Messiah Lutheran Congregation of Sterling, Illinois was established in 1875. The congregation, founded on the deep roots of the Lutheran tradition, believes in the Triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe that all people are born into a sinful state, separated from God, and that we are unable to reach eternal glory through our own efforts. We believe that God the Father sent His only
Son into human flesh, out of His love for the world. In living the perfect life, and through His suffering and sacrificial death, and by His rising on Easter morning, Jesus Christ conquered sin, death, and the devil. In doing so, He provided a means for salvation for all people – that whoever believes by in Him by faith will have eternal life. We also believe that in Baptism, we are gifted with the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, continuing to feed and nurture our faith in God and in our love for one another. We are a church body of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.
