We're glad you're here.
We are continually working to build bridges in our community and to make Lutheran Church of Peace a place where all people feel welcome and accepted. We know that this is not an easy task. It requires hard work. It requires consistently looking at what we say and comparing it to what we do. It requires asking for help. It requires asking for forgiveness. It requires telling our stories. It requires loving each other. Fortunately, we are often reminded by Pastor Liz that we don’t have big problems; we have a big God!
The journey of faith is not a straight path. There are detours. There are roadblocks. There are rest stops. There are hills and there are valleys. Sometimes we need to stop and ask for directions (and who likes to do that!). Some of us walk slowly. Some of us run. Some of us crawl. Some of us meander. Some of us get off the path. Some of us get back on. Some of us have walked for years and some of us are just beginning. God does not judge our path or which route we take but wants to walk beside us. And we at Lutheran Church of Peace would like the opportunity to walk beside you. We welcome everyone to come and see what we are about.
What's Important To Us . . .
Families of all sizes and shapes
Community & Connections
Making a difference in the world
Where We've Been . . .
Legend has it that when LCP was founded in 1956 people weren't asked where they worked when they came through the door, they were asked what division they worked for. Lutheran Church of Peace was started by 3M employees who wanted a church in their neighborhood. They met first in the Churchill family basement. The first building built on the church property was the pastor's home where worship, Sunday School, and church meetings happened in the basement. In 1957 the first chapel was built and from there the church grew. And for forty some years it was pretty stable. Then with a change of pastors and with a general decline in mainline congregations across the country, LCP started to shrink. By 2017 this once thriving congregation had shrunk by over 50% and they had to ask some difficult questions. Was it time to close the doors? Or did God still have a purpose for the happy remnant remaining? They embarked on a vitality study alongside the Saint Paul Area Synod and the wider church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. They even took a pledge drive in July. The answer was a resounding "We're not done here yet!" So they applied for two grants, received two grants and became a church in redevelopment. Officially, that means a church receiving support from the wider church in the form of grants. It also means we receive lots of support from the wider church in terms of prayer, coaching, workshops, cohorts, and great cheerleading. In February of 2018 Pastor Liz Eide became LCP's Redevelopment Pastor. And for the last five years we have together been on the great adventure of listening deeply for God's voice, listening to one another and our community and then mustering the courage to be the church in new ways. It's been a wild, sometimes exhausting and always amazing ride.
In the fall of 2019 we claimed our new vision, five values and four priorities. These have guided us well through a pandemic and more. We've had two pastoral interns and one high school student summer intern. We've added a youth director and a second part time pastor of hybrid ministry. We've grown bit by bit in depth and in numbers. We strive to be a church where all are welcome and where everyone knows they belong. We don't get right all the time. We course correct and pivot regularly. Mostly we love being together and creating space for you to wonder, question, doubt and believe that you are created by a good and gracious God who has a purpose in mind for you and who desires to fill you with joy.
Lutheran Church of Peace is part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
Locally we are connected to the Saint Paul Area Synod, consisting of roughly 120 congregations stretching from Hugo to Farmington.