LIFE OF FAITH | WHO WE ARE | WHAT WE BELIEVE

Living by Grace

As a church in the Lutheran tradition, St. Stephen people emphasize the grace of God at work in the world. What is grace? It's the belief that the love of God for humanity is so vast and all-encompassing that there is nothing people can do (or fail to do) that will overshadow that love.

God's grace is made known through God working in people's hearts and through the outreach of discipleship by the members of the community. That discipleship outreach is an imperative for Christians, but not a requirement to earn God's favor.

For a model of this discipleship, we look to our church’s namesake, Stephen. As the early church got going in the book of Acts, Jesus’ original disciples selected seven people who were “full of the Spirit and wisdom” to lead the church’s efforts to care for the poor, orphans, and widows. Stephen was a leader among this group, doing justice and promoting the love of God through this outreach. You can read about him in Acts 6 and 7!