Our Story

St. Paul Lutheran Church was founded on January 22, 1939. As the upstart of just four families on Madison's north side, St. Paul began in the home of it's first pastor. However, the congregation began to grow and held its first meeting on May 2, 1939. In this meeting, the congregation was officially incorporated as "St. Paul English Evangelical Lutheran Church of Madison, Wisconsin." Members also agreed to buy land to build the new church, an acre lot at the corner of Sheridan and Huxley Streets. After working on plans for the church building and a house for the pastor, the congregation got to work. The building was completed and dedicated on September 29, 1940.

At the brink of World War II, the first pastor decided to resign and serve as a chaplain in the U.S. Navy. A new pastor was called who would shepherd the congregation for the next twenty-seven years. During this time, the congregation outgrew their small chapel and began looking for property on which to expand. It was at this time that the congregation moved to its present location on North Sherman Ave. The property was purchased and the congregation celebrated the laying of the cornerstone on October 30, 1955, Reformation Sunday. The new building was dedicated on March 11, 1956. It was also during this time that St. Paul joined the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.

Now at work on Madison's north side, with a new building, St. Paul continued to grow. The congregation approved of an addition, which would include an education wing and office space. The addition was completed on January 9, 1977. A second addition was completed in 1996, adding a larger gathering space outside the sanctuary. The congregation also completed remodels of the sanctuary in 2014 and 2018.

Having embraced our mission to Madison's north side, St. Paul has consistently been reaching out to care for our neighbors. From 2007-2014, members of St. Paul operated a food pantry, The Bread of Life Food pantry, to aid our community. After it's closure, St. Paul has worked closely with The River Food Pantry to continue in our mission of caring for our community. 

St. Paul Lutheran Church remains an active member of Madison's north side. We press on with our mission of proclaiming the love of God in Jesus Christ that we may also share that love with all those in our community!