Bishops Welcome
Welcome to the website of the Lutheran Church in Queensland.
I greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, on behalf of the many people of the Lutheran Church in Queensland District, from Cape York in the North to the Tweed River in the south, from Mt Isa to Mackay.
Back in 1876, the new state leaders of Queensland decided that the sign of the cross would be at the heart of our state badge and coat of arms. The badge shows the crown of Her Majesty placed upon the symbol of the Maltese cross. Today this is a symbol that is quickly recognised across Australia as the Maltese cross and is also the emblem of many of our Ambulance services.
Our forebears have given Queenslanders this godly heritage: Our state, our Churches, our common life are always to be found “under the cross.”
The Maltese cross with its eight points was originally the emblem of the Knights of St John, otherwise known as the Knights Hospitaler. They were Christian folk who established a ministry in the Holy Land just after the year 1000AD, helping to provide care for the sick, the poor and the injured. The Knights of St John eventually established their headquarters on the Island of Malta and took on this special cross form as the symbol of their work of care, hence we know it today as the Maltese cross.
The people of the communities of the Lutheran Church in Queensland gather under the sign of the cross of Jesus Christ. Like the Knights Hospitaler, we serve in various ways in the name of our Lord Jesus who once declared in the synagogue in Nazareth: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’
On behalf of the people of the Lutheran Church in this wonderful sunshine state, I pray God’s blessing upon you and your loved ones.
Bishop Paul Smith
Looking to the future
Our Strategic Charter 2017-2021 outlines our strategic priorities as we seek to engage people with God’s love in everyday life.
