Our church is named after Martin Luther (1483-1546) the sixteenth century church reformer. He was a Roman Catholic priest who--through a careful study of Holy Scripture--re-discovered the biblical truth of the gospel  (the Good News ) as God's merciful, unconditional, forgiveness of sin and promise of eternal life through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Faith in Jesus--and not good works on our part--saves us (Grace Alone Through Faith Alone). However, Luther's  message was rejected by  Roman Catholic Church leaders of his day. But others heard him, and a revolution in Christendom was born.  "Lutheran" was originally used as  a pejorative label, an insult, to describe those who followed  Martin Luther,  Philip Melanchthon, and other reformers in this renewed understanding of biblical truth. Luther had flaws for sure, but the fact that God reached him through the words of the Bible stands as evidence of God's love for sinners. So we claim the name  "Lutheran" not because Martin Luther was great but because God is.