On West Plano Parkway, just off the President George Bush Turnpike at Custer Road, Messiah Lutheran Church gathers a household of more than 2,700 members under the motto "Sharing His Light." A congregation of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, Messiah is best known for offering both a traditional liturgical service and a full contemporary worship band in the same Sunday morning, for running one of the longest-established Lutheran early childhood schools in the Dallas area, and for sending a Golden Retriever named Triton out into schools, nursing homes, and disaster sites as a Comfort Dog in partnership with Lutheran Church Charities.
From a Richardson Mission to a Plano Campus
The story of Messiah Lutheran Church begins on June 3, 1956, when forty-one souls gathered for the first worship service of a new Lutheran mission on the edge of what was then the small town of Richardson. Those founders were dedicated to making a difference in their community by bringing the message of truth and freedom in Jesus Christ through both words and deeds, and the congregation grew steadily through the second half of the twentieth century. By the early 2000s the original facility could no longer contain the ministry, so in 2003 the congregation relocated to a brand-new campus on Plano Parkway.
Today the Plano campus includes a two-story educational complex, a chapel for smaller services and weddings, a large sanctuary that seats up to 1,000 for worship and big events, a gymnasium, and a fellowship hall where dinners, pageants, and performances are held. The Lambs Early Childhood School shares the property, and members often describe the campus as a one-stop location for cradle-to-grave ministry.
Sunday and Wednesday Worship
Messiah offers two Sunday morning services and one Wednesday evening service, all anchored in the Lutheran liturgy and centered on Word and Sacrament.
The Traditional service at 8:30 a.m. uses the Lutheran Hymnal on the first two Sundays of the month and Lutheran Worship on other Sundays. Most of the music comes from the Lutheran tradition, though the choirs occasionally incorporate contemporary Christian selections. On the second and fourth Sundays of the month, Holy Communion is celebrated at all services; during Advent and Lent it is celebrated every Sunday.
The Contemporary service at 11:00 a.m. meets in the Celebration Hall with a live band and praise team, sound and lighting designed for a modern setting, and large-screen lyrics. The leadership describes it as fully Lutheran at its heart, centered in God's Word, confessing the Creeds, and receiving Christ's gifts in the Sacrament, while remaining accessible to those who appreciate a more current worship style.
The Wednesday evening service at 7:00 p.m. is held in the smaller chapel for a more intimate time of worship. Pastors Matthew Lee and Jace Detrie usually lead the service, with a different message from Sunday; Holy Communion is offered on most Wednesdays except during Advent and most of Lent, when Senior Pastor Victor Kollmann leads.
Both Sunday services are livestreamed on the church's online platform, and recordings remain available for later viewing. An order of worship can be downloaded in advance so that those watching from home can follow along.
What We Believe and the GLOW Purpose
Messiah Lutheran Church teaches and confesses the historic Christian faith in its Lutheran expression. With the universal Christian Church, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod confesses one Triune God: the Father, creator of all that exists; Jesus Christ the Son, who became human to suffer and die for the sins of all people and rose again in victory over death; and the Holy Spirit, who creates faith through God's Word and Sacraments. The three persons of the Trinity are coequal and coeternal, one God.
What it means to be Lutheran at Messiah is summarized in three phrases from the Reformation: Grace alone, Faith alone, Scripture alone. The Bible is taught as God's inerrant and infallible Word, the sole rule and norm for Christian doctrine. By His suffering and death as the substitute for all people of all time, Jesus purchased and won forgiveness and eternal life for those who hear this Good News and believe it. God creates faith in Christ and gives forgiveness through Him.
The congregation's everyday purpose is captured in the acronym G.L.O.W.
- Gladly enter God's House weekly for worship.
- Listen for God's voice through discipleship, Bible study, quiet time, and prayer.
- Open heart and hands to serve God in ministry.
- Wholeheartedly love God and neighbor in evangelism, fellowship, and outreach.
The phrase "GLOW and GO" then carries the mission outward, quoting the Great Commission: making disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and teaching them everything Jesus commanded.
The Pastoral Team and Ministry Directors
The pastoral team is led by Rev. Dr. Victor J. Kollmann, Senior Pastor. A graduate of Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Pastor Kollmann went on to earn a Doctor of Ministry from Fuller Theological Seminary in Church Leadership and Church Growth. He started a mission congregation in Searcy, Arkansas, before taking a call to a large church in San Antonio; he came to Messiah in 1992. He has led the Sunday morning lecture-style Bible class for more than twenty-five years. He and his wife Angela live in the area; they have three adult children and two grandsons.
Rev. Matthew A. Lee serves as Associate Pastor. A Houston native and 2011 graduate of Concordia University Texas, he began at Messiah as a Director of Christian Education intern in 2011 and joined the staff full time in 2012. He was ordained and installed as Associate Pastor on August 7, 2022. He and his wife Erin have four children.
Rev. Jace C. Detrie joined as Associate Pastor on March 23, 2025. A 1997 graduate of Plano East, he worked at Nortel Networks before being called into ministry, graduating from Concordia University at Austin and then Concordia Seminary at St. Louis. He previously served as a sole pastor in Tennessee and in New Jersey. He and his wife Jana have three children.
The ministry directors include Dorothy Sherrod, Minister of Music and primary organist and pianist; Amy Plenger, Director of Children's Ministries; Jodi Sorenson, Director of Youth Ministry; Amy Myers, Director of Messiah Lambs; Karrie Looney, who leads the Kingdom Women ministries; and Carolyn Nussman, the Comfort Dog Director who oversees Triton and his team.
Messiah Lambs Early Childhood School
Sharing the campus at 1801 West Plano Parkway, Messiah Lambs is a non-profit Lutheran early childhood school that was founded in 1961. It enrolled children in Richardson from its beginning and moved with the congregation to Plano in November 2003. Today Lambs welcomes children from six weeks old through kindergarten, following a modified Richardson/Plano school district calendar from August through May.
The school is dedicated to helping children know and feel the love of Jesus Christ, develop Christian morals and values, and explore God's creation through reading, writing, and math. Programs include Parents' Day Out for infants through thirty-five months, Preschool classes for three- and four-year-olds in two-, three-, and five-day options, and a Kindergarten Prep class for four-year-olds that uses a DLM curriculum with phonics, math, and a Voyages religion curriculum. Music classes begin at age two; older students attend chapel twice each week and use a dedicated STEAM Lab. Extended hours run from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Director Amy Myers, a member since 1999 and on staff since 2014, leads a staff that holds memberships in the National and Texas Association for the Education of Young Children and the Lutheran Education Association. Messiah Lambs is licensed by the State of Texas and the City of Plano Environmental Health Department and admits students of any race, color, or national and ethnic origin.
Children's Ministry and Footprints of Faith
Director Amy Plenger and Assistant Melinda Kellerman oversee the church's full children's ministry, which begins with the nursery and walks alongside families all the way through the elementary years. Sunday School meets at 9:45 a.m. for children ages two through fourth grade, with opening in Room 135N for Pre-K and Kindergarten and Room 114/116 for Elementary, followed by graded classes throughout the education building.
The Footprints of Faith series marks specific milestones in a child's faith journey. Each footprint begins with a fellowship breakfast for the family at 9:00 a.m., continues with refreshed lessons during the Sunday School hour, and is recognized during the 11:00 worship service. The footprints include:
- Baptism to Sunday School Transition for three-year-olds
- Family Faith Walks as children enter Kindergarten
- First Bibles for First Graders with a summer reading program
- Praise With Music Through Worship for four-year-olds
- Catechisms for Third Graders in celebration of Lutheran heritage at the Reformation
Each recognition includes an item handed from parents to child, such as a baptism shell candle, a devotion book, a Bible, or a new Catechism. Vacation Bible School, held for a week each summer, fills the rest of the children's ministry calendar; families register online and may volunteer through the KidMin office.
IGNITE Youth Ministry
Director Jodi Sorenson leads the IGNITE youth ministry for students in fifth through twelfth grade. The ministry is built around four expressions that meet in different rhythms.
IGNITE brings all 5th through 12th grade students together on the second Sunday of each month for fellowship, worship, and fun, with additional outings throughout the year. IGNITE - BLAZE gathers high schoolers on the first Sunday of each month from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. and on Wednesdays from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. for a midweek study that concludes with Communion in the Chapel alongside the Wednesday worship service. IGNITE - SPARK focuses on middle schoolers on the fourth Sunday of each month, 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. with dinner provided, and on Tuesdays from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. for a midweek study.
IGNITE - GO is the service and mission arm, sending students out to support Vacation Bible School, local outreach, and mission experiences. In 2025 Messiah launched a Staycation Mission Trip so all youth could serve together in and around the church.
Confirmation at Messiah is completed at the end of seventh grade after two years of Sunday morning classes taught by Pastor Detrie. Confirmation Camp is held each year over Memorial Day week at Lake Lavon Camp and Conference Center, where students work through the Six Chief Parts of the Small Catechism in a classroom setting spread across four days of learning, worship, and fellowship. A concurrent Discipleship Camp serves previously confirmed youth, who may later apply to serve as Junior Counselors.
Adult Bible Studies and Small Groups
Adults at Messiah have a deep bench of Bible study options. On Sunday mornings at 9:45 a.m., the education building fills with classes of every shape: Pastor Kollmann's lecture-style class on the great characters of the Bible, Pastor Lee's Lutheranism 101 discussion group that walks through the Book of Concord, Mosaics for those in their thirties and forties, Growing Marriages in Christ for couples in their upper thirties to early fifties, and the smaller FOCUS class that works through Scripture one book, one chapter, one verse at a time. A "Meet Messiah" tour gathers at the Guest Information Desk at 9:30 a.m. for newcomers.
Midweek, Tuesday Morning Women's Bible Study with Pastor Kollmann meets from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. in Room E215S, currently working through a LifeLight study on Isaiah. Wednesday Men's Lunch and Bible Study gathers from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m., also in Room E215S, with a lunch-friendly approach to the same study. Thursday Morning Women's Bible Study runs from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. in Room E220S with free childcare. All three midweek classes take a break during June, July, and August and resume in September.
Beyond Bible study, the JOYFUL small group (Joining Other Young Families Uplifting the Lord) meets twice a month on Sunday evenings from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. in Room E110S with a potluck meal and free childcare. The Not Ready for Prime Time Players plans roughly six social events a year for adults thirty-five and older, while PrimeTimers focuses on the over-sixty crowd with travel, day trips, growth, and service projects. Investment clubs, a Dining Out Club, a Pinochle Club, and a monthly Dinner and Movie Night round out the calendar.
Music Ministry
"Each Sunday we come together as a congregation to celebrate the Love of Christ in worship with songs of praise." That line opens the Music Ministry page, and the variety of ensembles backs it up. Minister of Music Dorothy Sherrod directs most of the ensembles and serves as the primary organist and pianist for worship, while Ed Sherrod directs the Joyful Ringers Handbell Choir.
The Sanctuary Choir rehearses Tuesdays from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. and sings twice a month in both services, presenting special cantatas during Advent and Lent. The Sanctuary Orchestra rehearses Wednesdays from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. and prepares music for worship services and the seasonal cantatas. The Joyful Ringers rehearse Tuesdays from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. and are open to both experienced and beginning ringers. Praise Teams meet Sundays at 9:45 a.m. to lead worship at the 11:00 contemporary service with singers and instrumentalists on piano, keyboard, drums, bass, and guitar.
For younger voices, Kingdom Kids is the children's choir for Kindergarten through fifth grade, meeting weekly for fifty minutes to explore music, rhythm, and movement. The choir shares its songs during Wednesday night services and occasionally on Sunday mornings and participates each year in a special Praise Service.
Triton the Comfort Dog
One of the most distinctive ministries at Messiah Lutheran Church is a four-legged one. Triton is an AKC-certified purebred Golden Retriever who serves as the congregation's affiliate in the K9 Comfort Dog Ministry of Lutheran Church Charities, a national human-care ministry launched in August 2008. Triton was officially received at Messiah on August 26, 2018, after completing more than 2,000 hours of training and over thirty commands.
Triton and his team of handlers work daily to share care and compassion in schools, senior centers and nursing homes, veteran and military organizations, community organizations, and local charities. Comfort Dogs also deploy in times of disaster and crisis to bring comfort to first responders and the volunteers who serve them, and they are taught to be passive and gentle when working with people so that their simple presence encourages those in distress to begin the healing process.
Carolyn Nussman, known as the Top Dog, reviews every visit request that comes through the Comfort Dog office. Anyone may submit a visit request online to bring Triton to a school, hospital, or community gathering.
PrimeTimers and Senior Ministries
Messiah's senior adult ministry, called PrimeTimers, is described as a vibrant, growing ministry of older adults who enjoy fellowship and strong relationships, growing personally and spiritually, tools for navigating retirement, and using their talents and passions to make a difference. The program is organized under four pillars: Growth, Service, Travel, and Fun and Fellowship.
Growth events bring in speakers and gatherings that help members honor God in new ways. Service projects typically number four to five each year. Travel offerings include overnight bus trips of three to four days and occasional longer journeys, while the Day Trippers committee plans single-day visits to events, exhibits, performances, sports activities, and tours in the Metroplex area. Membership is open to any adult member or friend of Messiah.
For practical life planning, the Navigators ministry hosts seminars on life's "speed bumps," covering topics such as loss of a job, financial loss, retirement adjustments, serious illness, and the death of a spouse. Three seminar tracks (Speed Bumps, Lifestyle Transitions, and Financial Milestones) walk members through checklists, to-do lists, and reference documents available online.
Social Ministries and Outreach
"The mission of our Outreach Ministries is to be Jesus' hands to our church, city, national, and international community." So begins the Social Ministries and Outreach page, written under the leadership of Dawn Johnson. The ministry organizes weekly hands-on service opportunities and contributes to community charities such as the Network of Community Ministries and the Assistance Center of Collin County.
Ongoing projects include a Food Network Drive with grocery carts stationed at the church for non-perishable food, a hotel and travel-size toiletries drive that supports the Ronald McDonald House of Dallas, and a Box Tops collection benefiting Lambs School. Messiah is one of the commissioned Braille Work Centers recognized by Lutheran Braille Workers, Inc., and each month teams of volunteers produce large-print Portals of Prayer devotion books for over four hundred seventy people in need. The church partners with Habitat for Humanity through the Interfaith Partners for Habitat supporting South Collin County and through LCMS efforts funded by Thrivent Builds.
Members can also serve through the Prayer Shawl Ministry, where knitters and crocheters pray for recipients as they make shawls and lap robes for those experiencing loneliness, illness, or loss; the Sewing Ministries, which hand-sew items for cancer patients from September through May and sew quilts shipped worldwide through Lutheran World Relief; the Sunshine Committee, which delivers altar flowers to hospital patients and those at home after illness; and Messiah Military Outreach (MMO), which collects donations for troops overseas, hosts a military moms baby shower, runs an annual Veterans Luncheon, and supports the Snowball Express each December. Meals on Wheels deliveries and the Lutherans for Life ministry round out the local outreach.
International Missions
Beyond North Texas, Messiah partners with several international Christian organizations and supports missionaries in three countries. Mission contacts include Linda and Eric Funke in Tanzania, Jim and Cheryl Warner in Haiti, and Max and Rosemary Buchwald and Kathy Ozlowski in Honduras. The congregation also works with World Vision and GAiN (Global Aid Network), and Karen Chambers coordinates international mission teams, including a 2-minute video highlighting the Haiti partnership.
Donation envelopes for the missionaries are available in the old Narthex, and the church supports the Honduras team through direct contact with the Buchwalds and Kathy Ozlowski.
Family Ministries, Library, and Boy Scouts
The Family Ministries page gathers events that span the year, from the Family Easter Celebration and Lenten Dinners to Vacation Bible School and family Lenten services. The JOYFUL small group is the family's flagship gathering, meeting twice a month on Sunday evenings with a potluck and free childcare; moms' night out, dads' night out, and twice-yearly family get-togethers are part of the rhythm.
The Messiah Library sits on the second floor of the Administration Building near the elevator in Room E231N, offering a wide range of genres and a dedicated children's section. Hours are Sundays before and after the Bible class hour, plus Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 12:00 to 2:30 p.m.
Boy Scout Troop 198 is chartered by Messiah Lutheran Church and brings the Scouting program to boys ages ten through seventeen. The troop offers monthly camping, high adventure trips, and active leadership development.
The Campus and Facilities
The 2003-built Plano campus is designed to host more than worship. The Sanctuary seats up to 1,000 people; the smaller Chapel seats 150. The Education building offers meeting spaces for groups of twenty to one hundred fifty, and the Gymnasium, originally the Worship Center, was converted to a full gym in the summer of 2013 and now hosts basketball, volleyball, and exercise classes.
The campus hosts weddings, with Pastor Kollmann officiating most ceremonies and guest officiants considered case by case. Dorothy Rigg serves as wedding coordinator and walks couples through the details after a date is set. Weddings can be held in either the large sanctuary or the smaller chapel, and couples may download a wedding questionnaire to begin the process.
The Gymnasium and other spaces are also made available to outside non-profit groups through a written Facilities Request Form and a Facility Use agreement. Church groups have priority in using the facilities, and usage is assigned on a first-come, first-served basis; outside groups must furnish a certificate of insurance. Prohibited activities include partisan political meetings, for-profit activities, anything contrary to the doctrine of Messiah Lutheran Church, and the serving or consuming of alcohol anywhere on campus.
Becoming Part of Messiah
Becoming a member at Messiah Lutheran Church happens in one of three ways: through Holy Baptism, by transferring membership from another Lutheran church, or by participating in the Adult Information Class. That four-week class teaches the basic doctrines of the Christian faith from a Lutheran perspective and prepares adults for the Rite of Confirmation. New Member Classes are offered periodically throughout the year; those interested are invited to contact the church office at 972-398-7500.
Day-to-day connection runs through the Realm Connect online community and mobile app, which lets members update personal information, manage recurring giving, RSVP to events, and stay in touch with small groups and ministries. Giving is also available online through the church's giving portal, where members may set up recurring gifts and review their giving history. The church's main phone number, 972-398-7500, reaches the front desk during regular office hours, and visitors to the Plano campus are warmly welcomed at the Guest Information Desk on Sunday mornings.