St. John's Lutheran Church

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What We Believe

We hold to the Lutheran Confessions. What does this mean?

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Sunday Schedule

9:15 am Sunday School / Bible Class
10:15 am Divine Service (with Holy Communion)

We are a Confessional Lutheran Church

The Bible is the Word of God and is:

Inspired
Inerrant
Infallible
Clear
Sufficient
Efficacious

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About Us

We are a member of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod (LCMS). We are part of the Mid-South District.

In 1918 several local Lutheran families banded together with pastors from Zion Lutheran Church of Augsburg serving them in local homes.
In 1923 five families formally organized as First Lutheran Church of Russellville. On December 9, 1923 the First Evangelical Lutheran Church on the corner of Second Street and El Paso was dedicated to the service of the Triune God.
In 1940 the congregation outgrew and sold their church property. Services were held in the American Legion Hut. During the week meetings were held in homes.
In 1947 the congregation purchased property at the corner or Third Street and Boulder Avenue with ground breaking in 1948.
Growth relocation again occurred in 1973 to North Yuma Avenue [renamed North Cumberland for 911 purposes]. This is the current location of St. John’s Lutheran Church for our service to the Triune God.

Meet our pastor

Pastor Joshua Schooping

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Sermons and More

Check out the latest from Pastor Schooping’s YouTube Channel.

Grace: The One Thing Necessary – First Midweek Vespers in Lent – 2025 March 12 Sermon

St. John’s Lutheran Church, LCMS: Russellville, AR
Sermon: Grace: The One Thing Necessary
Date: 2025 March 12 – First Midweek Vespers in Lent
Rev. Joshua Schooping

http://www.stjohns-lutheranchurch.org/
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Grace: The One Thing Necessary – First Midweek Vespers in Lent – 2025 March 12 Sermon

St. John’s Lutheran Church, LCMS: Russellville, AR Sermon: Grace: The …

The Eternal Life of Faith – First Sunday in Lent – 2025 March 9 Sermon

St. John’s Lutheran Church, LCMS: Russellville, AR Sermon: The Eternal …

Mist and Ashes – Ash Wednesday – 2025 March 5 Sermon

St. John’s Lutheran Church, LCMS: Russellville, AR Sermon: Mist and …

The Transfiguration of Human Nature – The Transfiguration of the Lord – 2025 March 2 (low volume)

[Apologies for low volume.] St. John’s Lutheran Church, LCMS: …

On the Eastern Orthodox Doctrine of Theosis

This talk seeks to examine the later Byzantine doctrine of theosis, …

This talk seeks to examine the later Byzantine doctrine of theosis, especially as framed by Gregory Palamas, whose theology of theosis was formally canonized in three councils of universal authority …amongst Eastern Orthodox churches.

Theosis as a general concept in the Church is not itself a later development. It was taught by Irenaeus, Athanasius, and Gregory of Nazianzus, not to mention Maximus the Confessor, John of Damascus, and others, and furthermore is mentioned in the Philokalia, texts collected from the 4th to the 14th Centuries. The later development is twofold: (1) the shift from being a doctrine known only to monks and scholars to being one widely promulgated, and (2) Gregory Palamas grounding theosis in the Blessed Virgin Mary (via hesychasm) both historically and as an ongoing principle.

To the question, Where in the official pronouncements of the Eastern Orthodox Church is it authoritatively decreed that Gregory Palamas’ views must be accepted?

Answer, the universally authoritative Council statement, “The Synodal Tomos of 1351,” states:

“Having upon examination found this frequently mentioned most holy metropolitan of Thessalonike [Gregory Palamas] in no way out of harmony with the divine utterances in his *writing* and thinking, but rather a defender, as if fitting, of the divine utterances and of our common piety and tradition, we declare him not only superior to absolutely all his opponents, or rather those who quarrel with the Church of Christ, as the previous Synodal Tomoi which we possess also relate, but also a most reliable defender, champion and helper of the Church and of right belief.” (“Gregory Palamas: The Hesychast Controversy,” tr. Norman Russell, Paragraph 51, pp. 372-373)

Further, they sought to remove any suspicion of accusation “about anything in the writings of the most holy metropolitan of Thessalonike [Gregory Palamas], in case anything should have been overlooked and left unexamined, even though all his *writings* had been included among the works scrutinized at the time by the holy synod. … we found each of them the book of the holy metropolitan of Thessalonike [Gregory Palamas] and examined it, meeting in the Great Church and spending whole days together, not once, but twice and three times and more often. And we find the most holy metropolitan of Thessalonike [Gregory Palamas] in conformity in these matters with the holy theologians and an advocate by the grace of Christ of truth in accordance with orthodoxy.” (“Gregory Palamas: The Hesychast Controversy,” tr. Norman Russell, Paragraph 52, pp. 373; cf. pp 307, 330)[+] Show More