A Brooklyn Center Congregation Since 1960
Lutheran Church of the Master sits on the east side of 69th Avenue North in Brooklyn Center, just east of Humboldt. The congregation started on December 11, 1960, when Pastor Paul and Carole Swedberg received a call from Augustana Lutheran Church to plant a new mission in the fast-growing Brooklyn Center and Brooklyn Park communities. The property had already been purchased in 1957, and the first building was completed in early 1961. More than sixty years later, the same campus now holds a sanctuary, classrooms, a gym added in 1981, and a set of apartment buildings to the east, purchased in 1994 and converted into Sunday school rooms and extra ministry space.
The church describes itself as "Lutheran by tradition / Holy Spirit driven" and "a Bible Believing, Bible Teaching, Bible Living Congregation." Its mission is to "Know Christ and Make Him Known," and its vision is "Living Christ's Mission." Membership is housed within Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ (LCMC), an association of Lutheran congregations emphasizing freedom in Christ, accountability to one another, and rooting in the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions.
Two Sunday Mornings Under One Roof
Sunday is the heart of the week at LCM, and the rhythm is built around two distinct services with everything else in between.
- 8:30 to 9:30 AM - Traditional Service
- 9:30 to 9:50 AM - Coffee Fellowship in the Fellowship Center
- 9:30 to 10:30 AM - Children's Ministry for ages 3 through grade 6
- 10:00 to 10:30 AM - Adult Bible Study
- 10:30 to 11:45 AM - Nursery available (4 and under)
- 10:45 to 11:45 AM - Contemporary Worship Service
- 12:00 to 2:00 PM - Youth Group and lunch for grades 7 to 12
Holy Communion is celebrated on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month. Visitors can anticipate a multigenerational crowd at either service. The traditional service draws on the church's liturgical strengths; the contemporary service carries the same Christ-centered focus with newer songs. First-time guests are invited to stop at the information booth in the main entryway. Services are livestreamed online, and recent sermons are archived on the church's YouTube channel.
Children, Confirmation, and L.I.F.E.
LCM Kids welcomes children from age 3 through 4th grade with a Sunday morning program that begins with praise time in the Choir Room. Preschool and kindergarten children meet in a room beside the nursery; 1st through 4th graders go to the lower level of the Children's Building for Bible stories and activities. Every adult working with children has passed a background check.
Wednesday nights add a second hour at 5:45 PM. Midweek programming covers games, music, and Bible teaching tied to a yearly theme called Kid's on Quest.
For older students, L.I.F.E. Confirmation Class is a two-year program for 5th graders and above, designed to culminate in a confirmation service where each student declares a personal faith in God through Jesus Christ. L.I.F.E. stands for Living in Jesus, Investing in faith, Foundation building, and Exploring the Word. The two alternating years walk students first through a faith foundation in the Triune God and then through the Bible itself. In between, there is a first-communion day retreat for 4th graders and up: students hear about the Passover and the Last Supper before sharing in Holy Communion together on Palm Sunday.
Around the year, kids can look forward to retreats, Vacation Bible School, Kid's Fun Day, an Easter Treasure Hunt, a Christmas program, and servant events.
Youth Ministry: Sundays After the Services
LCM Youth provides a safe, Christ-centered environment for junior and senior high students. Sundays from 12:00 to 2:00 PM are set aside for the group in the Youth Room: lunch is provided, followed by small groups, teaching, and time together. If transportation is a barrier, the church will arrange rides. For students who cannot join in person, a weekly digital teaching is emailed or texted each Wednesday, one lesson a week, sent straight to phone or inbox.
Special events through the year include overnight fall and spring retreats, a week at Camp Grindstone Bible Camp, and youth worship nights.
The Nursery, Birth to 36 Months
LCM's nursery is staffed during the 10:45 AM service for the youngest children (birth through 36 months). Parents are asked to sign their child in at the nursery door and to leave a cell phone number as well as any allergy or concern. The Information Desk in the lobby can point first-time families to the nursery, which sits on the west end of campus, near the sanctuary. The nursery coordinator, Fatu Kota, can be reached through the main office.
Adults in the Word All Week Long
Adult Education at LCM is built around the conviction that growth in Christ happens in community, and the church offers that community in many shapes.
- New Member Classes are pastor-led and held quarterly. They cover basics of faith, fellowship with the body of Christ, and what makes LCM tick.
- Sunday Adult Bible Study runs from 10:00 to 10:30 AM between the two services.
- Wednesday Adult Bible Study meets from 10:30 to 11:30 AM.
- Monday Adult Bible Study meets from 7:00 to 8:00 PM.
- Men's Bible Studies gather Mondays at 7:30 AM and Saturdays at 8:00 AM.
- Women's Bible Study meets Tuesdays from 4:00 to 5:00 PM.
- Small Group Studies run throughout the week at the church in various locations, led by lay facilitators on a wide range of topics.
For anyone who wants to dig deeper daily, LCM publishes an annual Bible reading plan. The 2026 plan walks readers through the Psalms, Proverbs, the Gospels, Acts, the Pauline epistles, and the rest of the New Testament alongside the Old Testament historical books, with one YouVersion-friendly link to keep everything on a phone.
A House of Prayer
Prayer undergirds nearly everything at LCM, and the prayer ministry emphasizes daily fellowship with God through several weekly touchpoints.
Sundays begin with prayer from 7:30 to 8:00 AM in the prayer room, lifting up the day's worship services and those attending them. After each worship service, a pastor or trained prayer minister is available near the front of the sanctuary to pray with anyone with a personal request. The prayer room is also open anytime the main office is open, and prayer requests can be submitted by phone or email; they are then emailed out to a confidential Prayer Network of intercessors who pray at home for each request.
Wednesdays bring Prayer Together, an intercessory prayer time in the Prayer Room from 9:30 to 10:30 AM.
Tuesdays at 3:00 PM, a group gathers in the Humboldt Square shopping center parking lot (6800 N Humboldt Ave N, Brooklyn Center) for Prayers for Brooklyn Center, lifting up the surrounding community.
Pastors and trained prayer ministers are also available for healing prayer. LCM teaches that God can heal naturally and supernaturally, and the team is glad to lay specific health concerns before the Lord with anyone who asks.
Music, Choirs, and the Arts of Worship
The worship arts team at LCM includes multiple ensembles for singers, ringers, instrumentalists, dancers, and vocal soloists.
- Chancel Choir is the adult choir for 10th grade and up. No auditions; everyone is welcome. Rehearsals are Thursdays at 7:00 PM.
- Bell Choir rehearses Thursdays at 5:30 PM.
- Praise and Worship Team provides music for the contemporary service, with rehearsals Sundays at 9:30 AM and Wednesdays at 6:30 PM.
- Spirit Voice is a women's choral group that sings special music.
- The Master's Quartet is a men's choral group providing special music.
- Exultation Dancers provide seasonal liturgical dance.
Worship assistants include ushers, greeters, communion servers, lay readers, projection and sound technicians, instrumentalists, and vocalists.
Grace Dinners and a Reach Beyond the Walls
Every Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00 PM, the church opens its Fellowship Center for Grace Dinners, a free community meal. The kitchen team welcomes new volunteers, and Grace Dinners is one of the most natural entry points for anyone in the neighborhood to walk through LCM's doors and meet the people inside.
The Outreach Ministry frames its work as sharing the love of Christ through action, seeking God's voice on how to be the hands and feet of Jesus. The largest recent gathering was Beyond the Walls 2021, a community service week that produced 90 hats, 74 scarves, mittens and gloves, 22 tie blankets for Sleep in Heavenly Peace and those without homes, 50 Union Gospel Mission Bags of Hope, seven beds for families through Sleep in Heavenly Peace, 14 adult dignity bibs for Maranatha Nursing Home, 178 cases of cereal packed at 2nd Harvest, and 12,000 meals packed at Feed My Starving Children.
LCM partners with Karl Gertz and the organization For Those Without Homes for homeless ministry outreach, sharing the gospel and praying as clothing, food, and water are given. The team likes to point to God as the one behind the numbers: at one LCM-hosted event, 1,008 sandwiches were made in 30 minutes for homeless neighbors, and over the course of a year 3,100 homes in Brooklyn Center received a personal invitation to the church.
Reaching the World from 69th Avenue
LCM's World Missions Ministry works to bring the gospel to all nations and to involve the congregation in that calling through prayer, communication, and support. Five missionary families are currently partnered with the church:
- Dan and Colleen Jaquith, serving in the Philippines
- Pastors Daniel and Samuel Mulatre, leading churches and schools in Haiti
- Agust and Kolbrun Olafsson, Every Nation missionaries to Iceland and Europe
- Pastor Phil and Bethany Morris and family
- Andrew and Sara Moore and family, serving in Taiwan
Missionaries regularly report back to the church and share during worship services, and members are encouraged to keep in touch through email.
Quilters, Prayer Shawls, and Other Ways to Plug In
A handful of smaller year-round groups give LCM's week extra texture. The LCM Quilters meet Mondays twice a month from September through May at 9:30 AM in Luther Hall. The group exists to give support and comfort to those in need; last year the quilters donated 41 quilts and 36 receiving blankets to Bridging in Roseville, with additional quilts going to Sleep in Heavenly Peace and the annual Craft and Bake Sale. The group receives no church funding, relying instead on a grant from Thrivent and donated supplies.
The Prayer Shawl Ministry knits and crochets items for donation. Recent donations went to the Robbinsdale Women's Center and the VA, with many more items sold at the annual Craft and Bake Sale. The group will teach a newcomer how to knit, and donations of supplies and coupons for Michael's or JoAnn Fabrics are always welcome. They meet every Sunday at 3:00 PM in the Lounge.
Seasoned in Life (SIL) welcomes anyone 55 and older. The group enjoys outings around the Twin Cities (the Science Museum, Oliver Kelly Farm, and similar stops) and takes on at least one service project a year, such as packing meals at Feed My Starving Children.
The Widows Fun Group is a social group of women who have lost a spouse and are moving forward. It is not a grief group but a sisterhood, with events announced in the Sunday bulletin.
Two more ministries specialize in presence. The Visitation Team reaches out to LCM members who are shut-in, hospitalized, or otherwise unable to come to church, often bringing Holy Communion. The Caring-Sharing-Praying (CSP) Ministry contacts every LCM member about three times a year with notes of encouragement and prayer.
Finally, the Ruth Carlson Memorial Library sits at the heart of LCM's resources for growth. Open Sundays 8:00 to 8:30 AM, 9:30 to 11:30 AM, and Wednesdays 2:00 to 3:00 PM, the library loans books and media, sells Christian greeting cards for $1 each, and hosts a digital photo archive of LCM history. The library exists to help LCM be "a life giving church, providing opportunity to personally know Jesus Christ and to make Him known throughout our community, nation, and world."
What LCM Believes
LCM holds to historic Trinitarian Christianity. The congregation believes, teaches, and confesses one God in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, equal in nature and glory. Jesus is confessed as fully God and fully man: virgin-born, sinless, crucified, resurrected, ascended, now interceding, and one day returning in power.
Scripture is held to be divinely inspired, inerrant in the originals, and the sole authority for Christian faith and life. Humankind is understood as created in God's image, fallen in Adam, and in need of new birth. Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, with no work added to believing, and assurance of salvation is the privilege of every believer, grounded in the testimony of God in His Word.
As a Lutheran congregation, LCM accepts the Unaltered Augsburg Confession, the Book of Concord, and Luther's Large and Small Catechism as true witnesses to the Word of God. Membership in Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ keeps the church connected to a wider association of like-minded congregations.
Recurring and one-time financial gifts can be made online, with options for one-time or recurring contributions.
The Pastoral Team
Four pastors share the work of ministry at LCM.
- Dan Haukos, Senior Pastor
- Eldon Wegscheid, Associate Pastor
- Emily Wegscheid, Associate Pastor and Director of Children's Ministry
- Vicki Olson, Associate Pastor for Youth, Young Adults, Family Outreach, and Social Media
The wider ministry staff includes Linda Schlueter as Director of Music, Jason Christianson as Praise and Worship Assistant, and Fatu Kota as Nursery Coordinator.
Senior pastors who have served LCM include Paul Swedberg (1960-1989), Bob Cottingham (1987-1999), Bud Bonn (1999-2000), Interim Pastor Todd Bullock (1999-2001), Mark Hultquist (2000-2008), Morris Vaagenes (2008-2011), Mark Marxhausen (2011-2017), and Dan Haukos (2018-present).
Sermons from recent years, preached by the LCM pastors, visiting preachers, and missionaries, are archived on the church's YouTube channel.