Central Lutheran Church sits in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood, immediately beside Cal Anderson Park at 11th and Olive, at 1710 11th Avenue. For more than 130 years, Central Lutheran Church of the Holy Trinity has pursued what it calls a “living, daring confidence in God's grace.” It is known for welcoming people as whole persons, combining in-person and Zoom worship, maintaining a historic sanctuary on Capitol Hill, and helping establish the neighborhood's Community Lunch program.
Sunday at Ten: Holy Communion in the Sanctuary and on Zoom
Each Sunday morning, Central Lutheran gathers at 10:00 a.m. for hybrid worship with Holy Communion. People may attend in the historic sanctuary or join on Zoom, using the same link for worship services. Online participants are asked to provide their own bread and wine or juice for Communion. A choir gathers at 9:00 a.m., and coffee and fellowship follow worship at 11:00 a.m.
The service draws on the congregation's Lutheran tradition and uses diverse liturgical and musical traditions. Central Lutheran has intentionally used inclusive and expansive language for God and humanity, and it developed a variation of Jesus' prayer that is recited before Holy Communion each Sunday. The pastor's opening statement acknowledges the congregation's presence on the unceded ancestral lands of the Duwamish people, a people who continue to honor and bring to light their ancient heritage. The same statement declares that people of every age, race, ethnicity, national origin, and economic circumstance, as well as people with differing physical and mental health circumstances, sexual orientations, and gender identities, are welcome in worship and the full life of the church.
For Sunday worship, parking is free for attendees. The Capitol Hill Station on Link Light Rail has an exit toward Cal Anderson Park, and the church is next to the park at 11th and Olive. A Zoom worship link connects remote worshipers, while recorded services are also available through Central's YouTube channel.
Children Gather Upstairs at Nine
Central Lutheran's in-person Sunday School welcomes children of all ages from 9:00 to 9:50 a.m. on Sundays. The class meets upstairs in the Parish Hall with lessons, projects, and snacks. Families do not need to attend every week: children are welcome whenever they can come, and they may bring friends.
A Monthly Taizé Service at 6:30 p.m.
The church also hosts a monthly Taizé service at 6:30 p.m. For that gathering, attendees can use the parking lot without paying or displaying a permit from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.; outside those hours, drivers must pay or display a permit.
Grace, Fullness and an Open and Affirming Welcome
Central Lutheran confesses that through Jesus Christ's death and resurrection, people are saved through God's grace alone, and that this gift of salvation is for everyone. It professes that every human being is created in God's image and holds this especially true for queer and trans siblings. The church says it fully accepts and affirms queer and trans individuals, including their identities, relationships, experiences, and families, and welcomes LGBTQIA+ people into the full life of the congregation.
Those commitments shape both worship and public engagement. The mission is to foster a spiritual life of radical love, inclusion, and community; engage with and serve neighbors; dismantle patriarchy, white supremacy, and queerphobia; oppose war, violence, oppression, and exploitation; and advocate stewardship and care for the Earth. Central Lutheran denounces teachings, practices, and traditions used to subjugate women or exclude others.
Central Lutheran is a Reconciling in Christ congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. It celebrates unity in Christ, citing the promise that there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, neither male nor female. The church calls people to care for, love, understand, and listen to one another across race, age, gender, gender identity, marital status, physical and mental abilities, sexual or affectional orientation, national origin, and economic status.
Community Lunch and a Long Tradition of Neighbor Work
Central Lutheran developed Capitol Hill's Community Lunch program to serve people facing economic, housing, and food insecurity. The program has become a self-sustaining organization that continues to operate in the neighborhood, and the partnership reflects the congregation's emphasis on hospitality. It also ministers to older adults and people who are sick through worship services at Truewood assisted living on First Hill.
The church has sponsored refugee families making new lives in the region and works with Faith Action Network to advocate with Washington state legislators for public policies promoting equity and justice. Central Lutheran formally committed to Reconciling in Christ in 1992 and, in the years that followed, performed some of the first blessings of same-sex unions before Washington legalized same-sex marriage in 2012. The congregation remains open and affirming and offers full life in the church to LGBTQIA+ people.
Its building work carries the same emphasis on welcome. The church approved an extensive restoration of its historic sanctuary to make worship space and facilities easier for people with physical disabilities to access with ease. The stated goal is full access that allows people to participate in the church's worship and community life.
Music, Leadership and the Work of Giving
Pastor Paul Eldred serves with music director AP Perrett and organist and pianist Kevin Navarro. Their music ministry supports the 9:00 a.m. choir and a worship service shaped by diverse musical traditions. The church office is open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.
Giving sustains Central Lutheran as a place of community, worship, learning, and service. Electronic contributions can be set up directly from a checking or savings account, with the supporter choosing the amount, frequency, and payment method. Online giving provides that option.
Together, these ministries keep Central Lutheran rooted in its mission of realizing universal grace through radical love, inclusion, community, and service to its Capitol Hill neighbors.