At Town and Country Lutheran Church, we confess that every human being is created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), known by Him before birth (Psalm 139:13β16), and redeemed by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Life is not something we earn or measure by usefulness, ability, or convenience. It is a gift, given and sustained by the Creator from conception to natural death.
Because life comes from God, its value comes from God too β not from the world's shifting opinions about whose life counts. This is why we hold what the Church has always held: that the unborn, the elderly, the disabled, the suffering, and the dying are all our neighbors, all worth defending, all loved by the God who made them.
We speak on these matters not to condemn but to confess the truth in love, and to point every person β including those who carry sorrow or regret over decisions of the past β to the forgiveness and life found in Christ.
We believe that human life begins at conception and that the deliberate destruction of an unborn child is contrary to God's Word and His gift of life. The Fifth Commandment, "You shall not murder," extends its protection to the most vulnerable and voiceless among us.
But our confession does not end with the Law. We know that many have been touched by abortion β as mothers, fathers, family members, or friends β and carry quiet grief. To anyone who has, we want to be clear: there is no sin so great that the cross of Christ cannot cover it. We are here to walk alongside you with the Gospel of forgiveness, not to pile on shame.
We rejoice with couples who long for children, and we grieve with those who struggle with infertility β a sorrow Scripture itself takes seriously. At the same time, we recognize that modern reproductive technologies, including in vitro fertilization, raise serious questions because every human embryo is already a human life created in God's image. The LCMS has summarized the guiding principle simply: always to care, never to kill. Practices that create, freeze, discard, or experiment upon embryonic human beings cannot be reconciled with the value God places on that life. We encourage anyone navigating these decisions to speak with their pastor, who is glad to walk through them prayerfully and confidentially.
Just as life is God's gift at its beginning, so it remains His gift at its end. We do not believe that suffering, age, or terminal illness diminishes a person's worth or makes their life expendable. We reject euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide, which treat death as a solution rather than an enemy already conquered by Christ.
This does not mean we must prolong dying by every possible means. Christians may, in good conscience, decline burdensome or futile treatment and entrust themselves to God's care. The distinction matters: we may allow death to come, but we do not take life. In every case, our calling is to comfort, accompany, and care for the dying, never to abandon or hasten them.
If you are wrestling with any of these issues β a pregnancy, a diagnosis, a decision about a loved one, or a wound from the past β please know you are not alone, and you are welcome here. Reach out to Pastor Mankin at pastor.mankin@tclutheranchurch.org. The same Christ who is the Author of life is also the Author of mercy.
The Lutheran ChurchβMissouri Synod (LCMS)
LCMS Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR) β official doctrinal reports
Affiliated organization