Lutherans as Evangelical Catholics

I live in an area where Lutherans are not one of the majority faiths. Evangelism is a huge challenge. I live south of the Bible Belt in the New Orleans area dominated by Roman Catholicism. That said, we are a gumbo bowl, and we do have a mix of other traditions as well - including the whole span of Evangelical Christianity. Being active in my community and in chaplaincy, sometimes people have a hard time figuring out what Lutherans are, where we fit in. Some people are curious, and I would like to give them an answer that doesn’t just make their eyes glaze over. We are both Evangelical and Catholic, but we are also, in many ways, not what people would expect out of an Evangelical or a Catholic.

The temptation is to start with a complicated explanation of doctrine, or give a history lesson. Some people love to talk about such things, and we can work that in with people who do. But we can at least start with something more simple. It’s a temptation to focus on what we aren’t instead of what we are, to define our faith in terms of negatives instead of positives - and to launch into polemics against everybody else. I was thinking about how to explain Lutheranism in a way that won’t simply alienate everyone. I wrote the following little piece on my Substack, and shared it on social media, mainly for local people on my feed. I hope it will serve as a 30,000 foot flyover of who we are, and do so in a way where all Christians can find a touchstone of commonality with us, and maybe be intrigued enough to “Come and see!”

I’m sharing this just in case some of you have had similar thoughts.

Lutherans as Evangelical Catholics

"Come and see!"

Aug 14, 2026

I live and serve in Gretna, Louisiana: a delightful small city with lots of Christians. Our city is mostly Roman Catholic, with a number of Evangelical churches as well. Salem Lutheran Church, along with St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, has traditionally been a pillar of our historically German city. But we are the only Lutheran church in town, and a lot of our neighbors don’t really know much about us. And being involved in our community, I get asked about it a lot.

Maybe the easiest way to sum us up is that we are Evangelical and Catholic. We are “Evangelical Catholics.” So we share a lot with all of our Christian neighbors.

Evangelical

With our Evangelical brothers and sisters we share several things:

• The Bible - We hold the Bible to be God’s inspired Word, and it is our highest authority. We teach the Bible to both young and old, and Bible class is an important part of our life together.

• The Gospel - Central to our faith and life is the Gospel: the good news that Jesus died on the cross to redeem us from sin, death, and the devil. That’s why our churches were called “Evangelical” 500 years ago.

• Preaching - Because of the importance of the cross and the Scriptures, preaching is central to us and to our worship. Our sermons are grounded in the Bible, and our preachers are expected to study the Scriptures in the original languages.

• Music - We are sometimes called “the singing church,” with a long history of hymns that are sung by all Christians. We have an organ and hymnals. Our services themselves are sung by the pastor and the people.

Catholic

With our Catholic brothers and sisters we share several things:

• Liturgy - Our Sunday Divine Service is the Mass. As celebrant, I wear traditional priestly vestments. In our parish, we chant, genuflect, make the sign of the cross, ring bells, and on festive occasions, burn incense. Our Masses reflect the old Catholic form: we kneel at the communion rail, often communing on the tongue, with a traditional “east-facing” altar. We believe in reverence and dignity in worship.

• Sacraments - We teach that Holy Baptism regenerates and saves. We confess that Christ is truly present in the Holy Eucharist. We believe in priestly Confession and Absolution. We believe in the divine Presence, that God uses physical means to manifest His true presence with us.

• Church History - We see ourselves in Catholic continuity with the apostles, with the early church, and with the medieval church. We confess the ecumenical creeds. We often quote the church fathers and hold the saints in high regard as models of the Christian life. We celebrate traditional feast days and the traditional calendar, including Lent, Eastertide, and Advent. Our readings follow the ancient one year lectionary. Our parish prays the daily monastic prayer office called Matins during the week and on Sunday morning.

Evangelical Catholic

Salem Lutheran Church is both Evangelical and Catholic. Our biblical, Christian worldview makes us conservative on issues of life and marriage and the role of authority. We are a member congregation of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. We are patriotic. We support our community. We believe in being good neighbors. Our parish is a friendly and familial community. We eat a lot of meals together, laugh together, work together, and take care of each other. Our children are active in both learning the Bible and in participating fully in our services.

The best way to see what we are about is to, in the words of our Lord, “Come and see!” (John 1:39). Salem Lutheran Church is at 418 4th Street (on the corner of Amelia Street), in Gretna.

• We pray Matins Monday through Friday at 10:00 am.

• Sunday Matins is at 8:30 am. Sunday Bible Class is at 9:00 am. Sunday Divine Service (Mass) is at 10:00 am.

• We also have a Wednesday evening Divine Service (Mass) at 7:30 pm.

For more information, call or text me, the Rev. Larry Beane, at 504-256-3440.