About

Zion Lutheran Church in Melville, Saskatchewan was organized in 1912 as a congregation of Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. She has been blessed richly for over 100 years as God has faithfully given the gifts of salvation and eternal life through His Word and Sacraments. Zion has not pursued the fads and trends of society and pop culture, but clings to the unchanging Word of God and the ancient divine liturgy through which God serves us, giving us the forgiveness of sins.

The Bible is the foundation of everything we believe, teach, and confess. Because of the tragedy of division with the Church of Christ, there has been a need for confessions which confess what we believe. We still hold to the ancient creeds of the church accepted by all Christianity, namely the Apostle’s, Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds. We also hold to the Lutheran Confessions as found in the Book of Concord, because we believe they present the true doctrine of the Bible.

The centre of our faith is Jesus and the forgiveness He gives to us, thus we are a Sacramental church. Baptism, Absolution, and the Lord’s Supper are central to our faith.

Holy Baptism

We believe that Holy Baptism was instituted by Christ (Mt. 28:19) and gives the forgiveness of sins and the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). Our Baptism into Christ Jesus is our Baptism into His death (Rom. 6:3). Thus, “Baptism… now saves you” (1 Pt. 3:21). Since “the promise is for you and for your children” (Acts 2:39), we also Baptize infants, “for to such belongs the kingdom of God” (Mk 10:14).

Holy Absolution

Jesus sends His called ministers to forgive the sins of repentant sinners, saying, “Whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Mt. 18:18), and “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven” (Jn 20:23). Thus, we confess our sins publically in the Divine Service and privately before the pastor when there is sin which weighs heavily on our hearts. We then receive absolution, that is, forgiveness, from the pastor as if from God Himself, since “The one who hears you hears Me” (Lk. 10:16).

The Lord’s Supper

We believe that in the Lord’s Supper we receive the true body and blood of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, since He said, “This is My body… this is My blood” (Mt. 26:26, 28). Jesus also tells us that He instituted the Supper “for the forgiveness of sins” (Mt. 26:28). However, since it is possible to receive the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner and thus eat and drink judgment on one’s self (1 Cor. 11:27, 29), we practise closed communion. This means that only those may partake with us who have been instructed in what we believe and confess, and themselves make the confession their own by holding membership in a Lutheran Church-Canada congregation or a congregation in fellowship with Lutheran Church Canada such as Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. If you are not yet a member, please speak with the pastor about receiving instruction so that you too may join us in receiving the forgiveness God freely offers in this meal.