This service offers the congregation a form of worship that focuses on the proclamation of God’s Word. Believers respond to this divine gift with prayer, praise, and thanksgiving.

Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal, pages 38-44

The Service of the Word

Morning Praise is based on the historic service called Matins. As Christians we are connected to Christ through His Word and Sacraments, therefore we glorify God as we rise to the activities of a new day.

Evening Prayer is based on the historic service called Vespers. Christians gather at the end of the day to raise their voices in thankful praise and prayer.

Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal, pages 45-61

Services of Morning Praise & Evening Prayer

The Common Service is a version of the historic liturgy of the Christian Church. It became the service commonly used by English-speaking Lutherans in America and appeared as “The Order of the Holy Communion” in The Lutheran Hymnal. The present revision may be used either with or without the Sacrament.

Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal, pages 15-25

The Common Service

The Service of Word and Sacrament is a version of the historic liturgy of the Christian Church. This order is used as an alternate to the Common Service when Holy Communion is celebrated.

Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal, pages 26-37

The Service of Word and Sacrament

Divine Services at Salem

Thursdays at 7 p.m.

Sundays at 8 a.m.

Sundays at 10:30 a.m.

 

Please watch for special festival services throughout the year.

 

God the Holy Spirit Comes to Us in the Means of Grace

God brings forgiveness and comfort to us with His Holy Word and Holy Communion. We gather in God’s house on Thursdays (7 p.m.) and Sundays (8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.).

God serves all people in His Holy Word at every service with the hymns that we sing to one another, the lessons from the Bible, the sermon, and with the beautiful Bible words of the Liturgy. The sermon preached on a Thursday will be the same sermon preached on the following Sunday.

God serves believers with the Sacrament of Holy Communion  offered at all three services every other week.

God also serves sinners with the Sacrament of Holy Baptism. Whenever a new baby is born to one of our Salem families, we happily anticipate the Baptism of that child. Whenever a unbaptized young adult or adult has studied God’s Word and confesses the true Christian faith and expresses a natural desire to be baptized, we rejoice that one of our pastors will soon be able to pour plain water on their head and in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, God makes that infant, youth, or adult His own dear child.

 

The Unaltered Augsburg Confession (Presented in 1530)

ARTICLE 9: Baptism

Concerning Baptism, our churches teach that Baptism is necessary for salvation [Mark 16:16] and that God’s grace is offered through Baptism [Titus 3:4–7]. Our churches teach that children are to be baptized [Acts 2:38–39]. Being offered to God through Baptism, they are received into God’s grace.

Our churches condemn the Anabaptists, who reject the Baptism of children, and say that children are saved without Baptism.

ARTICLE 10: The Lord’s Supper

Our churches teach that the body and blood of Christ are truly present and distributed to those who eat the Lord’s Supper [1 Corinthians 10:16].

Our churches reject those who teach otherwise.

When We Worship

The Divine Liturgy

Salem commonly uses five orders of service, rotating them throughout the month. Details about each service are given below. Two are services of Holy Communion; the other three revolve around God’s Word and do not celebrate the Sacrament. The following is a list of the services we use at Salem.

Our Communion Practice

We ask that only those who have previously spoken to Pastor Bare and are members in good standing of Salem or another WELS or ELS congregation come to the Lord’s table. This is in no way a judgment of anyone’s faith, but rather we have the Scriptural desire (1 Corinthians 11) to ensure that all who come to the altar know what they are receiving, have examined themselves, and share in our confession of the faith, as it is revealed in the infallible Scriptures and properly explained in the Lutheran Confessions. This has been the historic practice of the Christian Church and is intended to safeguard those from eating and drinking to their harm (see Matthew 18:15-18; 1 Corinthians 11:27-30; 2 John 10-11). St. Paul warns that those who receive the Sacrament unworthily (that is, without examining themselves, recognizing the real presence of the Body and Blood of our Lord, or tolerating error and false teachings) eat and drink judgment on themselves. No one would want a doctor who prescribed medicine without knowing his patient’s condition, and no Christian should want a pastor who would administer this Sacrament in a similarly inappropriate way. This is an act of love and is done with the full hope of communing with you in the future, after we are better acquainted and any appropriate instruction has taken place.