Christ the Lord Lutheran Church in Lawrenceville, Georgia, is located on Duluth Highway (State Route 120) at McKendree Church Road, between University Parkway (State Route 316) and Interstate 85. The congregation is known for two distinct Sunday worship times: an 8:30 a.m. traditional service and an 11:00 a.m. contemporary service, with Holy Communion at both. A 9:45 a.m. Sunday school for all ages, adult fellowship with coffee, and a staffed nursery place education and family care alongside worship. The church belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and its Southeastern Synod, and its identity and mission are expressed simply as “Caring people, Caring for people.”
Two Sunday Services and the Table of Grace
Sunday worship at Christ the Lord is participatory rather than a performance. The congregation confesses the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, proclaims Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and trusts the Gospel as God’s power for the salvation of all who believe. The services have a warm, friendly and open character, with a casual style that connects biblical lessons to modern life.
- The 8:30 a.m. traditional service follows the Lutheran liturgy and uses the red Evangelical Lutheran Worship hymnal.
- The 11:00 a.m. contemporary service was written by a member of the congregation and includes hymns.
- Holy Communion is celebrated at both services. First Communion is typically offered in the spring of a student’s fifth-grade year or at age 10, and children who received Communion in another community of faith are welcome to receive it here.
- Music often includes the main choir, special choirs, handbell and chime choirs, and instrumentalists.
- Special midweek services during Advent, Lent and Holy Week include prayer, reflection and Holy Communion.
Worship is also available live and recorded through the YouTube channel and Facebook Live, giving people who are away or missed a Sunday a way to join the congregation’s worship.
A Congregation Begun With 2,000 Home Visits
Pastor Bill Quail was called in August 1978 to begin a mission congregation of the Lutheran Church in America, a predecessor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Before the first gathering, he visited about 2,000 homes in the Lawrenceville community. He led the first worship service on January 14, 1979, with 174 people in attendance, and the congregation was formally organized that May.
The congregation has carried out two major building programs over more than 30 years. The ministry continued through the service of Pastor Bob Mitchell, who began in July 1984 and retired in October 2021, and the earlier ministries of Pastor Terri Stagner-Collier from 2002 to 2006 and Pastor Julie Ehlers King from 2007 to 2012. Pastor Bradley Eidson relocated to Georgia in January 2023 and serves as the congregation’s pastor. The church marked 40 years of ministry in 2019.
Grace at the Center of Christian Life
Grace is the unifying word in the church’s teaching. The congregation describes salvation as a gift accomplished by Christ’s death on the cross and received through faith in Jesus Christ, not earned through human rites, goodness or works of the law. This emphasis shapes both its historical identity and its focus on God’s mercy and forgiveness.
Worship stands at the center of the congregation’s life. The Word is read and preached, and the Lord’s Supper delivers forgiveness, life and salvation. In the church’s words, worship is “the fountainhead” from which ministries and missions flow: those renewed in worship are then sent out as disciples to witness, serve and care for others.
Children Learn, Sing and Serve
Children’s Ministry serves children from birth through fifth grade, with Sunday school classes for four-year-olds through fifth grade at 9:45 a.m. Volunteer teachers use engaging curriculum to share Bible stories and lessons through singing, games and crafts. Children build friendships with peers and are taught to value service both in the congregation and in the wider community.
A staffed nursery cares for children from birth to four years from 8:30 a.m. until noon on Sundays. Caregivers share God’s stories with the children, and parents register each child at drop-off and show identification at pickup.
Music and service extend beyond the classroom. The Children’s Chime Choir gathers at 10:45 a.m. during the school year for children in first through fifth grade. Vacation Bible School welcomes children from three years old through fifth grade, using Bible stories, outdoor games, crafts and music around God’s presence. Rising fifth through seventh graders can join Preteen Servant Camp, where morning service in the community gives way to afternoon fellowship, Bible study, laser tag and bowling. Recurring family gatherings include an Easter Egg Hunt and brunch, Trunk or Treat, Family Fun Night and Scout Sundays at both worship services.
From Confirmation to Voting Membership
Youth Ministry spans sixth through twelfth grade. At 9:45 a.m., middle school students enter a three-year confirmation program that moves through the Old Testament, the New Testament and Luther’s Small Catechism. High school students gather for Sunday school, studying biblical principles and how faith applies to daily life, with time for fellowship each Sunday.
Confirmation is more than classroom study: relationships among students are central to the program, and eighth graders who complete it are confirmed and become voting members. Youth also take part in service projects and games, serve as volunteers in children’s programs, and attend day camps whose mornings focus on volunteering and whose afternoons include fellowship and Bible study. Regional and national opportunities include the All Georgia Youth Gathering, Southeastern Synod leadership weekends, the ELCA Youth Gathering and Affirm camp.
Adults Gather Around the Word
Adult Sunday School meets between services at 9:45 a.m. Under the pastor’s guidance, classes explore scripture, theological ideas and varied themes. A lay-led men’s Bible study meets weekly to consider how to be faithful servants, while a midweek pastoral study group gives adults space to discuss a range of topics with a theologically educated leader. Separate retreats for men and women offer periods of spiritual growth, reflection and fellowship.
The CTL Library holds hundreds of Christian fiction and nonfiction books, including a substantial selection about Martin Luther and a children’s section. Social fellowship includes Ladies Night Out and Men’s Fellowship, which meet monthly for a meal at a local restaurant, and a monthly book club discussion.
Choirs, Bells and Drama
The music ministry combines the main choir, men’s and women’s choirs, a men’s quartet, other small ensembles, handbell and chime choirs, and instrumentalists. The main choir serves both contemporary and traditional music, with smaller groups appearing throughout the year. Choir practice is held Wednesday evenings at 7:15 p.m.; the Handbell Choir rehearses Sundays at 10:00 a.m., and the Children’s Chime Choir rehearses at 11:00 a.m.
A drama ministry welcomes actors of all ages. Its productions have included Beauty and the Beast, Mary Poppins, Godspell and The Sound of Music, along with plays such as Harvey, You Can’t Take It with You and A Higher Place in Heaven.
Care for Lawrenceville and Gwinnett County
Community involvement is a direct expression of the congregation’s mission. Members work with local schools and community organizations on the Angel Tree at Christmas, join the annual Hunger Walk to raise money for the Atlanta Community Food Bank, and host weekly bingo at Brookdale Senior Living. The church provides a safe place for donors to deliver requested items to a domestic violence shelter and has prepared and delivered dinner so families at the shelter can have a night off.
Christ the Lord was a founding member of Lawrenceville Co-Op, created with other churches in the Lawrenceville and Dacula area. Together they established a place where neighbors can obtain food and other vital support. Members also join teams that build homes with Habitat for Humanity throughout Gwinnett County, and the church hosts Red Cross blood drives throughout the year.
The congregation’s connection to Special Needs Schools of Gwinnett began with one class in the church’s facility. What began as a special needs preschool grew into an education organization serving students from Pre-K through adulthood and beyond. The church continues to support the school and its work of nurturing and challenging students with special needs. Members also make prayer shawls for people facing medical challenges, using each handmade gift as a reminder that its recipient is covered in prayer.
Happy Tails and Therapy Dogs International use the church facility for program orientation and training events for therapy dogs and their handlers. The congregation’s wider Lutheran network also includes disaster response, volunteer service, world relief and NovusWay ministries.
Stewardship and a Private Member Directory
Stewardship at Christ the Lord includes time, talent, money and prayer. The church teaches that everything entrusted to a person is to be used in service to God and neighbors, with tithing understood as giving ten percent of income to the ministry. Giving is a response to love already received, not a way to earn God’s approval or love. Members are also invited to contribute useful skills to maintain the church buildings and property.
Contact information for active members is kept in a private online directory rather than a downloadable list. Access requires an email address on file and a personal password. The directory is available through the church’s app for iPhone, iPad, iOS and Android devices, and a printed copy is available from the church office. Online giving is also available through the church’s giving service.
From its first 174 worshipers to a congregation serving children, youth and adults in Lawrenceville, Christ the Lord has remained centered on Word, sacrament, education, music and service. Its history of home visits, ecumenical food support and work with special students continues to shape a church whose identity is expressed simply as “Caring people, Caring for people.”