St. Pauls Lutheran Church

Extending Christ's Love To You

Watertown MN

Support
Sunday Service Times
8:00 a.m.  
In Person Worship & Facebook Live 
 
10:30 a.m.  
In Person Worship

What We Believe

  1. The entire Bible, which points to Jesus as the Savior, is the inspired and errorless Word of God. It is Gods's message of  love and hope for all people.
  2. There is only one true God, who exists in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
  3. God is the creator of everything that exists.
  4. Adam and Eve, our first parents, were originally created by God pure and holy. They lived according to God's will, doing what was pleasing to Him.
  5. Adam and Eve, the man and woman God created in the beginning, went against God's will and brought sin into the world. Since that time, all people have been conceived and born in sin.
  6. Sin is living out of relationship with God, not living according to God's will, and thus transgressing His holy will in thought, word, and deed.
  7. People cannot save themselves by their good works or restore themselves to a right relationship with God.
  8. God sent His Son, Jesus, into the world. He is both true God and true Man. He lived to fulfill God's law for us, died on the cross to pay the penalty our sins deserved, and rose from the dead so that we might have eternal life. He ascended into heaven, where He now sits at the right hand of The Father to intercede for us.
  9. Because of Jesus' death on the cross, God declares a person just -or righteous- and forgiven. This happens not because of human effort, but because the justification won by Jesus is applied to the one who believes in Jesus as Savior.
  10. Faith in Jesus is a gift of God, given by the power of the Holy Spirit; thus all the glory belongs to God.
  11. Jesus will come again to take all believers to Himself. On the final day, all the dead will be raised. Those who are still alive will be bodily transformed. After this, the final judgement will take place. Unbelievers will go into eternal damnation, and believers into eternal life.
  12. The true Christian church is made up of all believers of all times who believe in the Triune God and in Jesus Christ as their only Savior.
  13. God wants Christians to join with other believers in churches which correctly teach God's Word and administer Holy Baptism and Holy Communion according to the teachings of Scripture.
  14. Christians are called to tell others that the only way of salvation is by faith in Jesus Christ, and to show their faith by their deeds of love towards others.

Our History

St. Paul’s Lutheran Church has its roots as far back as 1875 when a small group of German Lutherans held services at the Swedish Lutheran Church in Watertown.  The first pastor to serve the group was Rev. W. Fredrich from Waconia, who held services for the group once a month. When the Swedish Lutheran Church installed their first pipe organ, it forced them to move to the Free Mission Church because they had no one who could play the pipe organ. In 1888 St. Peters, in rural Watertown, called their first pastor, he conducted services for the early members of St. Paul’s twice a month on Sunday afternoons. Baptisms, Weddings, Communion, and Funerals were conducted in Watertown. However, the children had to walk 3 miles to St. Peters school for the two years of confirmation instruction.   About 1920 the members of St. Paul’s moved back to the Swedish Lutheran Church. Later while Pastor Karl Rudolph conducted the service, he suggested they adopt the name of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. In the later 1940’s the group under the pastorate of Rev. John S. Spomer, began holding services in the Community Church (now a private residence). St. Paul’s Lutheran Church was incorporated on March 5, 1949. At that time we shared Pastor John Spomer with St. Peters Lutheran Church of rural Watertown.

With membership of 215 people, ground was broken on June 7, 1949 for a school building with church facilities on the lower level and two classrooms on the upper level. In September, 1949, the newly formed congregation opened its first Christian Day School.  The building was not ready to be occupied, so classes were held in the Village Hall. Mr. Earl Ortlip of Waconia was the first teacher with 45 children enrolled. Dedication of the building was on January 22, 1950. Before a year had passed, St. Paul’s had acquired a teacherage for our first principal, Benjamin Buck. In 1950 a Kindergarten class was started. This class met for six weeks in the spring.  The first Sunday School classes were started in November 1952. Members of the congregation were also active on the planning committee for a new Christian high school in Mayer, called Mayer Lutheran High School, at this same time.

Pastor Spomer served until 1956 when he accepted a call to Chicago, Illinois. Pastor Louis Wetzel was called from Atwater, MN to serve both St. Paul’s and St. Peter’s Churches.

During the 1960’s many church planning meetings were held and in 1968 a church steering committee was formed to plan the building of a church. In 1965 Pastor Wetzel accepted a call to Florida. By this time St. Paul’s had grown to the point where one pastor could no longer adequately serve both St. Peters and St. Paul’s congregations. Therefore Pastor Henry Mueller was called from Nebraska and became the first pastor who solely served St Paul’s. A parsonage in Watertown was purchased at that time at 505 Franklin Avenue, which was later sold in 1998.

In 1969 St. Peters congregation joined St. Paul’s congregation to organize and consolidate the schools. The result of this was the St. Paul’s and St. Peter Interparish School. A full time half day Kindergarten was added in 1972.

On August 17, 1969, a ground breaking ceremony was held for the present church building. Some of the building project highlights were watching the beams being raised into place and finishing the roof on Christmas Eve. The new church building was dedicated on July 26, 1970 with a membership of 495 people.

 

Who We Are

Jesus once said,

Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you, and surely I will be with you always to the very end of the age.

(Mt 28:19-20)

Guided by these words of our Lord, the mission of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church is “To help all people know intimately the love of Christ in all its fullness, and to have that love permeate and transform every aspect of their life.” To that end we offer a wide range of opportunities for all ages to grow spiritually, participate in fellowship, and give in service.

 

Missouri Synod Member