Our Mission
The Mission of Christ the Servant Lutheran Church (ELCA) is to...
Welcome all into our fellowship,
Worship and pray together,
Grow in our faith together
Serve God's world as caring disciples of Jesus Christ.
Welcome, Worship, Grow, and Serve
Easy to remember. A joyful challenge to live.
Welcome
And by “All,” We Really Mean “All.”
Been a Lutheran all your life? Grew up Catholic? Never really been to church? Turned off by “Christians” you see on TV? Believe every word? Have more questions than answers? LGBTQI* or an Ally? Not from around here? Born and raised in WI? Squeaky-clean do-gooder? Criminal record? Recovering addict? Not-yet-recovering? Single parent? Young adult? Widow(er)? Spanish-speaker? Republican? Democrat? Tired of politics? Yup—all of these, and more, are welcome here.
Indeed: We’re already here.
For over 50 years, we’ve centered our lives around the welcoming, saving, serving love of Jesus. If that sounds like something you want to be a part of, please, come and see. We're a Reconciling in Christ (RIC) congregation of the Greater Milwaukee Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
Worship
If you’ve ever been on a sports team, helped produce a play, or participated in a musical ensemble, you know the value of practice/rehearsal. Hours spent preparing for opening night, the big game, the winter concert.
That’s what worship is for.
Worship is the center of what we do as church, because it forms and strengthens us to be the church where it matters – in every moment and in every place we find ourselves during the week.
We are forgiven…in order to forgive others.
We are challenged to seek God’s kingdom first…in order to keep all other powers and kingdoms in perspective.
We are reminded of how dearly we are loved…in order to show that love to the world.
We are reminded of how God loves all that God has made…in order to go and care for the earth and all its creatures.
We are fed and nourished…in order to feed others.
We are brought together “in peace”…in order to make peace and seek reconciliation in our homes and in our world.
We gather under the cross, knowing that God meets us in our pain and brokenness…in order to go and be present with and for anyone who suffers.
We are welcomed and joined to One Body…in order to go and work so that no one is ever left out or forgotten.
We celebrate with all ages and stages in one room together…in order to cross all divides that exist in the world.
A helpful FAQ sheet about what worship looks like at CTS can be found HERE. Of course, the best way to find out what it’s like is to give it a try sometime. No offense, but if you’re anything like us, you might need the practice.
Grow
Lutherans believe we are “saved by grace through faith.” We’re so big on grace, we believe faith itself is a gift. In the waters of baptism, in the movement of worship, in the nourishment of Holy Communion, faith is given.
Faith is a gift. Discipleship takes practice.
In other words: “By the grace of God, you are saved! Now what are you going to do with your time?”
We know you’re busy. If you only have one hour to set aside for the “formal” stuff of church (hint: we are the church 24/7, wherever we go), our pastor would rather have you in worship than Sunday School.
And, if you have a bit more time to invest (not “give” – for this is an investment that pays enormous dividends), we invite you to find ways to water the seeds of faith planted in your baptism. One way to do that is through acts of service. Another way is through study, faithful fellowship, and household devotions.
We have faith formation for all ages on Sundays at 9:30am. We gather for Bible studies periodically through the week. Our 7th and 8th graders gather for Confirmation classes and learning experiences. Our youth groups meet on Sundays and other times during the week. We gather groups for fellowship in a variety of ways. We encourage participation in Via de Cristo, a weekend intensive renewal opportunity for adults, and its youth expression, Teens Encountering Christ.
And we strongly encourage households to find some way (we suggest FAITH5) to invest a few minutes (5-15) every day at home for faithful conversation, prayer, and blessing.
If you’re baptized, you are a Christian all week long. Growing in faith and discipleship will make that gift all the more rewarding – for you and for the whole world.
Serve
“God doesn’t need your good works, but your neighbor does.” (Martin Luther)
Our mission statement is in a particular order for a very good reason: God Welcomes us through Holy Baptism (not vice versa), God feeds us (physically and spiritually) in Worship, and God invites us to Grow as disciples by sitting at Jesus’ feet and digging into the gift of faith. Then, and only then, are we sent to “Go in peace” to “Serve the Lord.” We serve, not because it’s the right thing to do, or because it earns us brownie points, or because it makes us feel good, or because Jesus told us to… We serve because we see Jesus in the face of every stranger, neighbor, and friend – especially those who suffer. We serve because it gives us the chance to hang out with Jesus in more places than the altar on Sunday mornings.
Our name says it all: We are “Christ the Servant.” Christ the Servant. We serve others because Christ has first served us.
CTS has lots of opportunities to serve our neighbors. We are resettling refugees. We serve meals and eat with folks who are transitioning out of incarceration (Joyful Souls), working on recovery (Serenity Inns), living without homes (Siena House), down on their luck (HOPE center) or trying to emerge from poverty (CTGA). We are members of SOPHIA, the community organizing network in Waukesha County. We collect tons of food year-round for the Waukesha Food Pantry. We have fun sorting food at the Hunger Task Force. We are working on building relationships with our Muslim neighbors (ISM-West). We give generously to the ELCA World Hunger Appeal. We have a partnership with Reformation Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, and we are exploring a partnership with a congregation in El Salvador.
And we’re always looking for more ways to serve. Because Jesus is all over the place, especially wherever there is suffering – and we love to see Jesus from Monday to Saturday, too.
