What does 'Zion Lutheran' mean?

The following article was published in the Advance News Journal (weekly newspaper serving Hidalgo County) on September 23, 2020. I’d like you to read it from the perspective of someone from the community we serve, of no particular age, gender, or demographic; someone looking for a church home; someone who is not Lutheran.

In the three years I’ve had the privilege and pleasure of serving at Zion Lutheran Church in Alamo, it’s become clear to me that our church—in particular, our church building—on South Alamo Road may be losing its identity. I often wonder what, if any, impression our building makes on passers-
by. There’s no spire, no bell tower (well, there’s an aging one near the front doors, a sentinel from another era), only a big blue cross holding an electric sign with ZION LUTHERAN CHURCH across the top in letters that you’d swear weren’t there the first time you looked (like the bell tower, this cross is a sentinel guarding a different time). Our present building, opened in 1967, was a departure from its original, early 20^th-century small-town church design.

Our name has a distant ring to it from nearly a century ago, when our congregation was established in 1927. Once upon a time, there were hundreds of Zion Lutheran Churches scattered about the U.S., each with a name not unfamiliar to the communities they served. Today, however, in English (or even Spanish: La Iglesia Luterana Sión) such a name may seem almost cult-like.

Yes, it’s possible that in this era of bicultural and bilingual neighbors, as well as spiritual ambivalence, our church may be experiencing something of an identity crisis. Folks with only a cursory knowledge of the Bible might think “Zion” is a surname. And I’ve found that amid a predominately Catholic population, the name “Lutheran” may or may not be familiar; I’ve been asked if Lutherans are Christians and heard more than once “We’re not Christian, we’re Catholic.” Our building’s somewhat ambiguous façade and our cryptic-sounding name echoes, but may also obscure, a heritage of Christ-centered church life built around family, fellowship, and community service in a city that’s barely older than the congregation itself.

Our founders weren’t alone in their choice of a parish name that was not only pious, but identifiably Protestant; Zion appears in the Old Testament 152 times meaning Jerusalem and in the New Testament has come to mean the Church, as well as the heavenly city in Revelation. And there aren’t too many churches with “Zion” and “Catholic” in the name, due to the Roman Catholic tradition regarding parish names.

As for the name “Lutheran,” that belonged to Martin Luther, a 16^th-century Roman Catholic priest and theology professor in Germany who found himself at odds with the church he loved over, among other issues, the sale of forgiveness of sins (called “indulgences”) and was excommunicated by the pope. This explains why Lutheran pastors wear robes and stoles in (pardon the pun) Catholic fashion, and why Baptism and Communion in our church are considered sacraments.

Does this mean we’re some strangely named branch of Protestants with Catholic underpinnings? Not quite. In 1522, Luther wrote “I ask that my name be left silent and people not call themselves Lutheran, but rather Christians.” The fact is, we believe that we are saved by God’s grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone. We teach that Jesus is the focus of the entire Bible and that faith in him alone is the way to eternal salvation. Nothing more, nothing less.

A church is not its name and building, but its people. A new era is dawning at Zion Lutheran Church—maybe it is time for us to address our identity, to remind folks in our wonderfully bicultural community that our doors are open, as they have been for the past 93 years. I personally invite you to visit us online at www.zionalamo.org. Then consider visiting us in person. Become part of our history. Be part of our future!

I believe that future growth and outreach success will depend on our ability, resolve, and desire to put ourselves in the shoes of our neighbors in order to better meet their needs. What they look like or where they come from is immaterial; that they need a Savior is a fact. A new dawn is rising in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and the future is bright!

Consider the question that so many others beyond the church doors may already be asking: What does Zion Lutheran mean?

Until next month…

Peace be with you all,

Pastor E.B.