A Missouri Synod Congregation on Fourteen Wooded Acres in Stevensville
Christ Lutheran Church and School sits on a 14-acre wooded parcel at 4333 Cleveland Avenue in Stevensville, Michigan, in the southwest corner of the state near the Lake Michigan shoreline. The campus is shared by a Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) congregation and a preschool through 8th grade school that has served families from the congregation and surrounding community since 1956. Members describe the church simply by its mission statement: Christ's People Proclaiming Christ's Love.
From this single site the congregation gathers around a liturgical Divine Service three times each week, runs a long roster of volunteer ministries, and supports an accredited day school whose students regularly lead chapel worship, compete in a Lutheran athletic league, and spend classroom hours exploring the on-site creek and ravine trail. The whole operation is governed by a pastor, Rev. Martin P. Measel, and a full-time school principal, Neil Webb, with music leadership from Mark Steffens as organist and choir director and Carl Steffens as director of bands.
Worship on Sundays and Thursdays: A Liturgical Meal of Word and Sacrament
Regular worship at Christ Lutheran follows the liturgical pattern of the LCMS, what the congregation calls Divine Service because, in their words, the divine God promises to come and serve his people through his word and sacraments. The liturgy is often compared to a three-course meal. Confession and Absolution opens the service and clears the conscience, much like a salad. The main course gathers worshippers around the Introit, the Kyrie, the Gloria in Excelsis, the scripture readings, and the sermon, with prayer and offerings in response. On certain Sundays, the meal finishes with Holy Communion, the dessert of the banquet.
Two Sunday morning services are offered every week. At 8:00 a.m., worshippers gather for the early Divine Service, which is livestreamed on YouTube under the name Christ Stevensville; recordings are posted shortly after the service ends for those unable to attend in person. At 10:45 a.m., the congregation gathers again for a second Divine Service of identical liturgical shape. A 1st Sunday of the month contemporary liturgy is celebrated at 10:45 a.m., and a 3rd Sunday contemporary liturgy is celebrated at 8:00 a.m. These services still speak all of the historic liturgy but feature more modern songs alongside the traditional parts.
Holy Communion is celebrated at all services on the 2nd, 4th, and 5th Sundays of the month. Christ Lutheran practices close(d) communion in keeping with LCMS practice: members of the LCMS are welcomed to the altar, and anyone who holds a different confession or has questions is asked to speak with one of the pastors before partaking. Pastors emphasize that all people are always welcome to the Divine Service and that forgiveness is proclaimed through the whole liturgy, not only at the table.
On Thursday evenings at 7:00 p.m., the congregation gathers for a midweek service that uses the same liturgy as the upcoming Sunday. During Advent and Lent, this service shifts to Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. A weekly adult Sunday School and Bible Class meets between the Sunday services at 9:30 a.m., and adult members can join either in person or online.
First-time visitors are gently welcomed. Ushers and greeters are posted at the doors, the visitor's center hands out special visitor bulletins, and worshippers are told they don't have to introduce themselves or put anything in the offering plate. Children are welcome in every part of the service, and a staffed nursery is available during the Sunday services and Bible class for children three and under; the service can be viewed from inside the nursery on a screen.
What the Congregation Believes
Christ Lutheran holds and confesses the apostolic faith as proclaimed by the apostles and the Church Fathers before them. The congregation is confessional, meaning the Holy Scriptures are the only source and judge for what is taught and practiced, and the Lutheran Confessions in the Book of Concord are received as a correct interpretation of the Bible. The congregation is a member of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and falls within its Michigan District.
Central to the church's life are the two sacraments. In Holy Baptism, God adopts the believer as his child, sealing that person with the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, pouring out the Holy Spirit, forgiving sin, and giving eternal salvation. Because children, like adults, are capable of faith, the congregation baptizes both adults and infants, following Acts 2:38-39 and the Nicene Creed. In the Lord's Supper, the church teaches that Christ gives his very body and blood, in, with, and under the bread and wine, to eat and to drink for the forgiveness of sins and to strengthen union with him. The pastorate summarizes it with the old line that you are what you eat, and so those who eat of the Lord's Supper are connected to Christ in a profound way.
The mission statement that flows from these convictions is Christ's People Proclaiming Christ's Love. A planning document the congregation published, Christ Lutheran 2022 Planning Steps, organized that mission into three areas: Worship and Word, where regular worship and Bible study strengthen the faith of children, youth, and adults; Members in Mission, where the church reaches outward through evangelism, gifts, and service; and Joyful in Community, where members family throughout all generations by inviting friends to worship, fellowship events, and acts of care. A 2020 demographic profile of the surrounding area identified roughly 7,800 unchurched adults living within two miles of the facility, a number that has shaped the congregation's continued emphasis on outreach.
Bible Study on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, With Recordings for Later
Bible study is a regular rhythm at Christ Lutheran and is led by the pastor. Studies meet on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and move through books of the Bible one passage at a time. Recent and current series have included 1 Corinthians, Acts, John, Romans, Revelation, Micah, Proverbs, and a Lent series titled Art of Dying, as well as a study titled Lies of Satan. Each session is recorded as an audio file and posted to the Bible Study section of the congregation's site, so members can replay the lesson or catch up if they missed a meeting. The Proverbs series from September 2026, for example, includes separate Tuesday and Wednesday audio files for each lesson.
Children have their own instruction. Each Wednesday morning, all Christ Lutheran School students assemble in the church for Children's Worship Hour, the school's chapel service. The entire service is planned as a children's service, with student ushers and student choirs, and weekly chapel offerings support various mission projects. Students in the Confirmation program at school also receive systematic instruction in Christian doctrine as outlined in Luther's Small Catechism, and Confirmation essays are read before the congregation as part of a rite the church treasures.
Christ Lutheran School: A Day School Serving Southwest Michigan Since 1956
Christ Lutheran School was founded in 1956 by Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church and has remained a ministry of the congregation ever since. The school serves preschool through 8th grade on the same Cleveland Avenue campus as the church, on a 14-acre parcel that includes a quarter-mile hiking trail, a creek, and an outdoor education program built in partnership with the Sarett Nature Center and West Side Christian School. Christ Lutheran School is accredited through National Lutheran Schools Accreditation (NLSA), the Michigan District of the LCMS, and the Michigan Association of Non-Public Schools. First accredited in 1992, CLS was most recently re-accredited in 2020.
The school's stated purpose is two-fold: to prepare children for useful, productive lives now in God's kingdom on earth, and to prepare them for eternity in his heavenly kingdom. To that end, each classroom opens the day with a brief devotion followed by instruction in Christian doctrine and biblical account. Religion sits at the center of the curriculum and is taught at every grade level, with Bible stories and memory work in the lower grades, Luther's Small Catechism in the middle grades, and Confirmation preparation in the upper grades. The wider academic program covers language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, fine arts, physical education, and computer literacy, with 1:1 Chromebooks in the middle school and interactive white boards and iPads in every classroom.
The average years of teaching experience on the CLS faculty is more than twenty-five, and the full-time faculty is composed of five men and five women. Eight of the teachers hold a master's degree or higher, and half of the faculty has musical training and ability. The current faculty includes Mr. Neil Webb (Principal, Concordia University B.S. and M.Ed.), Mr. Jeff Wallace (7th and 8th grade homeroom and Athletic Director, Concordia Chicago B.A. and Western Michigan M.A.), Mrs. Heather Steffens (5th and 6th grade homeroom, twenty-seven years in Lutheran education), Mr. Carl Steffens (3rd and 4th grade homeroom and Director of Bands, Concordia River Forest and Western Michigan), Mrs. Helena Zavislak (2nd grade, Lake Superior State and East Tennessee State), Ms. Katrina Wentzel (1st and 2nd grade, Concordia Mequon), Mrs. Angela Webb (Kindergarten, Concordia Nebraska), Mrs. Sue Veurink-Meyer (Preschool Director, Calvin College and Indiana University South Bend), Mrs. Jill Measel (PreK and Young Fives Aide, University of Michigan), Rev. Martin Measel (Administrative Pastor), Mrs. Terri Gerken (After School Coordinator), Mr. Mark Steffens (Church Music Director), Ms. Ashley Rohm (PE Teacher), Mrs. Tabatha Winter (Head Cook), Mrs. Naomi Hettig (Art Instructor), and Mrs. Kristie Koehn (Church Secretary).
Tuition is set on a sliding scale. Members of Christ Lutheran Church pay a nominal tuition because the school is supported by the gifts of the congregation. Non-members are asked to pay a larger share that does not fully offset the cost of education, with the remainder funded by the church in keeping with its mission of teaching the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. A financial assistance program, managed by the Board of Christian Education, is in place so that no family is turned away because of an inability to pay.
Beyond the classroom, CLS offers before-school care starting at 7:00 a.m. and an after-school care program from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. that includes snacks, help with homework, and cooperative group activities. Hot lunch is available to all students in kindergarten through 8th grade, as well as to all-day Young Fives students. CLS does not participate in the Federal Hot Lunch Program; meals are prepared fresh daily on site by a certified chef, and the menu features a main entree, fresh vegetables or fruit, dessert, and a choice of 2 percent white milk, fat-free chocolate milk, or bottled water. Students who bring their own lunch may purchase milk or water. Lakeshore Public School System buses transport CLS pupils according to district policy, and the school cafeteria follows a regular monthly menu calendar.
Preschool and Young Fives: Nature-Based Learning on a Wooded Campus
The CLS preschool and Young Fives programs are built around the school's wooded campus and a partnership with the Sarett Nature Center and West Side Christian School. The preschool is a four-day program, Monday through Thursday, beginning at 8:15 a.m. and ending at 11:00 a.m., that spends the first hour and a half outdoors whenever temperatures are 20 degrees or warmer. As the director, Mrs. Sue Veurink-Meyer, likes to put it, there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing. Children paint at outdoor easels, cook and bake at the mud kitchen, work in the organic garden, shovel snow, rake leaves, and take regular trips into the on-site ravine and creek to explore woodland and wetland plants, animals, and trees. The school sees this nature-based approach as a developmentally appropriate, multi-sensory way for children to grow in language, cognition, physical skills, and social-emotional learning while daily encountering God's creation.
The Young Fives program meets Monday through Thursday, with both all-day (8:15 a.m. to 3:10 p.m.) and half-day (12:30 to 3:10 p.m.) options. Designed as a bridge between preschool and kindergarten, it serves children who are age-eligible for kindergarten and gives them an extra year to grow socially and emotionally before entering a traditional program. The teacher-to-child ratio is 1:10, and the curriculum uses Everyday Mathematics, Discover Intensified Phonics, Handwriting Without Tears, and the One in Christ Bible Curriculum.
Plans for the outdoor program include a raised garden, several mud kitchens, and an outdoor shelter structure. CLS sees this work as central to its identity as a Christ-centered school: the program helps students recognize that their abilities are a gift from God and that those gifts are best used when they are offered back to the Lord with gratitude.
Athletics, Fine Arts, and the Broader Student Life
Christ Lutheran School fields nearly twenty team sports for boys and girls in grades 5 through 8, with additional instructional opportunities for grades 3 and 4. CLS is a member of the County Lutheran Athletic League (CLAL), playing alongside Trinity of St. Joseph, Trinity of Berrien Springs, Grace of St. Joseph, St. Paul's of South Haven, St. Paul's of Stevensville, and Resurrection of South Bend. The league has also welcomed Our Lady of the Lake of St. Joseph and St. Basil's of South Haven to participate in CLAL offerings. League sports include soccer, boys' and girls' basketball, girls' volleyball, and track and field. CLS teams play in tournaments locally and out of state, and both boys' and girls' basketball teams won the first-ever State of Michigan Lutheran Basketball Association Tournament in 2008, with the basketball teams qualifying at the national level for several years.
The athletic philosophy at CLS frames sports as a way to give witness to the glory of God, strive for excellence in the talents he has given, prepare for a life of Christian service, and develop a lifelong habit of physical activity. Athletics are divided into three divisions: C Division (3rd and 4th grades, an introductory level), B Division (5th and 6th grades, developmental), and A Division (7th and 8th grades, competitive within the rules). Student athletes and their parents must complete sports physicals and sign the MHSAA Physical Form, the CLS Consent to Treat Form, the Concussion Form, and both the CLS Parent/Guardian Contract and the CLS Student-Athlete Contract before they can practice or play.
The fine arts program at CLS treats art education as a means of glorifying God the Creator. Visual arts are taught as a structured, K-8 sequence, with student work displayed on the walls of the school throughout the year. In music, the Children's Choir serves students in kindergarten through 4th grade and a second choir serves 5th through 8th grade, with the Jubilate Choir as an extra-curricular option for the older students led by the Church Music Director, Mr. Mark Steffens. Third graders learn recorder, fourth graders learn hand chimes, and students in grades 4-8 participate in band, with separate Beginner, Concert, and Wind Ensemble groups under Director of Bands Carl Steffens. A Jazz Band draws members from 7th grade through adult, and brass and woodwind ensembles play in church, school, and community settings throughout the year. CLS bands have on many occasions taken a spring tour. Students in CLS also participate in musicals and annually lead the church's Advent and Christmas service.
Community service is built into the school year. During National Lutheran Schools Week, students participate in service projects around the community. The school regularly volunteers at the soup kitchen, and every month one of the classes accompanies one of the pastors to lead worship at Jordan's Nursing Home.
Volunteer Ministries and Ways to Get Involved
The congregation runs a long list of ministries in which members can serve alongside paid staff. The Prayer Team, organized by Terri, runs a confidential phone prayer chain open to anyone who wants to pray for others; when a prayer request is made, members pass the information down the line. The Soup Kitchen team, led by Jerry and Julie, cooks and serves the Soup Kitchen in Benton Harbor once a month, with help needed both for serving and for the night-before cooking.
For older members, the 50+ Group, led by Ellen, meets the first Wednesday of every month except January and July, with a December luncheon, a June luncheon, and an August picnic. Stephen Ministry, under Pat and Bob, is a team of specially trained lay caregivers who walk with people through crises; training takes two years. Ushers, led by Glenn, serve on a rotating monthly basis, and the Visitor's Center, led by Harry, greets worshippers and hands out visitor bulletins each Sunday. The Adult Choir, under Mark Steffens, is open to any confirmed member of the congregation who enjoys singing; no auditions are required and members do not have to read music. Rehearsals are on Thursday evenings during the school year, from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.
For women, the Ladies League meets monthly from September through May with programs on topics like health, decorating, and missions, and includes a Helping Hands group that organizes meals for members in need. The Lutheran Women's Missionary League (LWML) chapter is reported at Ladies League meetings and sponsors retreats, speakers, and local and national conventions. For men, the Lutheran Laymen's League and Men's NetWork, led by Jerry, meets monthly on Zoom from October through April for fellowship and Bible study, with golf outings, other activities, and an annual Camp Arcadia men's retreat. The Altar Guild, led by Dianna, sets up for communion and baptisms on a rotating basis with a partner, usually serving one to two times per year. The Banner Making Committee, led by Celeste, creates banners for the church, including a simple banner with the name of every child baptized at Christ Lutheran; no prior talent is required.
For families with young children, the church nursery is staffed during Sunday services and Bible class by volunteers on a rotating basis, and the service is shown on a screen inside the nursery. Greeters, led by Harry, are assigned to a particular service and serve for one month at a time. Christ Lutheran also has an active Board of Christian Education, Board of Properties, Board of Youth, and other boards that meet regularly to plan, build, and maintain the work of the congregation, and there are several smaller convening options like the Mailbox Stuffers, who put printed items into the church mailboxes on their own schedule.
The church nursery, Sunday School, and youth programs together support families from the cradle through Confirmation. Christ Lutheran School, with its long history, its accreditation, and its 14-acre campus, is the largest single ministry of the congregation, but the church's life extends well beyond the school day, into the homes and service projects of a congregation rooted, in their own words, in scripture and the Lutheran confessions.