The Three Ecumenical Creeds

Lutherans, along with Christians throughout the history of our Christianity, have summarized the content of our faith through the three “Ecumenical Creeds;” the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed. 

The Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed are commonly used in the liturgical worship of the Lutheran Church.  On the other hand, the Athanasian Creed, because of its length, is rarely used in formal worship.

These Creeds are available on this website in the English translation used in the Lutheran Book of Worship, which was the result of the collaboration of four Lutheran church bodies, and so most representative of a breadth of Lutheran practice.

By stressing the importance of the creeds, Lutherans are affirming that this expression of the Christian faith which grew from the Lutheran Reformation beginning on October 31, 1517, places this reforming movement in harmony with the prior sixteen centuries of Christianity: the “one holy catholic and apostolic faith.”