of communicants: 441 Total number of children: 95 Total: 536 Average attendance: 191

WELS  As a Christian church body, our calling is to nurture the faith of our members and to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world. Everything about the way we're organized is designed to serve that dual purpose.  We are the third largest Lutheran church body in America with 1,287 churches; 383,506 baptized members; and 303,130 communicant members.  We support work in world mission fields like Malawi, Zambia, Cameroon, Nigeria, Albania, Bulgaria, Japan, Russia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, India, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico. We also support mission work in the United States, Canada, and the West Indies.

WELS W orl d wi de Un ite d St at es co ng re g ati on s 1, co ng re g ati on s 8 6, b a pti ze d m e m be rs 3 8 3, b a pti ze d m e m be rs pr ea chi ng st ati on s 2 3 pr ea chi ng st ati on s 8 te ac he rs 2, te ac he rs na tio na l p as to rs 1, p as to rs 1 7 stu de nt p as to rs 1, stu de nts tr ai ni ng fo r th e pu bli c mi nis tr y na tio na l ev an ge list s 9 8 st af f mi nis te rs 1 3 na tio na l vic ar s 3 5 se mi na ry stu de nt vic ar s Bi bl e Ins tit ut e stu de nts 2 2 no n- tr a dit io na l p as to ra l stu de nts se mi na ry stu de nts 8 9 se mi na ry stu de nts WorldwideUnited States 533 congregations1,287 congregations 86,502 baptized members383,506 baptized members 132 preaching stations23 preaching stations 8 teachers2,706 teachers 146 national pastors1,349 pastors 17 student pastors 1,239 students training for the public ministry 197 national evangelists 98 staff ministers 13 national vicars35 seminary student vicars 220 Bible Institute students 22 non-traditional pastoral students 145 seminary students89 seminary students

WELS  WELS President: Pastor Mark Schroeder  Our District: Western Wisconsin District

Characteristics of a “good” church 1 st : Love God above all things 2 nd : Obey His Word 3 rd : Teach all of His Word 4 th : Strengthens people’s faith through regular use of the means of grace (Word and Sacrament). 5 th : Avoid false doctrine and false teachers.

Church Fellowship  See page 5.  Read notes 1 & 2.

Homework Complete homework section. Next class time: December 12

Youtube… Koine here on December 5 at 7 pm.  &list=UUIwKN8tbGdFqj_q5pa9-- qA&index=17&feature=plpp_video

Review lesson # 9 Small Catechism: Employees Quiz