A Note from Pastor Gregory P. Fryer, October 2020

Our congregation, Immanuel Lutheran Church, joined the NALC in February 2016. Our decision to join the NALC followed earnest deliberations within our congregation and respectful consultation with the Metropolitan New York Synod (ELCA). It was not an easy move for us.

I was the one who recommended that we join the NALC. As I see things, the issue was the classic one in the history of controversies in American Lutheranism. The issue was the Bible. The issue was not about loving the Bible or honoring the Bible. All sides at Immanuel love and honor the Bible. The issue was rather about how to read the Bible. I favored the NALC because I believed that that church reads the Bible in a traditional way. In recommending the NALC, I was doing the best I could to maintain what is called the “apostolic continuity” of our congregation. That is, I wanted the apostles, martyrs, and saints through the ages to be able to look at Immanuel and recognize that somehow we are preaching the same gospel as they did.

Good, faithful, and learned members of our congregation opposed our move to the NALC. Their arguments were powerful and I am grateful to them for helping us to think things out. At this stage, four years later now, I hope that even those who opposed the move would say that the actual life of our congregation has not much changed. We have long been a peaceful congregation — a theologically conservative congregation devoted to liturgy, preaching, teaching, and good works. I believe that is still true of us. The move to the NALC was not so much about the life of our congregation, but rather the context within which our congregation lives.

For Lutherans of a moderate nature, I believe that Immanuel is the only game in town, and this is a big town! We are the only NALC congregation in Manhattan, at least for now. God bless all the other Lutheran congregations, but our path is different. It is a more traditional path, in my opinion.

I am proud of the NALC. I know many of our national leaders. I have served on an important commission of the NALC: the Commission on Theology and Doctrine. Pastor Carol still serves on that Commission. So we are proud of the NALC and have included some information about the NALC for you — things like links to the NALC website and recent NALC newsletters. Pastor Carol and I hope you find these things helpful and interesting.

God be with you always.

In Christ,

Pastor Gregory P. Fryer

NALC Core Values (from the NALC website):

Christ Centered
We confess the apostolic faith in Jesus Christ according to the Holy Scriptures. We affirm the authority of the Scriptures as the authoritative source and norm, “according to which all doctrines should and must be judged” (Formula of Concord). We accept the ecumenical creeds and the Lutheran Confessions as true witnesses to the Word of God.

Mission Driven
We believe that the mission of the Church is to preach the Gospel and to make disciples for Christ. We believe that making disciples — in our congregations, in our communities and nations, and around the world — must be a priority of the Church in the present age.

Traditionally Grounded
We affirm the ecumenical creeds and the faithful witness of the Church across time and space. We endorse the form and practices of the universal Church that are consistent with Scripture, particularly the office of the ministry and the tradition of worship under Word and Sacrament. We seek dialogue and fellowship with other Lutheran churches and with faithful Christians of other confessions.

Congregationally Focused
We strive to be a church that is organized to facilitate the ministries of local congregations in a posture of servanthood and a spirit of partnership, through the provision of resources, connections and information.