Mt. Olive Lutheran Church sits atop a hill overlooking the Hill Country along Highway 290 West, roughly halfway between Austin and Dripping Springs. Founded in 1977 as an Oak Hill mission of Bethany Lutheran Church and chartered by the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod on January 8, 1978, the congregation now calls 10408 Hwy 290 West home and serves as a Lutheran church on the hill for on-the-go families in southwest Austin.
Two Sunday Services, One Lutheran Identity
Worship at Mt. Olive is shaped by Lutheran liturgy and runs on a twin rhythm of traditional and contemporary music. The 8:30 am Traditional service features chanted liturgy and traditional hymns from the Lutheran Service Book, with the church Choir leading the congregation. The 10:30 am Life service is a blended service with spoken liturgy and contemporary praise songs led by the Praise Team, directed by Karen Harris. Service booklets are available each week, and the entire service is displayed on two large screens at the front of the sanctuary. Both services include Holy Communion, with gluten-free wafers and white grape juice available; children and adults who have not yet received communion instruction are invited to come forward for a blessing.
On 5th Sundays the two services combine into a single 9:30 am One Voice worship that includes Holy Communion and a social gathering afterwards. Advent and a few other special Sundays also follow the combined schedule.
Bible Time for Every Age Between Services
From 9:40 to 10:20 am on Sundays, the time between the two services is filled with Bible Time for all ages. Adults gather in Meyer Hall, middle and high school students meet in the Youth Room, and Pre-K through 5th graders meet in the Pre-K classroom for their own version, while the nursery stays open for the youngest children.
Kids, Confirmation, and Youth Nights
Children worship with their families at the 10:30 service and are dismissed partway through to Mt. Olive Kids, a time of songs, story, crafts, and games led by children's ministry leaders Dave and Debbi Murrell. Confirmation is a three-year journey for students in 6th through 8th grade covering the Biblical Narrative, Luther's Small Catechism, and Spiritual Disciplines. Confirmation classes meet twice a month after the 10:30 service, sharing a meal, playing games, and digging into the lesson together, with at-home family work between gatherings. Youth Nights run bi-weekly from 4:00 to 6:00 pm and pair games with interactive teaching and discussion, with the aim of helping students grow as disciples of Jesus in their schools. Each summer the youth group also attends Camp Lone Star as part of their Pioneer Program and takes a summer mission trip.
Men's, Women's, and Small Group Bible Study
Adults can stay rooted in God's Word throughout the week. Women meet Monday mornings from 9:30 to 11:00 am for Women's Bible Study, a welcoming space led with Pastor Jason. The Women's Birthday Club gathers on the second Tuesday of each month at a changing restaurant to fellowship and celebrate monthly birthdays. Men come together on the second Thursday evening from 6:00 to 7:30 pm for Bros, Bible, and Brew, bringing a drink and dinner for an evening of fellowship and discussion. Small Groups meet Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 7:30 pm in a laid-back setting where adults and kids build friendships, share a meal, and study the Bible together. A Grief Support Ministry is also available for anyone carrying loss; participants can text HEAL to 512-288-2370 or email the church to begin.
Mt. Olive Preschool and Family Events
Mt. Olive Preschool has been a full-time Lutheran preschool since April 1995, and its director and teachers partner closely with the church to serve local families. Throughout the year, Mt. Olive Kids puts on Fall Fest, a Live Nativity with hot cocoa, crafts, and a petting zoo, and a Spring Carnival on the Saturday before Palm Sunday. Vacation Bible School is held for one week each summer, with the 2026 theme Rainforest Falls running June 15 to 19 from 9:00 am to noon. Seasonal family movie nights and quarterly fellowship events round out the calendar.
Caregiving Cafe and Outreach to Caregivers
Mt. Olive hosts the Caregiving Cafe, a hub of resources for family caregivers and older adults. A Dementia Support Group meets on the second Thursday of each month via Zoom with facilitator Lynn Greenblatt. Periodic four-week workshops led by longevity coach Samantha Young Cervantes and caregiver coach Lynn Greenblatt provide practical tools, conversation, and encouragement for those caring for a loved one or planning for their own future.
Local and Global Mission Work
Outreach at Mt. Olive reaches both the surrounding Hill Country and the mountains of Guatemala. The church has partnered since 2013 with the small village of Capucalito, Guatemala, on a long-term commitment that has produced a regional medical clinic now serving more than a dozen villages, the first special-needs classroom in rural Guatemala, scholarships, a middle school computer lab, vision and dental clinics, wheelchair distribution, Spanish Bibles for every household in Capucalito, and more. Locally, monthly service projects and partnerships like Foster Village bring the congregation into the broader community.
What We Believe
Mt. Olive Lutheran Church confesses one true God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and stands with the historic Christian Church in the Apostles', Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds. Salvation comes by grace alone, through faith alone, on the basis of Scripture alone: Jesus Christ lived the sinless life, died, and rose again to forgive sinners and give eternal life as a free gift. The church is sacramental, believing that God is present in, with, and through the waters of Baptism and the bread and wine of Holy Communion, offering forgiveness, faith, and the strengthening of the family of Christ until His return. For a fuller treatment of the church's position on marriage, life, and other cultural questions, the congregation points to the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.
A Hilltop Home Since 1977
Mt. Olive grew from a small mission that held its first service on September 25, 1977 and adopted its name, selected over options like Solid Rock, Conviction Hill, and Hill Country, on October 30, 1977. After meeting at Bethany Lutheran Church for its early years, the congregation began worshipping in a sanctuary on Hwy 71 in October 1979, expanded to the current Hwy 290 and Circle Drive property in October 2001, broke ground in December 2003, and dedicated the present sanctuary on January 30, 2005. Reverend D.R. Nelson was installed as the first pastor in 1978, followed by Reverend Everett Gerdes, then Reverend Paul Meyer, who served for 37 years before retiring on January 31, 2021. Pastor Jason Wallingsford was installed on January 17, 2021, and was reaffirmed as sole pastor on July 30, 2023.
Worship Online, Stay Connected
Both Sunday services are livestreamed on Mt. Olive LIVE!, and the Mt. Olive Facebook page carries the broadcast as well. A library of previous sermons is available online, and the weekly Olive Branch newsletter keeps the congregation posted on events, classes, and service opportunities. Visitors are encouraged to park at the top of the hill, enter through the doors behind the fountain, and expect a greeting when they arrive. Dress ranges from jeans to suits, and the offering plate is collected without obligation. Holy Communion is open to anyone who wishes to receive, with children and adults welcome at the rail for a blessing if they have not yet been instructed.