Welcome to St. Paul Lutheran Church!

We are so glad you have found #splcwesterville!

 

St. Paul Lutheran Church was founded in 1852 and has continued to Make Disciples. Live Faithfully. Serve Others. We are a welcoming, caring community, proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ to all.

Our Vision & Mission
What is a Lutheran?
First and foremost: Lutherans are Christians.

Lutherans believe in the Trinity; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

 

Lutherans confess God as creator of the universe and all that is in it.

 

Lutherans confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The Good News of Jesus Christ is through the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, all of creation is reconciled to God.

 

Lutherans confess that the Holy Spirit calls, gathers, enlightens, sanctifies, and sustaines the whole Christian church on earth.

 

Lutherans believe the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God, inspired by God's Spirit. The Scriptures record the history of God's people and announce God's revelation centering in Jesus Christ. The Bible is the inspired Word of God and the authoritative source and norm of the church's proclamation, faith, and life. God speaks to us through Scripture by using Law (what we are to do) and the Gospel (what God has done for us).

 

Lutherans believe all human beings are born in sin and cannot live the life God intended for us on our own. We believe we are justified by grace alone through faith alone on account of Christ alone.

 

Lutherans understand that God comes to us through the Means of Grace - the Word of God and the Sacraments of Baptism and Communion. Through them, our relationship with God deepens as we grow in our faith.

What is the ELCA?
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America!

The ELCA was formed in 1987 through the merger of The American Lutheran Church (ALC), The Lutheran Church in America (LCA), and The Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches (AELC). 

 

Currently, the ELCA is the largest Lutheran denomination in the United States, with about 3.3 million members and more than 8,900 congregations throughout the United States of America, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The ELCA is divided into 65 synods; St. Paul Lutheran Church is part of the Southern Ohio Synod of the ELCA.

 

The ELCA is part of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), which represents 77 million Christians in 99 countries.

 

The ELCA has Full Communion Agreements with:

  • The Episcopal Church (TEC)
  • The Moravian Church in North America
  • The Presbyterian Church (USA)
  • The Reformed Church in America (RCA)
  • The United Church of Christ (UCC)
  • The United Methodist Church (UMC)

 

For more information about the ELCA and its ministries, click here.

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