FIRST EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH
As the name indicates, this congregation is the first Lutheran church to be established in Racine. We have been a fixture on the 700 block of Villa Street since our founding in 1849. The sanctuary we worship in today is the second church building. The current building version was dedicated in 1879. We have been a member congregation of the Wisconsin Synod (WELS) for almost all of our existence. Even more stable than our location, church structure, and church affiliation is the doctrine we profess. Following is a sample of the teachings we firmly hold to:
- The Bible is God’s inspired Word, without error.
- Jesus Christ is true God and true man.
- Jesus is the Son of God and our Savior.
- All people are born in sin and need the forgiveness that Jesus won by His Sacrificial death on the cross.
- God bestows all spiritual blessings upon sinners by the means of grace, the gospel in Word and sacraments, baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
- We are saved by grace through faith alone.
Everything we believe and everything we do as a congregation is directed by what God says in the Bible. With that being said, the following summarizes the reason for our church’s existence. It is our church’s mission statement:
Our Lord Jesus Christ in the 28th chapter of St. Matthew says “Go and make disciples of all nations.” Our church name includes the word “evangelical” (Good News). We therefore recognize a local and world-wide mission responsibility to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ to others.
This Good News means that God has declared the world forgiven for Christ’s sake, and we believe it to be our salvation. In grateful response our congregation will provide the opportunities to share this Gospel with unchurched persons in the local community and the world at large.
St. Matthew 10:8: “Freely you have received; freely give