Atonement Lutheran Church is a congregation of the Montana Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). We believe that we are freed in Christ to serve and love our neighbor. With our hands, we do God’s work of restoring and reconciling communities in Jesus Christ’s name at home and abroad. Our mission and vision parallel that of the wider church and synod -
The Mission of the ELCA
Mark with the cross of Christ forever, we are claimed, gathered and sent for the sake of the world. The Vision of the ELCA
Claimed by God’s grace for the sake of the world, we are a new creation through God’s living word by the power of the Holy Spirit;
Gathered by God’s grace for the sake of the world, we will live among God’s faithful people, hear God’s word and share God’s supper;
Sent by God’s grace for the sake of the world, we will proclaim the good news of God in
Christ through word and deed, serve all people following the example of our Lord Jesus, and strive for justice and peace in all the world. The Mission of the Montana Synod
Marked by the cross of Christ forever, abundantly blessed, we faithfully serve God and neighbor
The Vision of the Montana Synod
Every person a witness, every minister equipping witness, every congregation and ministry, empowered for witness, serving faithfully. Atonement Lutheran Church
Our Mission
Welcoming all in the name of Jesus. Our Vision
Worship God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; proclaim God’s saving Gospel; carry out Christ’s Great Commission; serve in response to God’s love to meet human needs; nurture its members, and manifest the oneness of the church by living together in the love of God. The story of our founding is likewise tied to local, synodical, and churchwide movements. In 1960, three church bodies merged to form the American Lutheran Church: the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the United Evangelical Church, and a body formed in 1930 which had also been called the American Lutheran Church. In 1961, the American Lutheran Church, or ALC, celebrated its formation by organizing nineteen "Jubilee Year" congregations, one in each of its geographic "districts." All nineteen of the new congregations were named "Atonement Lutheran Church." A merger of three Lutheran churches formed the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in 1988: The American Lutheran Church, The Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches, and The Lutheran Church in America. Like other Lutheran bodies, the roots are found in the apostolic church, the Reformation of the 16th century, and the mid-17th century, when early Lutherans came to America from Europe, settling in the Virgin Islands and the area that is now known as New York.
