Christ Church Lutheran has stood on 34th Avenue South in Minneapolis's Longfellow neighborhood for more than three quarters of a century, and for almost as long it has been quietly reshaping how Americans think about what a church building can be. The sanctuary was designed in 1949 by the Finnish-born architect Eliel Saarinen, and its 1962 companion education building was designed by his son, Eero Saarinen. Together the two structures form the only building complex in the country that joins an Eliel Saarinen sanctuary with an Eero Saarinen education wing, and in January 2009 the sanctuary was designated a National Historic Landmark, one of fewer than thirty in Minnesota and the only one that is a house of worship.
Step inside and the architecture does much of the work of welcome. "If a building is honest, the architecture is religious," Eliel Saarinen said of the sanctuary, and its brick walls, soaring ceiling, and unhurried light have drawn architects, photographers, and pilgrims ever since. The American Institute of Architects recognized that influence in 1977 with its Twenty-Five Year Award, calling the building "a living symbol of architectural integrity . . . with great dramatic effect and architectural impact, and yet which retains a very human scale and possesses a feeling of serenity and repose." Inside this space, Christ Church Lutheran has built its life as a congregation: liturgical, Christ-centered, musically rich, and openly welcoming.
A Sunday Built Around Word, Font, and Table
Worship is the center of life at Christ Church Lutheran, and the rhythm of a Sunday is set around a single 9:30 a.m. liturgy. The service follows the patterns of Evangelical Lutheran Worship, the principal worship resource of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and tracks the seasons of the ecumenical church year. Readings come from the Revised Common Lectionary, a three-year cycle used across many Christian traditions, so the scriptures heard here connect the congregation to Christians around the world on any given Sunday.
Holy Communion is celebrated every Sunday, and all who come are welcome at the table. The pastors describe the style as traditional and liturgical, led by organ, piano, and choir, "grounded in tradition, while at the same time gracious, welcoming, and full of life." The liturgy has what the congregation calls "wonderful Lutheran twists," including a strong tradition of congregational song, the pairing of law and gospel in preaching, and an emphasis on being sent out in mission at the close of each service.
Congregational involvement goes deeper than singing from a hymnal. Members serve as greeters and ushers, as acolytes preparing the worship space, as lectors proclaiming the scriptures, as prayer writers offering the assembly's response to God, and as assisting ministers who help distribute the eucharist. The liturgy belongs to everyone in the room.
A Heritage of Music
Music at Christ Church Lutheran is built on a Lutheran inheritance of song, and the congregation takes that inheritance seriously. The primary voice of worship is the gathered assembly itself; everything else, from choir to organ to soloists, exists to support, lead, and extend the people's song. The Christ Church Choir sings for Sunday morning eucharist services through the academic year and welcomes new singers for a season or for the whole year.
The 2017 Dobson pipe organ anchors the musical life of the sanctuary. Opus 95 from the Lake City, Iowa, firm of Dobson Pipe Organ Builders, the instrument contains twenty-nine ranks distributed over twenty-four stops, totaling 1,730 pipes. Its design is balanced and reflective of the congregation's Germanic heritage, and the console itself echoes design elements from the interior of the sanctuary. Beyond the choir and organ, solo vocalists, instrumental ensembles, handbells, strings, woodwinds, brass, and even the reverberating tones of Tibetan singing bowls all find a place in worship.
The Music Series extends that musical ministry outward. A subscription-style calendar of free public concerts, each followed by a reception, draws visitors from across the Twin Cities and beyond. Recent and upcoming programs have included the Elm Ensemble performing Bach cantatas on Baroque instruments, the Longfellow Jazz All-Stars in a Mardi Gras afternoon of New Orleans jazz, organ recitalist Wayne Wold playing German, French, and American repertoire, the Bells of the Lakes handbell ensemble, and the Pavia Wind Quintet offering the world premiere of Nathan Leaf's Nordic Psalms for wind quintet and chamber vocal ensemble. A festival of song in 2025 honored Cantor Robert Buckley Farlee on his seventy-fifth birthday; Farlee served Christ Church as pastor and cantor for over forty years and is a widely published composer of hymns and liturgical music.
The Finnish heritage of the building's architect surfaces regularly in the music calendar. A 2024 Finnish Hymn Festival marked the seventy-fifth anniversary of the sanctuary and the publication of two new Finnish hymnal collections. A ThomasMass (Tuomasmessu), a Lutheran worship service that originated at Agricola Church in Helsinki, made its debut here on the Transfiguration of our Lord and offers times for reflection, prayer stations for healing and peace, liturgical art-making, and special opportunities for children, alongside Finnish and English hymnody. A lively Saint Urho Day celebration, complete with the Ameriikan Poijat brass septet, leans into the tongue-in-cheek Finnish legend of the saint who chased the grasshoppers out of Finland.
Welcome to the Light
Christ Church Lutheran's welcome is theologically grounded and practically concrete. The congregation's greeting, "Welcome to the Light," points back to Christ as the true source of hospitality rather than to any individual member's capacity for it. The welcome is offered, in the words of the congregation, "regardless of ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, mental and physical challenges, economic status, views and beliefs." Christ Church is a designated Reconciling in Christ congregation through ReconcilingWorks, an affirmation of welcome to LGBTQIA+ people.
For a first-time visitor, the practical details are simple. Sunday worship begins at 9:30 a.m. and is followed by coffee fellowship at 10:45, with Sunday school, confirmation, and an adult educational forum at 11:15 from mid-September through May. Nursery care is available through the end of coffee hour year-round. Street parking is available around the building; accessible parking (with a permit) and an accessible drop-off zone sit near the accessible entrance at the corner of 34th Avenue and 33rd Street, where the church tower meets the sanctuary. The main sanctuary doors on 34th Avenue open into an outdoor courtyard; the wooden doors to the left are the entrance for Sunday mornings. An usher will greet each visitor with a bulletin, and seating is open. Communion is shared every Sunday, and all are welcome to receive.
Children are not only tolerated but cherished in the liturgy. The congregation takes seriously the words of Jesus, "Let the children come to me," and welcomes children of all ages to the font, the table, and every part of the service. "Sermon on the Steps" invites children and their parents to the front of the sanctuary for a word especially for them. The pastor's first-time-visit note puts it plainly: "We love having children in the pews, and their noise and movement is an important part of the joyful song we raise each week." For families who want a quieter option, nursery care is available, and the education wing offers space and supplies for little ones who need a break. Face masks are always welcome at the church but never required, and baskets of masks sit at each entrance.
The sanctuary is not air-conditioned, but a cross-breeze through open windows on most summer mornings, with the brick walls holding the cool of the night, generally keeps the space comfortable for worship.
Children and Youth
Faith formation for younger members is woven into the life of the whole congregation rather than separated off into age-graded corners. Sunday school meets after worship from September through May, using the Godly Play curriculum along with other resources to introduce children to the stories and traditions of the Christian faith. The Confirmation program, for youth in grades six through eight, runs over three years and covers biblical studies, Lutheran theology, and Lutheran worship and community life, with youth taking on real roles in the full life of the church. A Senior High Youth Group for grades nine through twelve meets during the school year and engages with worship, service, and community life across the congregation. Little Sparks Montessori, a preschool, shares the education building, giving the campus an additional intergenerational rhythm during the week.
Outreach and Service
Service to the wider neighborhood is a serious part of the congregation's identity, and several long-running partnerships have grown up around it. On the second Thursday of each month, members of Christ Church prepare and deliver an evening meal for eight at Safe House, a shelter for youth experiencing homelessness. Through Every Meal (formerly The Sheridan Story), the congregation fills backpacks with weekend food for children at nearby Howe Elementary School each Friday during the school year. Six times a year, volunteers deliver a week of noon Meals on Wheels to homebound neighbors. On the third Friday of every other month, a group cooks and serves an evening meal for forty men and women at Our Saviour's Housing, a transitional housing ministry just down the road. A food bin in the back of the sanctuary collects donations for Community Emergency Service, and seasonal collections of food and supplies support the same work. Since 2016, Christ Church has partnered with St. John's Lutheran Church in Northfield to sponsor and support a refugee family settling in Minnesota through Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota Refugee Services.
The Racial Justice Task Force, formed in 2016, leads educational and advocacy work on racial equity and justice both within the congregation and in the wider community. A 2020 decision by congregational leadership created a Community Partners Fund, a "second tithe" invited each year from members and directed to partners chosen by the Mission Committee and Racial Justice Task Force, with a focus on organizations serving communities that have experienced systemic racism. The congregation has also adopted a formal racial justice statement, confessing the ways the church has been silent in the face of racial injustice and committing itself to the work of anti-racism and repair.
Community Life Together
Beyond formal ministries, Christ Church Lutheran supports a remarkable range of small groups and committees, a reflection of how the congregation understands itself as a community bound together by shared interests and mutual care. Adult Educational Forums bring in speakers on a wide variety of topics each Sunday morning during the program year. B.A.S.I.C. (Brothers and Sisters in Christ), a group of retirees and friends, usually meets on the last Wednesday of the month for a program and potluck. The Brewing Club gathers several times a year; the Book Club meets throughout the year; a Knitting and Crochet Group gathers on the first Saturday of each month from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. The Weaving Group produces paraments and other fabrics used throughout the sanctuary during the seasons of the church year, and a faithful Stationery Group meets monthly to craft the cards sold at coffee hour. A Baking Group puts on an annual Christmas cookie sale whose proceeds are given to South Minneapolis Meals on Wheels.
A long list of committees and task forces sustains the institutional life of the congregation, from Altar Guild and the Arts Committee to Endowment, Mission, Nominating, Preservation, Property, and Stewardship committees. New groups are always welcome, and the leadership makes a point of saying so: "Connection with one another is a gift, and we are always open to new ways of bringing people together."
The Saarinen Buildings and the Friends
The congregation's care for its architecturally significant home is itself a defining ministry. The Preservation Committee and Property Committee work together to protect the integrity and beauty of the sanctuary and education building while encouraging active use. The Friends of Christ Church Lutheran, a non-sectarian 501(c)(3) nonprofit established in 2008, supports the building through fundraising, education, and public awareness, trains docents, and conducts tours.
Docent-led public tours are offered free of charge on the second Sunday of each month at 11:00 a.m., meeting in the courtyard near the main sanctuary entrance (or just inside the doors on colder days). Private guided tours can be arranged with at least a week's notice; the fee is $15 per person with a $25 minimum, or $10 per person for groups of six or more. There is no fee for student class tours, which must be accompanied by the instructor. Architectural photographs of the building, many used in publications around the world, are by photographer Pete Sieger.
The 1962 education building, Eero Saarinen's quieter homage to his father's masterpiece, houses a lounge, spacious classrooms, a sky-lit atrium, and a gymnasium with a theater stage, along with original furnishings by mid-century modern designers including Hans J. Wegner and Ray and Charles Eames. Both the sanctuary and the education building are available for weddings, funerals, and private rentals, with a variety of classroom, meeting, and gymnasium spaces suited to organizational meetings, classes, sports leagues, and events.
Pastors and Cantors
Pastor Miriam Samuelson-Roberts has served as lead pastor since 2020. A 2008 graduate of St. Olaf College, she earned her Master of Divinity at Yale Divinity School in 2015 and previously served as associate pastor at Westwood Lutheran Church in St. Louis Park. She and her husband, Daniel, live in the Longfellow neighborhood with their two children.
Pastor Erik Haaland has been associate pastor at Christ Church since 2013 and a member of the congregation since 2010. A 2000 St. Olaf graduate who majored in music and religion, he received his seminary training at Luther Seminary in St. Paul and served as Village Pastor at Holden Village in Washington State from 2006 to 2009. He and his husband, Daniel, make their home across the river in St. Paul.
The musical program is led by two cantors. Mark Sedio, an ordained deacon in the ELCA, came to Christ Church after retiring from a long tenure as Cantor at Central Lutheran Church in downtown Minneapolis, where he had served since 2000; he is an active recitalist, conductor, and composer with more than 125 published works for organ, piano, and choral and instrumental ensembles. Martha Mutch, the second cantor, came to Christ Church from Roseville Lutheran Church and brings training from Concordia College in Moorhead and a Master of Music in organ performance from Northwestern University, as well as two years of study in Germany. Jake Barclay serves as Children and Youth Ministry Coordinator, drawing on more than seventeen years of teaching experience with children from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, an MBA from Tulane, and certifications in K-12 special education and elementary education. Breanne Hewitt serves as Office Administrator, and Peter Stork serves as Facilities Coordinator. Drew Benson, Melody Pauling, Michael Bly, Lynn Larson, Sarah Brunsvold, David Denton, Brad Hubert, Matthew Jobe, and Jane Kretzmann make up the current Congregation Council.
Worship Leadership and Giving
Anyone who wishes to take a visible role in the liturgy is encouraged to do so. In addition to the roles mentioned above, worship leaders can be greeters and ushers, acolytes, lectors, prayer writers, or assisting ministers at the eucharist. The pastors welcome inquiries from anyone interested in serving.
Giving can be done online through the church's online giving partner, by check or cash in the offering plate on Sunday morning, by mailing or bringing a check to the church office, or through Venmo at @ChristChurchLutheran. Gifts of appreciated stocks, mutual funds, or other marketable securities can be arranged through the church office. A portion of every year's giving flows outward through the Community Partners Fund and through the congregation's ongoing partnerships with Safe House, Every Meal, Meals on Wheels, Our Saviour's Housing, Community Emergency Service, and Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota Refugee Services.
Worshiping and Visiting
The church office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and can be reached at mail@christchurchluth.org or (612) 721-6611. Sunday morning sermons are available on YouTube for those who wish to follow along remotely. The building itself is the work of two generations of one of the twentieth century's most influential architectural families, and the congregation that meets inside it is committed to keeping that building open, in use, and alive with music, worship, and community for another generation of neighbors.