Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church
Well, what does that mean?
Grace: (n) God’s goodwill toward all mankind on behalf of Christ Jesus.
It’s the name of our congregation, and we couldn’t pick a better name if we tried.
Evangelical: (adj.) centered on the Gospel (in Greek, evangelion), so that all things are planned and reformed toward a pure preaching of the Gospel from the Scriptures.
We like the Bible, what can we say? Have you read that thing? Amazing stuff!
Lutheran: (adj.) following in the historical and confessional stands of the Reformation of the Roman Catholic Church begun by Martin Luther; the standards of doctrine and practice are set out clearly in the Small Catechism, more fully in the Augsburg Confession, and comprehensively in the Book of Concord.
If the first two parts of our name resonated with you, don’t let this one turn you away. Read the Small Catechism and see: all we want to do is teach the Bible purely and give out Christ’s Sacraments the way He wants us to. The Book of Concord helps us do that, making sure we don’t get distracted by fads of doctrine and practice.
OUR BELIEFS
With the universal Christian Church, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod teaches and responds to the love of the Triune God: the Father, creator of all that exists; Jesus Christ, the Son, who became human to suffer and die for the sins of all human beings and to rise to life again in the ultimate victory over death and Satan; and the Holy Spirit, who creates faith through God’s Word and Sacraments. The three persons of the Trinity are coequal and coeternal, one God.
Our belief can be summarized in three phrases:
Grace alone, Faith alone, Scripture alone.
Grace alone. God loves the people of the world, even though they are sinful, rebel against Him and do not deserve His love. He sent Jesus, His Son, to love the unlovable and save the ungodly.
Faith alone. By His suffering and death as the substitute for all people of all time, Jesus purchased and won forgiveness and eternal life for them. Those who hear this Good News and believe it have the eternal life that it offers. God creates faith in Christ and gives people forgiveness through Him.
Scripture alone. The Bible is God’s inerrant and infallible Word, where He reveals His Law
and His Gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ. It is the sole rule and norm for Christian doctrine.
MEET THE PASTOR
Pastor Patrick W. Randolph was born and raised in a small town in northwest Ohio, the heir to a family business of appliance sales and repair. They were not exactly a pious church-going family, but Pastor Randolph loved going, even as a young boy. His father wanted him to get some schooling and get out of the small town. After high school, he went off to Chicago to study the Bible and Pastoral Ministry at Moody Bible Institute. There, surrounded by the wide world of ‘Evangelicalism,’ he became disillusioned with the fads of American Christianity.
“All I wanted to do was learn the Bible, but they were teaching a lot of stuff that clearly wasn’t there, and neglecting the long history of the Church. I realized that I was going to have to discover the truth with the help of the Christians from long ago: Augustine and Martin Luther.”
So Pastor Randolph dove into the best place to learn: the Internet! There he found dozens of Youtube channels and podcasts, each competing for his attention and arguing with more bark than bite. So finally, he did the inevitable: he bought the Book of Concord, the Lutheran Confessions. He read it as much as he could, then found a Lutheran church online. From there, he was taught and joined a local congregation.
“There was a man in my congregation who worked for the local Lutheran university, and he asked me if I wanted to be a pastor—well, of course I did! I wanted others to have the same joy I did! So he helped my discern my path: seminary.”
Pastor Randolph attended Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, IN. During his education, he did a year-long vicarage (pastoral internship) in Fort Worth, TX. After completing his Master of Divinity in 2024, he stayed to complete a Master of Sacred Theology (STM) concerning the Third Commandment. He finished the next year, in 2025.
“The Third Commandment is, ‘Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.’ But I was intrigued: what is God telling me about Himself if He defines righteousness by spending time with Him?”
Now, Pastor Randolph enjoys spending time with his three children and wonderful wife, playing guitar and ukulele until his kids tell him to stop, exploring MKE by foot, and trying to read the Greak Books.
Do you need to talk with Pastor?
Our shepherd is always willing and open to meet with members and non-members of our congregation. If you want to make an appointment, please call the office: (414) 384-3520
Romans 10:6-11
6 But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”
