Ablaze Church on the Tulsa-Broken Arrow Line
On 4901 South 177th East Avenue, in the southern stretch of Tulsa where the city gives way to Broken Arrow, Ablaze Church meets each Sunday. The church describes itself as LCMS Lutheran, serves both cities, and lives by a four-line motto: "Love God, Love Others. Follow Jesus, Tell Others." A ministry that began in 2007 as a mission plant has grown into a congregation that shares its building with a Christian preschool and gathers each Sunday morning for both a traditional liturgy and a contemporary service.
From Mission Plant to Merged Congregation
Ablaze Church started in 2007 as a mission church of Our Savior Lutheran (LCMS). For nearly a decade, the young congregation met in schools and rented spaces around the Broken Arrow area. In 2017 the church moved into its current facility on South 177th East Avenue. That same year Ablaze Christian Academy opened its doors to offer a Christian learning center for children under the age of five.
In 2025, Our Savior Lutheran and Ablaze officially merged into one church at one site. The official corporate title is The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Our Savior, doing business as Ablaze Church. Two congregations, both affiliated with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, now worship and serve together in south Tulsa. The church reserves the right to refuse services to any organization that does not agree with the beliefs of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.
Sunday Mornings: Traditional, Contemporary, and Sunday School
Sunday worship at Ablaze offers two different expressions of the same Lutheran faith. The Traditional Service begins at 8:30 AM. The Contemporary Service follows at 11:15 AM. Between them, at 10:00 AM, the congregation gathers for Bible Study and Sunday School for all ages.
The two services reflect a single conviction expressed in the church's vision: "to lead people to be fully devoted followers of Jesus, who are grounded in truth, united in love, and flowing in service." Early risers find a familiar liturgy at 8:30, while families and those who prefer modern worship music gather at 11:15. The Sunday School hour between services allows children, youth, and adults to study Scripture together.
The church's stated welcome is simple: "Are you looking for a place that you can call home, where you are known by name and where you are loved? Then gather with us in our activities and worship services."
Ablaze Christian Academy: A Preschool in the Same Building
Ablaze Church shares its facility with Ablaze Christian Academy, a Christ-centered early learning center for children ages zero through five. The academy operates Monday through Friday from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM, giving working families in south Tulsa and Broken Arrow a full-day option.
"Ablaze Christian Academy is focused on the spiritual and educational needs of the children and their families," the academy explains. "Together we work to meet each individual child's physical, emotional and spiritual needs. We will provide a loving and nurturing environment for every child. Each day the kids will be engaged in learning favorite Bible stories, talking about God's marvelous Creation, and learning the importance of prayer. We embrace the children's curiosity and wonderings. It is our hope to build our children's learning experiences within and outside of the classroom."
Director Kara Castorena leads the academy, with Angela Tillotson as Assistant Director and Abby Arenivas as Administrative Assistant. Families can reach the academy at 918-248-4292 or info@aca.ba.org. The school's motto, drawn from Proverbs 22:6, is "Train up a child in the way he should go, and he will not stray from it." Ablaze Church Pastor Tim Dreier also serves in a pastoral role with the academy.
Grace Alone, Faith Alone, Scripture Alone
Ablaze is affiliated with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and confesses the historic Lutheran principles summarized in the three solas: Grace Alone, Faith Alone, and Scripture Alone.
Under Grace Alone, the church teaches that a person is not saved by human effort but by God's grace, demonstrated in the perfect life, sacrificial death, and triumphant resurrection of Jesus Christ. "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). "For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:22b-25).
Faith Alone describes how God's gift is received. Faith is the hand that takes hold of what grace offers, made possible in the human heart by the Holy Spirit. "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1). "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household" (Acts 16:31). "Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life" (John 5:24).
Scripture Alone sets the Bible as the authority for daily living and doctrine. "Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him" (Proverbs 30:5). "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:15-17).
The Triune God, Humanity, and the Fall
Beyond the three solas, Ablaze teaches a fuller doctrinal picture in the historic Christian and Lutheran tradition. There is one true God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, confessed in the ancient creeds of the Christian Church.
God is the creator of all that exists and continues to sustain it. Humanity is the crown of God's creation, made to know and fellowship with Him. Originally people were pure, innocent, holy, and righteous, living according to the perfect will of God.
But Adam and Eve turned against God and brought sin into the world. Since then, all people are born sinners and cannot save themselves. "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me" (Psalm 51:5). "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). "The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23).
Jesus Christ and the Resurrection
The presence of sin did not change God's love for humanity. To save humanity from the guilt, power, and punishment of sin, God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, into the world. Jesus is true God as well as true man. He lived a life of perfect obedience to the Father and then died on the cross to suffer the punishment of the sins of all people. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him" (John 3:16-17).
Jesus bodily arose from the dead in complete victory over the power of sin and evil. He ascended into heaven and now sits at the right hand of the Father. He will come again at the end of time to judge the living and the dead, to take believers with Him to heaven, and to separate unbelievers from Him forever. "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live" (John 11:25-26).
The Holy Spirit is truly God. He reveals and brings to us everything that Jesus accomplished in His life, death, and resurrection. He makes it possible for believers to trust, obey, and love. He fills them with joy and the fruit of His ongoing presence. "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:18).
The Church and the Sacraments
The Holy Spirit not only calls people into a faith relationship with the Triune God, He gathers them into the supernatural community called the Church. The true Christian Church is made up of all true believers in Christ in every place and time. The church seeks to obey and follow Christ and to teach only the truth of the Scriptures.
Ablaze teaches that the church has been given the means of grace - the Word and the Sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion. The sacraments are more than symbols and reminders of God's love. They offer and deliver spiritual blessings to those who partake of them in faith. Ablaze accepts all modes of baptism as correct, when water is applied in the name of the Triune God, and baptizes infants and young children as well as adults. "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19).
Women, Youth, Seniors, and Quilts
Beyond Sunday services, life at Ablaze extends into a steady rhythm of ministry. The congregation hosts a Women's Retreat each year, drawing women from the church and the wider community for a day of teaching and reflection.
The Youth Group meets regularly and raises funds for the next LCMS National Youth Gathering through bake sales and other projects. Ablaze is one of the LCMS congregations whose youth participate in the national gathering.
Every Wednesday morning from 9:00 AM to noon, members of the Sow-N-Sew quilting group meet at Good Shepherd Lutheran to make quilts and backpacks for Lutheran World Relief. On Mondays and Fridays at 1:30 PM, volunteers from Ablaze visit residents at Bella Rose Senior Center to play Bingo and share faith and friendship. Together, these small gatherings reflect the church's vision of being "united in love and flowing in service."
Leadership
Pastor Tim Dreier serves as Lead Pastor of Ablaze Church and also provides pastoral care for Ablaze Christian Academy. The leadership team includes Jeff O'Hara and Tina Funkhouser as Worship Team Leaders, Aiden Turner as Audio Video Director, Renae Cook as Hospitality Coordinator, and Herb Wise as Head Elder. Donny Hall serves as Congregational President. The academy is led by Director Kara Castorena and Assistant Director Angela Tillotson.
Visiting Ablaze
Ablaze Church sits at 4901 South 177th East Avenue in Tulsa, with the entrance shared with Ablaze Christian Academy. The main phone line is 918-419-0052, and the office can be reached by email at info@ablazechurch.org. Sunday worship begins at 8:30 AM with the Traditional Service, continues with Bible Study and Sunday School for all ages at 10:00 AM, and concludes with the Contemporary Service at 11:15 AM.
Online giving is available through the church's giving page. Prayer requests can be submitted through a form on the church's site, and contact forms are also available. The church is active on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Vimeo, where videos are posted.
Ablaze welcomes anyone looking for a place to call home, "where you are known by name and where you are loved," inviting visitors to gather with them in worship services and activities to experience the life of this south Tulsa LCMS congregation for themselves.