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Welcome to St. Matthew Trinity Lutheran Church
Embracing Faith, Community, and Diversity
St. Matthew Trinity Lutheran Church is a special church that welcomes everyone to our community of faith. Families and individuals of all ages are encouraged to come get to know us. We have members who live in many areas of Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts, and a large contingent of members from Liberia or of Liberian-descent. Diversity is appreciated in our community of faith.
Mission
We, God's people of St. Matthew Trinity Lutheran Church in Pawtucket, RI, responding to the call of the Gospel, will serve, help, and address the spiritual human needs within our local, regional, and global communities. We will accomplish this by strengthening our outward focus in mission while maintaining a strong community of faith.
Our Beliefs
Discover the Power of Faith at St. Matthew Trinity Lutheran Church
The Lutheran religion was established on Oct. 31, 1517, when a German monk named Martin Luther started a movement known as the Reformation. In the simplest of terms, St. Matthew Trinity Lutheran Church focuses on the love of God and the amazing opportunity we have to foster a relationship with God.
More can be read about the Lutheran beliefs on the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) website. St. Matthew Trinity is part of the New England Synod of the ELCA.
Our History
St. Matthew Trinity Lutheran Church has a rich and unique history. The church we know now was formed in 1974 with the merging of two existing congregations: St. Matthew Evangelical Lutheran Church (est. 1891) and Trinity Lutheran Church (est. 1893). What made this merger extraordinary was that the two congregations came from very different Lutheran backgrounds. St. Matthew Evangelical Lutheran Church was a member of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, which was seen as a more conservative branch of Lutheranism in the United States, and Trinity Lutheran Church was a member of the Lutheran Church in America, which was viewed as the more liberal branch of American Lutheranism. United in their faith in Jesus Christ, these two congregations merged these very two different Lutheran families into one. Now known as St. Matthew Trinity Lutheran Church, the Pawtucket congregation once had dual membership in both the Missouri Synod and Lutheran Church in America until the congregation voted to affiliate itself solely with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (the successor to the Lutheran Church in America).
Besides coming from different Lutheran denominational backgrounds, the two churches also differed ethnically. Trinity Lutheran Church was primarily made up of Swedes while St. Matthew Evangelical Lutheran Church was made up of Germans. Like its forbearers, the congregation of St. Matthew Trinity Lutheran Church is a multicultural one. Today, the church boasts a large Liberian population. As Liberian refugees began to settle in Rhode Island when they fled the atrocities of the Liberian Civil War, they found a religious home that welcomed them in the name of Jesus. The church embraces the multiculturalism that has played a pivotal role in its history since the church’s inception.