Lord of Life Lutheran Church sits along Nowthen Boulevard in Ramsey, on the northwest side of the Twin Cities metro. Since the first sixteen people gathered in 1973, this congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has become a multi-generational hub where worship, education, music, and outreach share a 66,000-square-foot campus. With one Sunday service, a packed Wednesday night lineup, a preschool that families return to year after year, and a stream of community partnerships across Anoka County, Lord of Life is the kind of church whose doors stay open more than 80 hours a week.
A Church Born from Door Knocking
The story begins in May 1972, when Frances Schmidt was sent to the area with a simple mission: knock on doors and find people ready to plant a church in a growing community. She knocked for an entire year. On September 16, 1973, a small group gathered at Anoka Hennepin Technical College to worship together for the very first time, and Lord of Life was officially born just months later at 6139 157th Lane NW.
By the late 1980s, the original space had grown tight. New worship experiences and a vibrant children's and youth ministry had drawn many who had never set foot in a church before. Membership was climbing. With no room to expand, a new site opened up that the congregation describes as a miracle. In June 1992, worship began in what is now the current home on Nowthen Boulevard, ushering in a season of rapid growth and renewed purpose. Today the congregation describes itself as entering another fresh season of renewal and expansion, with hearts on fire to share the love of Jesus in a community that keeps drawing new neighbors.
Sundays at Ten
Worship is intentionally simple in shape. There is one Sunday gathering, a 10:00 AM service that everyone in the family attends together. The order includes a Children's Message near the start of worship, when all children are invited to come forward, followed by a Kids Connect option for children ages 4 through grade 5, who head out for a Bible story and age-appropriate activity during the sermon and return to the sanctuary afterward. For younger ones, a Prayground sits near the front right of the sanctuary, with a rug and quiet toys for wiggling hands and feet.
There is no dress code. Some people show up in their Sunday best; others come in jeans and a t-shirt. The church asks only that visitors be ready to worship and connect with God.
Holy Communion is celebrated on the second and fourth Sundays of the month, as well as on special occasions in the church year. The practice is open communion, and all who believe in Jesus Christ are welcome at the Lord's table, whether members or first-time visitors. Baptisms of all ages are typically scheduled on the first and third Sundays.
The service is led by Senior Pastor David Lechelt, who has served Lord of Life since the summer of 2013. He preaches biblically based, extemporaneous sermons, often invites the children forward, and is known for a warm welcome and a joyful invitation to life together in Jesus Christ. Worship Music Director Ariel Wilberg, who holds a Master's in Music from the University of Minnesota and is completing a Doctor of Musical Arts in opera performance, leads the music alongside Brad Kletzin and the contemporary Praise Band. AV Producer Raymond Bell runs the room, keeping every sound, light, and video in place so the service can carry a steady energy from start to finish.
Sermons can be replayed on the church's YouTube channel and are also broadcast on local cable television throughout the week. QCTV (Comcast Channel 19, CenturyLink Channels 8440 and 8940) airs the previous week's service at 5:30 AM and 11:00 AM on Sundays. North Metro TV (Comcast Channel 14, CenturyLink Channels 8027 and 8527) airs it Sundays at 3:00 PM and 11:00 PM, and Mondays at 7:00 AM, reaching households in Blaine, Centerville, Circle Pines, Ham Lake, Lexington, Lino Lakes, and Spring Lake Park.
Wednesday Evenings from Dinner to Dismissal
If Sundays are for the whole church gathered, Wednesdays are for the whole church in motion. The building is alive with laughter, learning, and conversation from late afternoon through the evening, and dinner is part of the rhythm.
From 5:00 to 6:30 PM, a shared meal is served buffet style in the gathering space. A free-will offering is collected, and the meal is open to anyone in the church or community, not just the families whose children are in programs.
Logos, the Wednesday program for children in grades 1 through 5, runs from 5:30 to 6:30 PM. The name is taken from Acts 2:42, and the structure follows the early church's pattern of teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayer. The evening includes Bible story time using picture books that connect kids with ancient stories, recreation with cooperative play and games, and Worship Arts where children prepare music and sign language for special Sundays. Parents, grandparents, and other key adults are encouraged to serve alongside staff and volunteers, making it a true intergenerational ministry.
At 6:30 PM, confirmation begins for grades 6 through 8 in a ministry called KIC, or Kids in Confirmation. The three-year program partners with Cross of Hope Lutheran in Ramsey and explores Lutheran theology, Bible stories, and life's big questions. Students complete ten Worship Response forms and five service projects over the program, attend a winter retreat, meet with a Lenten Mentor during the Lenten season, and complete a Faith Project in their eighth-grade year, before being Affirmed in Baptism in the fall of ninth grade. The cost is $50 to help cover a student Bible and the winter retreat.
At 7:30 PM, the high school ministry called BCK takes over the Youth Center, with open gym starting at 6:30 PM for anyone who wants to shoot hoops first. BCK meets weekly through the school year and offers space for grades 9 through 12 to grow in faith together, ask hard questions, and build real friendships.
Both KIC and BCK open with the same commitment: all youth, regardless of identity, background, abilities, mental, or physical health, are entitled to a safe, brave, joyful, welcoming, and accepting faith community. Youth are entitled to be identified by their chosen name, pronouns, and asserted gender in all youth ministries and activities, and the staff commits to use inclusive language, listen to youth voices, take care of the spaces they share, and work respectfully through disagreements.
Alongside the youth programs, the Lord of Life Choir rehearses at 7:00 PM, the Proclaim! Bell Choir meets at 6:15 PM, and a Men's Group gathers on the first and third Wednesdays of the month from 7:00 to 8:30 PM to discuss Scripture and how faith intersects with real life.
Music That Spans the Spectrum
Music is one of the most visible ways Lord of Life invests in its worship. The Sunday gathering blends a contemporary Praise Band, led by Brad Kletzin, with traditional choral offerings from the Lord of Life Choir, directed by Ariel Wilberg. The Choir rehearses on Wednesday nights at 7:00 PM from September through May and helps lead worship on select Sundays. For those who cannot commit to a weekly rehearsal, the choir offers short-term seasonal experiences leading up to the Christmas Concert and Cantata and the Good Friday Tenebrae Service. Men's and Women's Ensembles rehearse on select Wednesdays and provide musical leadership during worship throughout the year.
Handbell ringers have a place too. The Proclaim! Bell Choir, open to new ringers of any experience level, rehearses on Wednesday evenings at 6:15 PM in the large preschool room.
Anyone with a heart to share their gifts, from a guitar solo to a small ensemble to a special music offering, is welcome to step into the music ministry, regardless of formal training.
School Days at LOL Preschool
Tucked into the lower level of the building, LOL Preschool has been a familiar doorway into the church for hundreds of families. Mrs. Crandall, a longtime teacher with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, leads a teaching team that includes Miss Tina, Tracey Purcell, Miss Bria, Mrs. O'Hanlon, and Miss Patti, each with a specialty in the three-year-old, three- and four-year-old, or K-Prep classrooms.
Class options run from two days a week (Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday) up to four mornings a week for K-Prep, with extended options for before-school care from 8:00 to 9:00 AM and a Lunch Bunch from noon to 1:30 PM. Tuition is paid monthly from September through May, and the program accepts children year round as long as they are three years old and potty trained. A $90 non-refundable registration fee reserves a spot, with $25 for each additional sibling.
Parents consistently point to the relationships with teachers as the differentiator. As one parent shared, "The teachers are so personal and sweet with the kids. They make it a fun place to be." Another added, "The curriculum prepared my son for kindergarten and most importantly, he developed a greater love for Jesus."
Faith formation for the whole family is led by Lisa Sampson, Director of Faith Formation, who brings more than 25 years of congregational ministry experience working with children, youth, and families in ELCA congregations and holds a Master of Arts in Leadership and Innovation from Luther Seminary. Her team oversees the Sunday Kids Connect, the Wednesday Logos and Confirmation programs, BCK high school ministry, Vacation Bible School, Music Production Camp, and the Kids Who Serve summer outreach.
Prayer, Quilting, Walking, and Care
For adults and seniors, the rhythm of the week continues outside of Sunday. Prayer Shepherds are available in the Prayer Chapel after each service, and a Prayer Ministry Team gathers every Tuesday at 9:00 AM, year round, to lift up needs from across the congregation and community. Anyone can join to pray, and anyone can submit a prayer request for the team's care.
For more than twenty years, Alcoholics Anonymous has met at Lord of Life every week, more than 1,500 hours of support for people in recovery, offered at no cost. From Monday through Thursday, 8:00 to 9:00 AM, the indoor walking group fills the halls with footsteps and friendship, followed by coffee, treats, and conversation in the library.
The Stitch, Study & Share quilt ministry has been creating and giving away hundreds of handmade quilts since 2005, including baby quilts for crisis nurseries, prayer quilts for people who are ill or grieving, and baptism quilts. The work happens during the week with all skill levels welcome, even if the only contribution is a willing heart and a pair of hands to tie knots.
Senior Mornings at Lord of Life gather adults 55 and older, along with caregivers of any age, on Tuesdays at 10:00 AM in Room N210, for speakers, storytelling, movies, bingo, coffee, and treats. The church also owns a mini-bus with a wheelchair lift to help members who can no longer drive attend Sunday morning worship or other events. Drivers and driver partners are always needed.
Stephen Ministry provides one-on-one Christian caregiving for people in the congregation and community who are facing grief, loss, transitions, or other life crises. Stephen Ministers are trained volunteers who offer listening, prayer, and emotional and spiritual support in confidence.
A 66,000-Square-Foot Hub in the Heart of Ramsey
The campus itself is a ministry. With three full-size gyms at the center of the Community Life Center and flexible spaces all around, the building hosts local athletic associations and tournaments, Anoka County events like the Senior Expo, graduations, talent shows, dance recitals through the YMCA and 4-H, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, wedding receptions, and meetings. The Worship Center, with seating for several hundred, doubles as a beautiful wedding venue. Weddings, funerals, baptisms, and first communions are all part of the building's regular week.
Life Events at Lord of Life go beyond Sunday. Weddings are a particular ministry of the church, welcoming all couples seeking to enter into the Christian covenant of marriage, with the 66,000-square-foot facility providing plenty of room for ceremony, reception, and gathering. First Communion instruction is offered during the season of Lent for those preparing to receive the sacrament for the first time. Funerals, too, are an extension of pastoral care, holding up the promise of resurrection and rejoicing even in sorrow.
Reaching Out in Ramsey and Beyond
Lord of Life's mission to transform lives plays out in partnerships across the community. The church supports Family Promise in Anoka County alongside more than a dozen other local churches, providing gift baskets and raising funds to help families experiencing housing insecurity. The ACBC Food Shelf is a year-round recipient, with ongoing collections of food, financial donations, and personal care items, and proceeds from the once-a-year $1/bag Clothing Sale go directly to the food shelf as well.
On the fourth Friday of every month, the congregation sponsors a Ruby's Pantry food distribution pop-up. Volunteers sort and distribute food bundles, both perishable and non-perishable, helping families stretch their food budgets while reducing food waste. Each Christmas season, youth and adults come together to bless families and individuals in need by donating gifts, gift cards, household supplies, and heartfelt prayers. Two to four times a year, the building hosts American Red Cross blood drives.
In 2023, marking its 50th anniversary, Lord of Life raised $50,000 and distributed the funds to Family Promise of Anoka County, Youth First, HOPE4YOUTH, the ACBC Food Shelf, and Toys for Joy, a local non-profit that supports families of Anoka County not just at Christmas but all year long. The 50th anniversary was a chance to look back at a story that started with door knocking and a borrowed classroom, and to look ahead at another season of growth.
For visitors and newcomers, the path into the community is straightforward. All are welcome is the phrase repeated most often, and it is taken seriously. There is no dress code, no membership required to attend, and prayer is available after every service. Anyone exploring membership can email the office, and anyone with questions for the staff can call 763-427-1100 during office hours, Monday through Thursday from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM.
Lord of Life Lutheran Church is a member congregation of the Minneapolis Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, with a mission grounded in the belief that all people matter to God and that following Jesus means living boldly and loving deeply. Whether someone is walking in for the first time, dropping a child off at preschool, bringing a meal to a neighbor through Ruby's Pantry, or singing with the bell choir on a Wednesday night, there is a place here, and the doors are open.