A Midtown Congregation on Peachtree Street
Lutheran Church of the Redeemer stands on the east side of Peachtree Street between Third and Fourth streets in Midtown Atlanta, one block north of the Fox Theatre. The congregation has been part of the city since 1903, when it began as a mission church, and it has grown into one of the larger and more recognizable Lutheran bodies in the Southeast. Today it is a member congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), sitting within the Southeastern Synod alongside other Lutheran communities in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and Mississippi.
People who walk in for the first time tend to notice three things at once: a sanctuary built for choral and organ music, a deep commitment to feeding neighbors in need, and a welcome statement that is hard to miss. The congregation calls itself "a Midtown ministry serving all" and describes its work with the words "Growing Faithfully. Serving Boldly." That combination of worship, service and openness runs through everything Redeemer does.
The Confession of Faith at the Heart of Redeemer
Redeemer is a confessional Lutheran congregation, and the congregation's confession of faith is published in its own constitution. It begins with the heart of the Lutheran message: people are made right with God by grace alone, in Jesus Christ, and not by any action of their own. Grace comes chiefly through the Word of God and the two sacraments of baptism and communion.
The congregation confesses the Triune God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - and proclaims Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are received as the inspired written Word of God and the authoritative source and norm of faith and life. Redeemer accepts the Apostles', Nicene and Athanasian Creeds, the Unaltered Augsburg Confession, and the other confessional writings in the Book of Concord (the Apology, the Smalcald Articles and Treatise, the Small and Large Catechisms, and the Formula of Concord) as true witnesses to the Gospel.
The congregation's welcome statement says it plainly. Redeemer serves a God of abundant grace and generosity, and worship is centered on the invitation Christ offers at the communion table: all are welcome in this place. That welcome flows through everything the congregation does, and arms are opened to everyone who comes to share its love of God and all God's people, including all who have been marginalized by ability, age, gender, gender identity and expression, mental or physical health, poverty, race, sexual orientation, or any other circumstance.
Worship on Sundays: Two Styles, One Table
Two Sunday morning services give people a real choice without forcing one over the other. At 9:00 a.m., worship has a jazz character, with a Jazz Quartet leading the music and a freer feel. At 11:00 a.m., the Redeemer Choir and the church's pipe organ lead a more traditional service in the same sanctuary. Both services follow the Lutheran liturgy, include Holy Communion, and welcome all who come.
Children are welcome in every service. There is no expectation that they be removed or quieted. Parents who would like childcare can use the professionally staffed nursery for children age four and under, which is open from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Sundays and from 5:45 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday evenings.
Once a month on Sunday morning at 10:15 a.m., Rejoicing Spirits gathers in Rudisill Hall for a service designed for people of all ages and abilities, including those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The setting is comfortable and "shush-free," difference is celebrated, and caregivers are treated as valued members of the worshiping community. After the service, refreshments are served in Sims Atrium.
Redeemer also hosts the Deutsche Kirchengemeinde Atlanta, an ecumenical German-speaking congregation that meets on Sunday mornings. Worship is offered online at 11:00 a.m. in German with English translation, under the pastoral leadership of Pastorin Dorothea Lotze-Kola. Members and friends include German families living in Atlanta, individuals who learned German later in life, and anyone who wants to improve their German or stay connected to German language and culture.
Wednesday Nights: A Midweek Recharge
Wednesday Night Worship runs from August through May and begins at 7:00 p.m. in the sanctuary. The services are informal, contemplative and conversational, intended as an oasis in the middle of a busy week. The whole Wednesday evening is structured around that service.
At 4:00 p.m., the Early Bird Bible Study meets via Zoom. A community dinner is served at 5:00 p.m. on a donation basis. At 6:00 p.m., the Senior Pastor leads the Pastor's Class, in person and on Zoom, working through a different book of the Bible or Christian theme each season. Children's music rehearsals and the Redeemer Adult Choir practice are held in the same evening. Wednesday Nights at Redeemer are designed so that families with children of any age can come for dinner, learn, worship and rehearse together and head home together.
Music as a Mark of the Place
Redeemer's musical life is one of the things the church is best known for in the region. The congregation describes its musical standards as high and its performance tradition as long.
The music staff includes Sarah Hawbecker as Organist and Director of Children's Music, David Hansen as Director of Adult Choral Activities, and an Organ Scholar, currently Katie Nail for the 2026-27 program year. The adult vocal ensembles include the Chancel Choir, the King's Men, Canticum Novum, the Handbell Choir and the Brass Ensemble. The children's and youth music program includes choirs, handbell choirs, and the Redeemer Singers for middle schoolers, along with JOY Choir and Redeemer Ringers for older youth.
The instrument at the center of all this is the Létourneau Pipe Organ, built by the Canadian firm Létourneau, which is supported by an Organ Scholar Program that trains the next generation of church organists. The Redeemer Concert Series brings organ, choral and chamber concerts into the sanctuary throughout the year, and the building itself is designed so that the music can be heard clearly from anywhere in the room.
Children, Youth and Faith Formation
The Children and Family Ministry partners with parents and sponsors to fulfill the promises made at baptism. Programs are built around four activities: worship, study, service and fellowship. Children's Sunday School runs from 10:00 to 10:45 a.m. on Sundays during the school year, with a "Sing and Play" format one Sunday each month when all ages come together for music led by the "Dad Band." Teachers are established congregation members who have completed background checks, Safe Gatherings child protection training and classroom-specific training, with at least two adults in each classroom every week.
Faith Stepping Stones is a milestone ministry that walks children from age two through elementary grades through the promises made at baptism, one grade at a time. Each class ends with a special blessing in worship, and many classes are intergenerational, with parents learning alongside their children.
Vacation Bible School takes over the church for one week every summer. The program runs Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. with free before-care from 8:00 a.m. and paid after-care until 6:00 p.m. for families who need it. Preschool (ages 3 to pre-K) and elementary crews (entering grades 1 to 6) are led by dedicated teams, middle and high school youth serve as crew leaders and station assistants, and the whole church building is transformed for the theme. There is no charge for VBS, with a suggested donation of $50 per camper for those who can give.
Confirmation covers 6th through 8th grades and follows a three-year rotation built on the "Here We Stand" curriculum (Small Catechism, Old Testament and New Testament). Pastors lead the large-group teaching, and small groups meet by grade and gender. Eighth graders typically attend a week of Confirmation Camp at Lutheridge in North Carolina, and students who complete the work are confirmed in May during a Sunday or special Saturday worship service, where each confirmand delivers a personal statement of faith.
Middle School Youth (6th to 8th grade) and High School Youth (9th to 12th grade) have their own programs, with High School Faith Formation meeting Sundays at 9:45 a.m. in the Youth Lounge using the Faith Lens curriculum. Both groups go on retreats at Lutheranch (less than 90 minutes from most of Metro Atlanta) and on summer mission trips that alternate between regional service, international mission and the ELCA National Youth Gathering. Youth also help run Vacation Bible School, participate in God's Work Our Hands Sunday, serve at FODAC and Grace House, and take part in the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.
Adults, Small Groups and Lifelong Learning
Adults at Redeemer can be found teaching Sunday School, serving on the Congregation Council, reading Scripture as lectors, greeting at the door, sitting on the Altar Guild, or doing any of a dozen other things that hold a congregation together. There are several recurring entry points for adults who want to learn or connect.
Regular weekly study groups include Adult Bible Study on Tuesdays at 7:30 a.m., the Early Bird Bible Study on Wednesdays at 4:00 p.m., the Pastor's Class on Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m. (both in person and on Zoom), rotating adult Sunday School classes on Sundays at 10:00 a.m., and the Be Still and Journey Bible Study, also on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. The Tolkien Book Group meets Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.
Fellowship and service groups include Faithful Hands (knit and crochet), the Quilters, Redeemer Gardeners, Redeemer Bloomers, Northside Circle and Sisters of the Good Shepherd (both part of WELCA, Women of the ELCA), the Reads and Reels Book Club, and Redeeming GRACE, which advocates against sex trafficking and supports the Wellspring Living residential program.
Redeemer also hosts guest preachers and scholars on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings. Past guests have included Walter Brueggemann, Luke Timothy Johnson, Mark Ellingson, and authors such as Barbara Brown Taylor and Diana Butler Bass, often in connection with the congregation's annual Lenten Book Study. Pastor Mark's recent Wednesday night series have worked through books on the Sermon on the Mount, the Gospel of John, the letters of Paul, the historical Jesus, Joshua, Hebrew Bible nativity stories, and "How the Bible Actually Works," with recordings available online.
Keystone 65+: Ministry with Older Adults
Keystone is Redeemer's ministry with adults over 65, and it is built around a deliberate theology. The keystone at the apex of an arch is the piece that holds the whole structure together. Redeemer's older adults are understood in the same way: they connect and sustain the spiritual strength and moral integrity of the congregation and leave legacies that link the church to the saints who have gone before and the ones who will follow.
Each month Keystone gathers for a thirty-minute worship service with Holy Communion, lunch in Sims Atrium and time for fellowship. The ministry also plans excursions around Atlanta, runs an educational series on aging and resources, and offers a Wellness Series in partnership with the Wellness Ministry Team. The intent is to resist the cultural habit of overlooking older adults and to integrate Keystone members into the wider life of the congregation.
Campus Ministry and Young Adults
Redeemer supports campus ministry at Georgia Tech, Georgia State University, Agnes Scott College and Emory University. Grace House, just steps from the Georgia Tech campus on Fifth Street, is a dynamic ecumenical faith community for college students offering weekly Word and Sacrament worship, leadership development, Christian fellowship, vocational discernment and relational counseling. Students and young adults in their twenties and thirties also have their own fellowship, learning opportunities and service events. Single, married, divorced, with or without kids: all are welcome at Redeemer Young Adults, who cheer on the Braves, cook out together and discuss books at breweries around the city.
The Lutheran Community Food Ministry
The most visible expression of Redeemer's work in the neighborhood is the Lutheran Community Food Ministry (LCFM). It has been serving lunch in Midtown Atlanta every weekday since January 1982, when Redeemer was asked by St. Luke Episcopal Church to be an overflow warming location for neighbors who were homeless. After a one-month pilot serving fifty guests in what is now Zittrouer Hall, the program simply never stopped. It is now over 450 months old, has served more than two million meals, and is supported by volunteers from roughly sixty Metro Atlanta churches, businesses, organizations and schools.
The LCFM is open Monday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Anyone who walks in is welcome. There are no requirements, no paperwork, and no faith test. The entrance is on the 4th Street side of the building, marked by big red wooden doors under a large LCFM sign. Volunteers prepare and serve the meal each weekday from 9:00 a.m. onward, and each weekday has its own regular serving team drawn from area Lutheran churches.
Most of the food served by the LCFM is rescued and donated through a long-standing partnership with Second Helpings Atlanta, a nonprofit that collects unused food from stores, events and business dining rooms. The LCFM also receives regular donations from Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Coca-Cola, Hello Fresh, Publix and other Atlanta locations, with funding support from the Fulton County Board of Commissioners and from individual donors.
Over the years the LCFM has added a "Market Day" for senior neighbors at Lutheran Towers next door, daily meal delivery to residents of Lutheran Towers during the COVID-19 crisis, and donated groceries to the Students' Temporary Assistance and Resources (STAR) program at Georgia Tech. Those who cannot serve on a team can support the ministry through the LCFM Amazon Wish List or by giving online.
Diversity, Justice and the Reconciling in Christ Commitment
Redeemer has been shaped for decades by a willingness to stand publicly on issues of justice. In the late 1950s, Pastor Robert E. Lee helped author the Ministers' Manifesto, a statement by Atlanta clergy that condemned segregation. During the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s, Redeemer created a ministry team to care for neighbors who were often abandoned by friends, families and institutions, and the congregation hosted funerals for those who had died of AIDS when many other congregations refused.
Today the work continues through the Diversity and Justice Ministry Team, which organizes learning around race, identity and ability. The team hosts book studies, conversations and congregation-wide events on anti-racism, gender identity and other emerging issues, plans visits to civil rights sites, and invites authors and speakers to the congregation. Redeemer is a Reconciling in Christ (RIC) congregation, publicly affirming that people of every race, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression are welcome and valued in the life and leadership of the church.
Prayer, Pastoral Care and Wellness
Congregational Care is coordinated by Deacon Allison Lizdas and includes a Prayer Ministry team that prays each week over concerns and joys submitted by the congregation, visitation ministers who make regular visits and calls to members who cannot attend worship (and who share Holy Communion when asked), and grief support that is offered both in periodic small groups and through printed resources for those who have lost a family member. In an emergency such as a hospitalization or a death, a pastor can be reached around the clock at 404-874-9759.
The Prayer Wall in the church is a place where anyone can write a prayer request by hand. Volunteer curators and cleaners tend it through Lent and Easter each year. Prayer is also made with hands through the Prayer Shawl Ministry: since 2004, more than two hundred shawls have been knitted or crocheted with prayerful stitches by the Faithful Hands group and gifted to people in need of a special blessing.
Redeemer's Wellness Ministry Team supports the physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing of the congregation and community, sponsoring fitness events, guest speakers and awareness campaigns. The church points members to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and to the Southeastern Synod's mental health resources.
Missions Beyond Midtown
The same impulse that feeds the neighborhood feeds the world. Redeemer has been in mission partnership with For the Ninos in Nicaragua since 2004, supporting an annual medical mission trip and, since 2008, the Christian Academy of Las Torres, a Christian school serving about 250 boys and girls in pre-K through sixth grade in an impoverished Managua neighborhood. In Ethiopia, Redeemer has been working since 2008 with the Mekane Yesus Ministry for Rural Development and the Southeastern Synod, with twelve hand water pumps installed so far.
At home, Redeemer's Quilters meet twice a month on Monday mornings and have produced well over ten thousand quilts for Lutheran World Relief, at a pace of close to five hundred a year. Youth mission trips have gone to Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Haiti in recent years, alternating between regional service, international mission and the ELCA National Youth Gathering. The annual Kringles fundraiser and a spring fundraiser help send the youth each year.
Becoming a Member
People who are curious about Redeemer or the Lutheran tradition are invited to a new-member class led by Deacon Allison Lizdas. The next class is a one-day session on Saturday, October 17, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to noon, with breakfast served. The class covers Lutheran theology, the history of Redeemer, and the practical steps of joining the congregation. New members are not required to have been raised Lutheran or to have belonged to any church before; one can join by affirmation of faith. Baptism can be arranged in conjunction with joining for anyone who has not yet been baptized. Each new member is paired with a volunteer "Shepherd" to help them get involved from the beginning.
Heritage, Weddings and Life Events
The congregation traces its history to 1903, when it began as a mission church. Worship has been held at 731 Peachtree Street for decades, and the sanctuary, the Létourneau organ and the surrounding gathering spaces were designed for a full program of worship, music and Christian education.
Weddings at Redeemer are treated as services of worship and are coordinated by the Wedding Guild. The presiding pastor at a Redeemer wedding must be an ordained Lutheran pastor, but clergy from other denominations are welcome to participate. Weddings are not scheduled during Holy Week and are not booked more than twelve months in advance. Pre-marital counseling is required for everyone married at Redeemer; the church uses the Prepare-Enrich program and combines it with a licensed professional counselor. Weddings can be held in the main nave (seating 400) or in the upstairs Good Shepherd Chapel (seating 40). Funerals and a columbarium are also part of the church's ministry, and a Legacy Giving Board helps members include Redeemer in their estate plans.
Finding the Church and Parking
Redeemer sits at 731 Peachtree Street NE, between Third and Fourth streets, on the opposite side of the street from the Fox Theatre. Three parking options are available at no cost on Sundays and for special events.
The 4th Street Lot, across from the church, is used on Sunday mornings for worship and reverts to paid parking at 4:00 p.m. The Main Church Lot behind the building, accessed from 4th Street, is available daily during church hours and includes designated spaces for mobility-challenged visitors and members, with easy passenger drop-off at the two rear entrances. The 3rd Street Deck behind the Honeywell Building is also used on Sundays and for special events. Drivers take a ticket on entry at no charge and pick up a validation sticker from the Welcome Desk or Reception Desk. There is a pedestrian gate between the deck and the church's rear lot, but it requires climbing stairs; those who cannot climb stairs should use one of the main 4th Street lots.
The church is also easy to reach by transit. The closest MARTA rail station is North Avenue (N3). From there, exit at the north end of the station following signs to the Fox Theatre, turn right onto Third Street, walk up the hill one block toward Peachtree Street, turn left, and Redeemer is on the right. MARTA bus routes also serve the area.
The Staff and Pastoral Team
The pastoral team is led by Senior Pastor the Rev. Mark H. Larson, with the Rev. Dr. Jonathan Trapp as Associate Pastor for Faith Formation and the Rev. Timothy Lloyd as Associate Pastor for Evangelism and Mission Development. Deacon Allison Lizdas serves as Director of Congregational Care, and Deacon Mary Houck is the Children and Family Ministries Director. Sarah Hawbecker is the church's organist and Director of Children's Music, David Hansen directs the adult choral program, and the 2026-27 Organ Scholar is Katie Nail. Dani Vogel leads youth and young adult ministry. The staff also includes a Director of Operations and Finance, an Office Administration Director, a Director of Facilities and Media, and a Head of Security. The ELCA's Presiding Bishop is the Rev. Elizabeth Eaton, and the Southeastern Synod is led by Bishop Kevin Strickland.
A Congregation That Names What It Believes
At its core Redeemer is a neighborhood church with a global footprint. It proclaims the Triune God, trusts the Gospel as the power of God for salvation, and feeds its neighbors five days a week from a side entrance on 4th Street. It opens its arms to people of every race, identity and ability, runs a daily feeding ministry that has served more than two million meals, and supports missions in Nicaragua, Ethiopia and beyond. Its sanctuary has been the site of jazz worship and traditional Lutheran liturgy, of weddings and funerals, of pipe organ concerts and Rejoicing Spirits services where every voice matters. The words on its welcome statement are simple: "all are welcome to participate fully in the life of our congregation." That welcome, the music, and the feeding ministry together are what Lutheran Church of the Redeemer is known for on Peachtree Street.