Vision, Mission, Beliefs, History
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Vision
"In all we do, we glorify God
and build up the body of Christ."
Mission
“We are a vibrant and nurturing
faith community inviting others
to experience the grace of God.”
Belief
We believe in God, the Creator, Jesus, the Redeemer and the Holy Spirit, the Sustainer. We trust the Bible and Gospel as the inspired word of God that proclaims the power of God for the salvation of all. We believe our faith prepares us to be witnesses in speech and in action of God’s never-ending forgiveness in Jesus Christ.
Building For Mission...Building For Community
We commit ourselves to providing a place where people are welcomed into the grace and mercy of God in Jesus Christ.
We commit ourselves to providing a place where people are equipped through the teaching and proclamation of God’s Word.
We commit ourselves to providing a place where people are made whole through Jesus Christ and receive the assurance of God’s promise of forgiveness of sin, salvation, and eternal life through the Sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion.
We commit ourselves to providing a place where people hear and embrace the purpose of God in their life and in our life together.
We commit to you Lord all who will enter this community in the coming year that all will grow in their love for you and one another.
 Lord Jesus Christ, bless these instruments used for your purpose and glory as we cast all we are and will be into your care now and forever.  Amen!  Alleluia!
History
The roots of First Lutheran Church sink deep in the soil of St. Joseph. Persons interested in forming a Lutheran congregation first gathered at Unity Chapel, located where the St. Joseph News-Press building now stands, in 1866. That meeting led to the formation of Christ’s Evangelical Lutheran Church which organized in September of that year with fifteen charter members. The group met in the old Court House for two years before moving to the Oak Hill School, south of St. Joseph. The change in location lost members and the congregation disbanded in 1870.
Twenty-four years later another attempt was made to organize, this one successful.  Reverend Edward Trefz was appointed missionary pastor by the General Synod.  Under his leadership the old Unitarian Church building was rented and on June 10, 1894 our congregation gathered for worship there for the first time.  The congregation was formally organized on August 26 of that year with fifty-seven charter members.  The church’s first name was First English Evangelical Church, a name proclaiming that worship services would be conducted in English rather than in one of the several native languages of its founding members.  Years later, that name was changed to First Lutheran Church.
 
The congregation worshiped for a time in the old YMCA Building at 7th and Edmond Streets and in 1896 erected its own building on Edmond between 8th and 9th Streets where the parking lot for St. Joseph’s main Post Office is now located.  The church’s present building at the corner of 10th and Charles streets was dedicated on January 18, 1914.  Dedication services were held each night the first week in German, Swedish, Danish and Norwegian.
 
Moving ahead over 100 years, early in the 21st century, members confronted by inadequate classroom and office space came together in a series of meetings to discuss whether the church should remain at 10th and Charles and build an addition there or relocate to some other part of the city.  Those discussions led to an affirmation of the church’s ministry in the neighborhood in which its building sits.  The old pastor’s residence, which sat just south of the church and was used for many years as office and classroom space, was torn down and replaced by an addition completed in 2011 which houses the church offices, meeting spaces, ADA compliant restrooms and an elevator that allow full access to the church’s lower level and sanctuary level floors.