Our Core
Jesus
At our core, we believe Jesus is the Son of God.
Our Foundation
5 Rocks
We've produced a short video series explaining the 5 rocks of Lutheran teaching. View these below.
Our History
Since 1857
sharing the good news of Jesus in Australia.
Our Child Safety Commitment
We're committed to child safety.
LCANZ Bishop Paul Smith introduces the ‘5 big rocks of Lutheran teaching’ in this video series that explores how God’s mission is embodied throughout the LCAQD.
The short answer is that Jesus was a person who lived some 2000 years ago. He performed miracles and was an inspirational teacher. He claimed to be one with God. However, the Jewish people rejected him, and had him crucified by the Roman Empire. Jesus' followers claimed he rose from the dead and appeared to thousands of people before disappearing (in human form) from history.
So why bother to engage with the narratives of Jesus? Christians believe that
- Jesus lived, died and rose again, and so we say 'who is Jesus?' not 'who was Jesus?'
- Jesus was more than just an inspirational teacher and miracle worker …
- Jesus was more than a social and religious revolutionary …
- Jesus reveals the heart of God for us because he is truly God and truly human.
That doesn’t mean that we are oblivious (or ignorant) to suffering in our own lives or in the lives of people around us. Suffering and pain are very real and very powerful. But what we believe is that through faith in who Jesus is and what he has done, God fills us with a freedom and hope that enables us to live complete, abundant lives, free from shame and guilt. In fact, that is what Jesus promised. He said “I have come that you may have life. Life in all its fullness.” (From the Bible, John 10:10)
The foundation of a building is what keeps it grounded. For a building to be strong, the foundation needs to be strong too.
The LCAQD is grounded on a strong foundation. This foundation defines and clarifies the values which drive all that we do; whether in a Lutheran congregation, Lutheran Services, Lutheran Education Queensland, or Lutheran Youth of Queensland. Whether you have had a long standing involvement with the LCAQD, or are a newcomer, the 3-5 minute video clips above provide an understanding of all that underlies who we are and what we do. Introduced by LCAQD Bishop Paul Smith, the videos introduce the 5 big rocks of Lutheran teaching…
- God is revealed as gracious and merciful
- We are beloved and unique creatures of a loving creator
- We sin against God and against each other
- We are made to be with and for each other in relationships
- God’s ways are justice, mercy and peace
Lutheran Church Origins in Queensland
Lutherans belong to a world-wide group of Christian Churches which identify with the witness of the Augsburg Confession. This collection of teachings was written in 1530 in Germany to guide Christians in making clear the good news of all that was done for us through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The key influence in the writing of the Augsburg Confession was the German pastor and teacher Dr Martin Luther.
Today, there are over 70 million people in Lutheran Churches in all the continents of the earth. Although small in number in Australia and New Zealand, the Lutheran Church worldwide is the largest of the Protestant denominations.
Lutheran people first came to Queensland in 1837 when a group of 22 missionaries arrived in Nundah as the first free settlers in Queensland. They established a mission to serve the local Aboriginal people on the north side of the Brisbane River. The new settlers were predominantly German lay missionaries trained by the Gossner Mission Society in Germany and part of their work included establishing the first Lutheran school in Queensland. The party included two Lutheran pastors and every member of the group had a specific vocation to serve. They came with a missional heart to share the Good News of Jesus with the local people.
This first mission station closed within a decade but it established a legacy of missional outreach and education for our church.
LCAQD Growth
In the years that followed, from 1855 until 1890, there was large scale migration from Germany to Queensland, sponsored by the new Queensland Government with about 19,000 German immigrants settling as farmers in rural areas across South-East Queensland. Most of these German settlers were Lutheran and their influx provided the foundation of what has grown to become the Lutheran Church in Queensland.
In the late 1800s the Church was bolstered by the movement of more German migrant families from Western Victoria and South Australia looking for farming land and opportunity. Many Scandinavian Lutherans also immigrated to Queensland at this time. Following World War II the cultural diversity of the Lutheran church was broadened further by an influx of Finnish Lutherans who migrated to Queensland. Today, Queensland has the largest population of Finnish speaking residents of all the states and territories of Australia.
It isn’t until the mid-1960s that the modern Queensland Lutheran Church that we know really starts to take shape. The migration of various Lutheran church groups over the preceding 120 years had resulted in fragmented church communities. This division ended in 1966 with the union of various Lutheran Synods to form a single Lutheran church in Australia. It’s from that point that we really see the Lutheran Church in Queensland take shape with the missional foundations of our Church flourishing again through significant outreach and growth, particularly in education and community care.
LCAQD Today
Today the Queensland District of the Lutheran Church is an expression of the mission of God in the Lutheran Church of Australia and New Zealand. The people of the Lutheran Church in Queensland serve in over 65 Parishes with 11 Aged Care Services, 3 Youth and Family Support Centres, 5 Places for Care for People with Disability, 2 Youth Camp Sites, 27 Schools and 58 Centres for Early Childhood work, all governed by the “Lutheran Church of Australia Queensland District” administered through the Church’s office located in Milton in Brisbane.
We give thanks to God for the commitment of those who came before us. We are inspired by their courage and faith in reaching out to Indigenous Australians, followed by those who established congregations and schools, and developed other institutions which continue to serve the wider Australian and New Zealand communities.
You can learn more about the world-wide Lutheran Church here:
https://www.lutheranworld.org/
and also at the Lutheran Church of Australia website.
Statement of Commitment to Child Safety
In keeping with the LCA’s strong desire to maximise the safety of children and young people, its commitment to implement the Royal Commission’s recommendations, and in anticipation of future government regulation, the LCA Child Protection Project Team developed the LCA Child Safety Standards for Congregations (the CSS) as a mechanism for implementing the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations.
Following consultation with congregations, the CSS were approved by the General Church Board in October 2021.
Supporting documentation and more information will be progressively added to the Child Safety Standards page on the LCA website. We recommend that you bookmark this page as the central resource for everything CSS related and become familiar with this material. Share this information with others to spread the word and engage in this strengthening of the LCA Safety Management System.
You can also check our Professional Standards page or contact the LCA Professional Standards Officer based in the Queensland District: Kitrina Scott-Davies 0490 889 652 kitrina.scott-davies@qld.lca.org.au
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