For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son… – Romans 8:29
For as many of you that have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ – Galatians 3:27
So God created man in His own image… – Genesis 1:27

God’s Story

  • God is one God: Father, Son (Jesus) and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19)

  • God is creative (Genesis 1:1), and does everything with excellence (Genesis 1:31)

  • God enjoys loving relationships and created people for that reason (Lev. 26:12)

  • In the beginning, God created a people in His image that He could love, invite to love Him in return and work with Him in cultivating, or building, a Godly culture for His unending Kingdom (Gen. 1:23, 28)

  • After the fall into sin, God saved the people He loved as a free gift by grace through faith in His own Son Jesus Christ who died on a cross for us so that He could put sin to death in His own body and rise from the grave on Easter morning to offer victory over death and the hope of eternal life for all people (Ephesians 1:7; John 3:16; 2 Cor. 5:17)

  • God has promised eternal life for those who believe in Jesus and, until that final day arrives, has graciously promised to be with us through every trial, tribulation, praise or thanksgiving

  • In the beginning people were made in God’s image and masterfully designed for loving relationships and creative excellence (Gen. 1:27, 31)

  • In the Garden of Eden people fell into sin and remain, to this day, God’s enemies who fall short of His glory, are lost in our own selfish and destructive ways and deserve eternal death and condemnation for our sinful condition (Rom. 3:23, 5:10; Matt. 10:28)

  • Despite our faithless rebellion, God continues to love us unconditionally and constantly pursues those who remain apart from Him by freely offering His gift of salvation to all people through faith in Jesus

  • By grace, those who believe are re-created in the image and goodness of Jesus and are empowered by His Word, Supper and Spirit to grow, love, follow and imitate Him every day (2 Cor. 5:17-21; 1 John 4:19)

  • For those who believe in Jesus, we are re-created in the image of Christ and  invited to imitate His life of service, discipleship and worship until He returns for us on the last day (Luke 10:27)

It is grace, nothing but grace, that we are allowed to live in community with Christian brethren. – Dietrich Bonhoeffer
For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. – Ephesians 5:29-30
And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. – Colossians 1:18

Our Story

Immanuel Lutheran Ministries (ILM) exists to reveal the beauty of the Kingdom of God by sharing the goodness of Jesus with all people. In 2012 Immanuel Lutheran Church in Temple and Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Belton merged to become one church in two locations, Immanuel Lutheran Ministries, so that we could share that good news of Jesus to the Eastern portion of Bell County (Temple, Belton, and Salado).

No matter who you are or where you’ve been, strangers are family at ILM. We believe God wants to share the beauty of His Kingdom with you through the goodness of His Son Jesus. Come as you are. You will only find forgiven sinners in our church: Forgiven sinners who are loved by God. Forgiven sinners who have a restored relationship with the Father. Forgiven sinners who are still on their journey of faith. We invite you to join us on that journey!

Whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your God – Martin Luther
Anyone who is to find Christ must first find the church. How could anyone know where Christ is and what faith is in him unless he knew where his believers are? – Martin Luther
Also (Lutherans) teach that men cannot be justified before God by their own strength, merits, or works, but are freely justified for Christ’s sake through faith… – The Augsburg Confession 1580

The Lutheran Story

We’re not the Missouri-Synod because all of the members of our church body live in the state of Missouri! Missouri simply refers to the area of the country where many of our founders first settled in the US.  Additionally, it helps to distinguish our church body from other Lutheran denominations that differ from us.  The word “Synod” means “walking together.” For the Missouri-Synod, we have over 6000 congregations in the US combining efforts and walking together in ministry, mission, and education.

Being a Missouri-Synod church, first of all, means that we are founded on and dedicated to the Holy BibleWe also subscribe to the Lutheran Confessions from the time of the Reformation, as a true exposition of God’s Word. The Missouri Synod teaches that the Scriptures are the sole source and norm for doctrine, practice, and faith. For us, this is what makes a solidly Biblical church!

The Lutheran Church Missouri-Synod, from its outset, made a commitment to Biblically based worship, strong discipleship opportunities, and mission; both locally and throughout the world. This is still true today as ILM walks together with Synod and other LCMS churches, reaching into the community and the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  All of these  are evidences of the LCMS “DNA”!

Martin Luther‘s hope at the time of the Reformation in the 1500’s was to reform or change those teachings and practices in the church that were contrary to God’s Word. Uniquely enough, Luther was also happy to keep the teachings and practices in the church that agreed with God’s Word to begin with. At the same time, those churches which enter into the Evangelical and Reformed branches of Christianity, tended to want to reform everything about the church of the day. Lutheran’s therefore, find themselves uniquely in the middle of the different churches. There are similarities, in fact, with most branches of the Christian church, (Catholicism, the Reformed churches and Evangelicals) but differences remain as well. For a more in depth understanding of Lutherans, visit The LCMS website.

  • There are a few different Lutheran denominations in our country right now. The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod is a church body that is committed to its historic stand on and teaching of the Bible. In this way it is like many other Bible-believing churches in the Evangelical world.

    The Lutheran church Missouri-Synod, however, is also a sacramental church. This means that Lutherans of the Missouri-Synod believe that baptism and the Lord’s Supper are not just symbolic rites done as an expression of personal faith, but instead, are God given, earthly means (water, bread and wine), through which God is at work in our lives. The Bible teaches us that Baptism and Jesus Supper bring God’s blessings, grace, and forgiveness to people by His power in the Word. These are special gifts therefore, that we receive with joy — gifts that work together with God’s Word to strengthen faith, forgive sins, and offer life eternal!

    Finally, The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod is committed to the Lutheran Confessions as true expositions of God’s Word. The Lutheran Confessions are found in the Book of Concord and were written during the time of the Reformation. Though the Lutheran Confessions are not inspired by God like the Bible, Lutherans do believe that they accurately confess what the Bible teaches. It is through these documents that we finally distinguish the Lutheran faith from others.

…because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved – Romans 10:9
So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven – Matthew 10:32
But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed – Galatians 1:8

What We Believe

  • We believe the Bible is God’s Word and is therefore, perfect, without error, and God’s power for salvation
  • We believe the Bible is 66 books written over many years by different people who were inspired by the Holy Spirit as they wrote
  • We believe there is only One God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit
  • We believe the Father created all things
  • We believe the Son, is Jesus, who is the only Lord and Savior
  • We believe the Holy Spirit is the creator and sustainer of our faith in Jesus
  • We believe the Father created the universe in 6, 24-hour days and rested on the 7th day
  • We believe that God created all plants and creatures according to their kids and they do not evolve one species to another
  • We believe humanity was created perfectly in God’s image at creation
  • We believe humanity was separated from God at the fall into sin
  • We believe our sinful condition is passed down from generation to generation and is present at conception
  • We believe evil deeds are the result of our sinful condition
  • We believe that God is just and the appropriate consequence for our sinful condition is death and eternal condemnation for all people
  • We believe Jesus, the Son, is God who came down from heaven, was born of the Virgin Mary, lived, suffered, and died for all sins of the whole world
  • We believe salvation is a free gift of God, received by grace through faith in Jesus
  • We believe Jesus death is the only payment God desires for our salvation
  • We believe people cannot earn salvation with payments to God such as good works
  • We believe that when we are saved, Jesus sets us free to follow Him, pray, praise, give thanks, serve our neighbor and tell others about salvation in Jesus by the power of His Holy Spirit
  • We believe Christian Living is not payment to God for our salvation but, instead, is what we do because we are alive in Christ and empowered by His Holy Spirit
  • We believe baptism is one of the means by which God has promised forgiveness, life and salvation by the power of His Holy Spirit
  • We believe in one baptism and will baptize anyone who desires it for themselves or their family
  • We believe the promise and power in baptism is in God’s Word not the water but that water is a necessary visible element commanded by God
  • We believe the Lord’s Supper is another means by which God has promised forgiveness, life and salvation by the power of His Holy Spirit
  • We believe exactly what Jesus said, that communion is Jesus’ body and blood for the forgiveness of sins
  • We believe the blessings Jesus promises in communion are offered to sinful believers who seek His forgiveness
  • We believe exactly what Jesus said through the apostle Paul, that people can eat and drink judgment on themselves if they don’t first examine themselves and understand how to discern the body and blood or Jesus in communion which leads us to treat it with great respect
  • We believe that the Lord’s Supper is shrouded in many mysteries we can’t fully comprehend but we trust Jesus’ promise that it is His body and blood for our forgiveness and we follow His command to receive it often
  • We believe the promise and power in communion is in God’s Word not the bread or wine but that bread and wine are necessary, visible elements commanded by God