About Our Church

Who We Are

We are a welcoming and inclusive community of the faithful who gather in the triune name of God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We welcome all people for we are all one in Jesus Christ, our Savior.

St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, founded in 1855, has a rich history. The church is easily recognized by its location at the “top of the hill” on the main route through Dillsburg. Three larger-than-life stained glass windows, along with many single stained glass windows, give the building its character and charm. Two of those windows are lighted each evening to give witness to the Dillsburg Community of the vibrancy of St. Paul’s. However, the real personality of the church is shaped by the people who gather for worship, Christian Education, outreach projects, and other ministries that serve in the name of Jesus Christ.

Our worship community gathers to confess our sins and to receive God’s grace in the forgiveness of sin, to hear the Word of God and to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. We are sent to share the good news of Christ and to serve others in His name.

All baptized persons are welcome to receive the gifts of Christ’s body and blood in the bread and wine at the Lord’s Supper (the Eucharist). We believe that Christ is present, in, under and through the blessed elements of bread and wine. Those who are not baptized are encouraged to come forward to receive a blessing and, to explore the Sacrament of Holy Baptism with the pastor.

Lutherans are Christians who accept the teachings of Martin Luther (1483 – 1546), a German theologian who challenged the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church at that time. His questions and arguments escalated into a separation from the Roman Catholic Church. Lutheran became the name associated with those who agreed with Luther’s convictions.

A summary of our Confession of Faith, as outlined in Chapter 2 of the church constitution is:

We confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The Gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, is the power of God for the salvation of all who believe. Jesus Christ is the Word of God incarnate, that is, God took on our nature and lived on earth in the person of Jesus, God’s only Son. Through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, God makes a new creation. We accept the canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the inspired Word of God and the authoritative source and norm of its proclamation, faith and life.

We profess our faith in the words of the Apostles’, Nicene and Athanasian Creeds. We accept the Unaltered Augsburg Confession as a true witness to the Gospel. We also accept the other confessional writings in the Book of Concord.

We confess the Gospel, recorded in the Holy Scriptures and confessed in the ecumenical creeds and Lutheran confessional writings, as the power of God to create and sustain the Church for God’s mission in the world.