Our Beliefs

Everyone is invited to worship, fellowship, and serve. The Gospel reveals God's astounding grace as an unconditional gift of love for all people, so ethnicity, socioeconomic status, physical or mental ability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status are not barriers to our invitation. Instead, as an inclusive community grounded in God's love and following Jesus' example, we celebrate the diversity of God's creation.

We, Creator Lutheran Church, of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, as part of God's people on earth, through God's love for us, with love for each other, proclaim this to be our mission: to gather for Word and Sacraments, with Holy Communion available each week to all baptized Christians; to teach the Word of God to persons of all ages, so that we might learn and grow spiritually; to extend physical and spiritual help to all who are in need; to work in partnership with all other religious and secular organizations within our community; to provide fellowship and loving support for each other; encouraging tolerance, inclusiveness and unity, with Christ as the Head.

I​​n June of 1978 a request was made to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Church Development to consider a new ministry development in the Sunnyside-Clackamas area of Southeast Portland. The request was finally approved in September of 1986 during planning sessions at Milwaukie Lutheran Church. In December of that year the property on the corner of SE Sunnyside and 132nd was purchased for the new community to begin its ministry.

Since 1983, the Reconciling in Christ (RIC) Program has been a public way for faith communities to see, name, celebrate, and advocate for people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions in the Lutheran church.

In 2021, the ReconcilingWorks staff launched the newly expanded Reconciling in Christ (RIC) partner commitments: to ensure the welcome, inclusion, celebration, and advocacy for people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions; work for racial equity and commit to anti-racist work; and to support the national program. 

In 2024, Creator Church embarked on a journey of vision and values discernment through a series of cottage meeting conversations. These gatherings invited members to reflect deeply on three key questions: What values brought and kept you at Creator? What are your hopes and dreams for Creator? What would we want our descendants to remember about us? Through these heartfelt conversations, we have sought to honor the rich legacy of our community, listen to the Spirit’s guidance, and dream boldly for our future. This discernment process continues as we work together to align our mission and vision with God’s call for Creator Church.