Our Name
We are a Lutheran mission in the St. Louis Metro–East. Christ Our Savior Lutheran is a new mission congregation planted by Martin Luther Evangelical Lutheran Church in St. Louis, Missouri to better serve the spiritual needs of people in the southern Illinois area. Our congregation consists of people just like you—everyday residents in the Metro–East. We currently average about 30 worshippers on a Sunday. The order of service is printed out in a worship folder. Visitors are always welcome.
At Christ Our Savior, we preach Law and Gospel, convicting of sin, leading to repentance, and offering forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. We believe the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, infallible Word of God, and that it is clear, sufficient, and powerful to create faith in our hearts. Our time together is centered in the Divine Service as we gather together as God’s people to confess our sins and receive absolution, receive God’s gifts of Word and Sacraments, offer up prayers and petitions, and respond in thanksgiving and praise. Hearing the good news that gives us eternal life empowers us to demonstrate our love in word and deed. We strive to embody the Christian virtues of commitment, care, and love in our community.
At our church, as with all WELS churches, we practice Close Communion. This is the biblical teaching that the sacrament of Holy Communion ought to be received by a person who is properly prepared and is united in confession with the other believers present. For this reason we offer this sacrament to members of our congregation as well as members of other congregations who share that confessional unity (most commonly WELS and ELS). All visitors are asked to speak to our pastor prior to communing with us. If you are not a member of one of those churches, we would love to discuss with you how you might commune with us in the future.
Weekly worship is on Sunday at 11:00 AM. Services are about one hour in length. A weekly Bible Class follows worship at 12:15 PM. If you are interested in learning more about our teachings or our practice, please contact our pastor.
Our Pastor
Pastor Philip Schroeder has been serving at Christ Our Savior since July of 2023. Pastor Schroeder graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 2021 and served two years as a tutor at Martin Luther College before being assigned to serve as our mission pastor and evangelist. He and his wife Sarah have two sons, Solomon and Isaiah. He loves teaching and will be happy to answer your questions and instruct you in God’s Word.
Our Synod
Christ Our Savior Evangelical Lutheran Church is a confessional Lutheran church and a member of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS). As a confessional Lutheran church, we subscribe to the Lutheran confessions contained in the Book of Concord because they are a faithful and true exposition of the Word of God. As a member of WELS we are united in doctrine and mission with the nearly 1,300 congregations of our synod, as well as the other church bodies of the Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference (CELC).