Frequently Asked Questions
Honest answers to the questions we hear most. Have another? Ask a pastor — the best questions end up on this page.
Are Lutherans Protestant or Catholic?
Both words need care. Historically, Lutherans are the original "protestants" — but the Reformation was not a rejection of the catholic (universal) faith. We confess the same creeds, keep the liturgy and the church year, and baptise, absolve, and commune as the Church always has. Lutherans are best described as evangelical catholics: the ancient faith of the Western Church, with the Gospel — not the papacy — at its centre. What we rejected was not "being catholic" but specific medieval teachings that obscured Christ. Read more in Why Lutheranism for Ireland?
How is the Divine Service different from the Mass?
In shape, remarkably little: confession, readings, sermon, creed, Sanctus, the Lord's Supper. Two differences matter. First, the service is in the language of the people and centred on the preaching of the Gospel. Second, we do not offer the Supper to God as a propitiatory sacrifice for sins; Christ's sacrifice was offered once for all on Calvary (Hebrews 10:10–14). At the altar the direction of travel is reversed: God gives His gifts to us — Christ's true body and blood, for the forgiveness of sins.
Do Lutherans pray to Mary and the saints?
We honour them — Mary above all, as the blessed Mother of God, and the saints as examples of faith. The Augsburg Confession says the saints should be held in remembrance so that we may imitate their faith and good works. But we do not invoke them in prayer, because Scripture directs prayer to God alone and gives us one mediator: “there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). No saint's intercession could add anything to an audience with God Himself, which every baptised Christian already has.
Do Lutherans have confession?
Yes — and we treasure it. Private confession and absolution before the pastor was retained at the Reformation and is practised among us. The difference: confession is not a legal requirement with a tariff of penances, but a gift for terrified consciences. The pastor's absolution is God's own forgiveness, spoken aloud so you can hear it and be certain of it. See the Catechism on Confession.
Do Lutherans believe Christ is really present in the Eucharist?
Yes, emphatically. The bread is Christ's true body; the wine is His true blood — because He said so. We differ from Rome only in declining to explain the mystery by the philosophical theory of transubstantiation, and we differ sharply from those Protestant churches that treat the Supper as a mere symbol or memorial. Luther fought harder for the Real Presence against other Protestants than he ever fought against Rome on this point.
How are you different from the Church of Ireland?
We share a liturgical inheritance, but we are bound to a definite confession of doctrine — the Book of Concord — which fixes what is preached and taught among us, and we hold the historic positions on Scripture, the sacraments, and moral teaching without revision. If you want the reverence of the old ways and certainty about what the church actually believes, that is precisely what confessional Lutheranism is for.
I was baptised Catholic. Would I need to be baptised again?
No — never. Your baptism in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is valid and precious, and it is yours for life. Rebaptism would deny God's work the first time. Whatever else you are uncertain about, be certain of this: you are baptised.
Did Luther start a new church?
He never intended to, and we deny that he did. Luther died believing he was a reformer of the one Church, not a founder of another. The Lutheran confession claims to be nothing other than the teaching of the Scriptures and the ancient Church — which is why our confessions open with the three creeds every Christian in Ireland already knows. The name "Lutheran" was originally an insult from opponents; what we actually confess is the catholic faith, evangelically understood.
Are you connected to the Lutheran church in Dublin?
We are a distinct work. The Lutheran Church in Ireland in Dublin primarily serves the German-speaking community and stands in the mainline European Lutheran tradition. Our mission is English-speaking, based in Munster, and confessional — aligned with the ELCE and LCMS, which hold to the historic Lutheran confessions in full. We wish them well; we are simply a different tradition within Lutheranism.
I'm a practising Catholic / atheist / nothing in particular. Am I welcome?
Yes. The Divine Service is public worship — come, listen, and weigh what you hear against the Scriptures. Nobody will pressure you, recruit you, or ring you afterwards. “Come and see” (John 1:46) is the whole of our method.