What We Believe

Our Congregation...

Established in 1893, St. Paul's exists to serve people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ on the basis of God's Word. We seek to clearly proclaim God's Law and Gospel to lead sinners to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ for life and salvation. We strive to strengthen believers in lives of faith through the Means of Grace God offers us in his Word and in the sacraments of Holy Communion and Baptism. And we strive to equip believers as disciples, stewards, and witnesses for sharing the Gospel of Jesus with others.

Our Beliefs...

St. Paul's Lutheran Church bases all of its beliefs and teachings on these three main tenets of faith:

We are saved by God's grace alone.
We are saved through faith alone.
What we believe is from Scripture alone.

To read more about what we believe, visit the in-depth explanations of the teachings in our Bible-based faith here.

You may also want to search for answers from our Topical Q&A, a helpful section that has many answers to common and even uncommon questions.

Our Lutheran Heritage...

As a Lutheran congregation, we accept the scriptural truths that ignited the reformation of the Christian church in the 16th century and led to a renewed focus on the gospel. The teachings of Luther and the reformers can be summarized with three phrases: Grace alone, Scripture alone, Faith alone.

As Lutheran Christians, we believe that the Bible is the holy, inspired Word of God, and as a result everything written in the Bible dictates and governs our lives. We are also a confessional congregation. We do not hold the confessions above the authority of Scripture. Rather, we believe that the Lutheran Confessions are a correct interpretation and presentation of biblical doctrine. As a result, we confess, teach, and preach according to the Confessions of the Lutheran Church.

Click Here For a Brief Description of the Lutheran Confessions

Our Church Body...

St. Paul's Lutheran Church is a member of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod [WELS]. This world-wide church body is the third largest Lutheran church body in America with 1,278 churches; 380,728 baptized members; and 300,665 communicant members.

As a member of this church body, we support work in world mission fields like Cameroon, Malawi, Nigeria, Zambia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Taiwan, Thailand, Albania, Bulgaria, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Mexico, Bolivia, Brazil, and Colombia. We also support mission work in the United States, Canada, and the West Indies.

As a member of this church body, we maintain Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Minn., Wisconsin Lutheran Seminaryin Mequon, Wis., and two preparatory high schools: Luther Preparatory School in Watertown, Wis., and Michigan Lutheran Seminary in Saginaw, Mich., for the education of our pastors, teachers, and staff ministers.

Our congregations—either individually or as federations—operate one of the largest Lutheran school systems in the country with 316 Lutheran elementary schools; 403 early childhood ministries; 23 area Lutheran high schools; and Wisconsin Lutheran College, Milwaukee, Wis.

As a synod, we run one of the largest Christian prison ministries in the nation, distributing hundreds of thousands of Bibles and Bible correspondence courses to inmates across the United States over the last 20 years.

Our Affiliation World-Wide...

As a member of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, St. Paul's Lutheran Church is also a member of the Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference [CELC]. Providing a forum for confessional Lutherans around the world, the CELC—made up of 24 member church bodies worldwide—gathers at triennial meetings for encouragement, fellowship, and an internationally united voice.

Members of the CELC provide theological and doctrinal essays that further clarify issues facing WELS and other confessional Lutheran churches in our time. Rev. Dan Koelpin, the president of the CELC, says, “In an era of theological bewilderment, the CELC stands as a beacon of light, bringing the illuminating power of God’s truth to bear on the confusing philosophies that exist in our sin-darkened world.”

Our Practice of Member-Communion...

In Holy Communion, we share in the mystery of the bread and wine offered together with the body and blood of Christ. As Christians who believe that the Bible is inspired by God and that every word written in it is God’s holy Word, we believe that we receive the body and blood in, with, and under the bread and wine. While this is something that goes beyond our human understanding, our faith allows us to accept this as true. God warns us in the Bible that anyone who doesn’t understand this teaching or who denies this real presence of Christ’s body and blood will do damage to his or her soul if not taught first.

As a congregation we care about people and about the spiritual well-being of individuals, especially those attending the Lord’s Table. If you are a guest and desire to commune, please speak to the pastor before the service. Our altar is open to those who confess oneness with us in doctrine, are not under church discipline in another congregation, and are members of our congregation, one of our sister congregations in the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod [WELS], or a member of our sister synod, the Evangelical Lutheran Synod [ELS].