Q. My children go to school with several children who are members of the Armenian Apostolic Church. What do they believe, and how do they differ from the LCMS?

A. The Armenian Apostolic Church of America belongs to the family of Eastern Orthodox Churches referred to as non-Chalcedonian, because their predecessors historically rejected the decrees of the Council of Chalcedon (451). The Council of Chalcedon affirmed that Christ is apprehended "in two natures"--true God and true man--"without confusing the two natures, without transmuting one nature into the other, without dividing them into two separate categories, without contrasting them according to area or function."  Because the Armenian Church refused to accept the confession of Chalcedon, it has historically been referred to as "Monophysite" (i.e., "one nature") in its Christology (see,e.g., Britannica -  Armenian Apostolic Church).  (The Armenian Church maintains that this label is inaccurate--see, e.g., Wikipedia - Armenian Apostolic Church).  The LCMS holds to the historic teaching of the ancient Creeds that Jesus has two natures, divine and human.

The Armenian Apostolic Church administers seven sacraments: baptism, confirmation or chrismation, Eucharist, penance, matrimony, ordination, and extreme unction or order of the sick. The LCMS teaches that there are two sacraments. They also have the practice, at the conclusion of the Eucharist, of distributing fragments of thin unleavened bread, simply blessed, to those not receiving Communion. The church is hierarchical in structure, whose head resides in Antelias, Lebanon (unlike other Armenians, whose head resides in Armenia). They have three orders of clergy, by divine right: deacon, priest, and bishop. The LCMS teaches that there is one divinely instituted office, the office of pastor. All distinctions within this office are by human arrangement, not divine command. Parish priests are ordinarily chosen from among married men, but bishops are chosen from among the celibate clergy. The Armenian Apostolic Church of America is quite small, with only about 35-40 congregations in the U.S.