A Mighty Fortress in Bay Shore
On the corner of Montauk Highway and Lawrence Lane in Bay Shore, New York, a Tudor-style church of stained glass and torchlit aisles has stood for a hundred years as a witness to the Lutheran gospel. St. Luke's Lutheran Church of Bay Shore was founded in 1925, and the congregation marked its centennial in 2025. The present building, completed in 1929 as a social hall when funds ran out with the arrival of the Great Depression, has been lovingly adapted into a sanctuary that has "withstood the mightiest hurricanes, blizzards, flooding, and even fire for nearly a century," earning the congregation's affectionate nickname: "A Mighty Fortress."
Today the church numbers more than 300 members drawn from the Long Island community. Its pastor, the Reverend Kristian T. Baudler, preaches a confessional Lutheran message grounded in Martin Luther's "theology of the cross" and the Lutheran Confessions. The church's motto, displayed beneath its name, names the solas of the Reformation in three lines: SOLA GRATIA, SOLA SCRIPTURA, SOLA FIDE: grace alone, Scripture alone, faith alone.
An Independent Confessional Lutheran Congregation
St. Luke's describes itself as "an independent confessional Lutheran congregation of the 'priesthood of all believers,' saved by the 'solas.'" Until 2005, the congregation belonged to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The members voted that year to leave that body in order to "focus full time on proclaiming the gospel as a Lutheran church steeped in Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions." The departure was a matter of theological identity, not geography: the church wanted to center its life on the Lutheran Confessions without dilution.
The congregation's faith is rooted in the Bible and articulated in the 1530 Augsburg Confession, its Apology, and the 1580 Book of Concord. From the cross, the congregation teaches, God declared the world not guilty for Jesus' sake; his righteousness is imputed, not infused, and received by faith alone. The Augsburg Confession's summary of the gospel sits at the center of the church's life: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but has eternal life" (John 3:16).
The congregation is sharply confessional. It rejects synergistic or cooperative views of justification, the moral progress of human nature, the "third use" of the law as a Christian guide, and visible-church ecumenism through episcopal hierarchy, which it calls "a theology of glory." Baptism, it teaches, creates a priesthood of all believers to proclaim God's favor in Jesus Christ, and the central act of worship is the preached Word heard in faith. As Luther is quoted: "The Law says, 'Do this, do that' and it is never done. The Gospel says, 'Believe this,' and it is already done."
St. Luke's has no interest, the church writes, in "moralistic 'culture wars,' churchy politics, or the worldly preoccupations of institutional churches," and resists the mixing of the two kingdoms, church and state. Rather than chasing "institutional missions to 'unite the church,'" the congregation recognizes that "the Holy Spirit alone unites the church through the preaching of the Word." With St. Paul, the church says, it desires to know nothing except Jesus Christ and him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2).
The priesthood of all believers is taken seriously here. The Augsburg Club and the Sunday School classes are led by lay people and the pastor together; Bible study participants are encouraged to question and to teach one another; and the church's lengthy series of essays, dialogues, and sermons are posted openly for visitors and members alike.
The Sanctuary, Stained Glass, and "A Mighty Fortress"
The Tudor-style sanctuary at 3 Lawrence Lane is built almost entirely of stained glass. The afternoon sun lights a torchlit center aisle that runs between windows depicting the three-year ministry of Christ in chronological order along the east wall, stained glass, the church notes, being "especially found in the churches of Europe" and "originally created to explain the Gospel to those who couldn't read." Above the altar hangs the central focus of the sanctuary, an original altar window installed in 1928. Titled "Jesus Praying in the Garden of Gethsemane" and based on the high-priestly prayer of John 17, the window is valued at more than $90,000.
Gargoyles peer down from the south entrance. Medieval stone-cutters sometimes carved into them the faces of persons with whom they had quarreled; any resemblance to members of St. Luke's, the church explains, "is purely coincidental." Gargoyles represent "demoniacs fleeing the church before God's Word." Across the sanctuary hangs a giant Garden of Eden tapestry beloved by the Sunday School, its seven top roses marking the seven days of Creation, its two bottom hearts standing for the Law and the Gospel with the Rose of Christ between, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil entwined with the ancient Serpent, and a butterfly representing resurrection in Christ.
On the walls hang Italian-made reproductions of Sandro Botticelli's Madonna with Child and Carlo Crivelli's Madonna with Child, while a less common statue of Joseph with the child Jesus stands over the north entrance, unusual because the Christ child is most often shown with Mary. At Christmas the sanctuary is adorned with one, sometimes two Christmas trees, and an Italian-made nativity scene is set up for the children. The afternoon sun pours in to create "a serene, meditative mood" in the center aisle; the morning sun bathes the altar in light; and the setting sun lights the Creation Window on the east wall. The building has been home to generations of confirmands, brides, mourners, and visitors who have come to read the stained glass as a catechism in light.
Sermons, Articles, and Conversations
Pastor Baudler is a prolific writer, and lengthy essays and sermons by him address topics drawn from Lutheran theology and current public concerns. The "So You Think You're a Lutheran?" quiz invites visitors to test their grasp of the confessions across fifty true/false questions drawn from the Augsburg Confession, the Book of Concord, and the Small Catechism: passing requires 85%, the same standard used for the Confirmation class.
Other articles work through Lutheran views of the Roman Catholic doctrine of purgatory, justification by faith alone, and the proper distinction between Law and Gospel. A running Roman Catholic-Lutheran dialogue between the pastor and Monsignor Tom Coogan of St. Patrick Roman Catholic Church, across Montauk Highway, is reprinted at length and includes a Lutheran commentary on the Catholic Catechism's teaching on justification, scripture and tradition, the papacy, and the existence of purgatory. Wider public concerns also appear in the church's published sermons. A sermon preached at an interfaith gathering for the town of Bay Shore on 9/11/25, "Peace be with you," works through the personal and civil dimensions of peace in light of the United Nations' International Day of Peace.
Other essays address Christian nationalism, abortion, the meaning of the cross as a "marvelous exchange" on Golgotha, how churches grow by shrinking rather than by chasing marketing strategies, and an open letter critiquing recent messaging from LCMC. The pastor's book, "Martin Luther's PRIESTHOOD OF ALL BELIEVERS: In an Age of Modern Myth," was published in time for the 500th anniversary of the Reformation and is available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Book Revue, with praise from reviewers in the LCMS, LCMC, ELCA, and FELC traditions.
Sunday Morning Worship
Sunday worship at St. Luke's runs from 9:30 to 10:30 AM and is followed by a Fellowship Hour with refreshments in the main hall. Each service is a service of Holy Communion, unless otherwise noted. All who hear and believe the words of promise are welcomed to the Lord's Supper: the sacrament truly is the body and blood of Christ, "given for you ... shed for you."
The congregation gathers in the Tudor sanctuary beneath the stained glass and the Gethsemane window, hearing the preached Word at the center of the liturgy. Parents may worship concurrently with their children, since the Sunday School begins in the sanctuary with a Children's Sermon before moving to classrooms. Worship is conducted in English.
Sunday School, Confirmation, and First Communion
The Sunday School has been a particular point of pride at St. Luke's for years. Children begin Christian instruction in the three-year-olds' room and continue through sixth grade, after which they begin Confirmation instruction. Classes run from 9:30 to 10:45 AM on Sunday mornings, beginning in the sanctuary with the Children's Sermon. There are no fees, and the schedule parallels the Bay Shore schools calendar. The teaching staff is trained in the theology of the cross and the proper distinction between Law and Gospel; what the children learn now, the church says, they will remember for life.
On one Sunday each year the Sunday School children conduct the entire worship service. They serve as preachers, lectors, ushers, deacons, communion assistants, and choir, and they distribute Holy Communion to the congregation in a service led by the Sunday School teachers and staff. The annual Children's Worship Service has become one of the highlights of the year, a moment when the next generation of the priesthood of all believers takes the chancel rather than the nave.
Confirmation classes begin in mid-September. Reformation Sunday, the Sunday on or before October 31, is Confirmation Sunday, when students who have completed their instruction in Scripture, church history, Law and Gospel, and Lutheran theology are examined before the congregation. First Communion classes are offered in the weeks before Palm Sunday, with three morning sessions leading up to the day when catechumens receive their first Holy Communion during the 9:30 AM service.
The Augsburg Club Bible Study
For a deeper study of the Word than Sunday morning allows, the Augsburg Club meets in the St. Luke's lounge every Monday of the month from 7:00 to 8:30 PM, except the fourth Monday. Light refreshments are served.
The Augsburg Club is described as "a unique Bible study probably unlike any you've ever attended." The members decide what to study next and have moved beyond straightforward Bible study into all manner of faith subjects and topical themes. The focus is the proper distinction of Law and Gospel, free will and bound will, and their related topics, with sessions running from text analysis to open-forum discussions, videos, and outside materials. No biblical foreknowledge is needed, all are welcome, and all conversation is encouraged. The Augsburg Club has also been the seedbed for many of the published essays, with its discussions generating articles on Christian nationalism, the Roman Catholic-Lutheran dialogues, the conversation about abortion, the examination of purgatory, and the LCMC open letter.
For those who prefer to study in daylight hours, the Prince of Peace Bible Study meets on Saturday mornings from 10:00 AM to noon at the church's sister congregation, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 800 Candlewood Road in Brentwood. Like the Augsburg Club, the Prince of Peace study probes scripture and other materials with lively discussion; the breakfast alone, the church notes, is worth coming for.
The Seasons of the Church Year
Beyond the weekly rhythm, St. Luke's walks through the Christian year with services for the major feasts. Ash Wednesday is observed at 5 PM. Holy Week begins with Maundy Thursday worship at 9:30 AM and continues with Good Friday at 7 PM. Easter morning opens with a 7:00 AM Sunrise Service at Oakwood Cemetery followed by Holy Communion at the regular 9:30 AM service. The congregation has celebrated the Sunrise Service there for years; one recent Easter found 35 persons at the cemetery for the Holy Communion service, with the Easter proclamation echoing across the graves.
All Saints Sunday brings a 9:30 AM festival service and, at 4:00 PM, the All Saints Candle Light Service, when the names of the departed are remembered. Christmas brings two Christmas Eve Candlelight Services at 5:00 and 8:00 PM and a Christmas Day service at 10:00 AM. The Sunday School Christmas Pageant and Reception is held on a Sunday in mid-December.
During Lent, St. Luke's joins four neighboring congregations for the five Wednesdays-in-Lent ecumenical worship services on the theme "The Cross of Christ." The series rotates among the United Methodist Church of Bay Shore, Bethel AME Church, First Congregational Church, First Baptist Church, and Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Brentwood, drawing the small downtown of Bay Shore into a single Lenten journey. Each host church welcomes the others for an evening service, with the lay and ordained leadership taking turns preaching.
Oktoberfest, Saint Patrick's Day, and the Annual Dinner Calendar
Christian fellowship has long had a place at St. Luke's, and several annual dinners have become fixtures on the calendar. The Oktoberfest, held in mid-October, features German sauerbraten and bratwurst with red cabbage, noodles, red wine gravy, beer and wine, desserts, and prize raffles, a touch of the pastor's German heritage and a counterpoint to a congregation that is overwhelmingly English-speaking.
The St. Patrick's Day Dinner in March is a corned beef and cabbage fundraiser prepared by Karen Seitz, John and Joan Buchner, Shay Christiansen, and a host of volunteers, drawing members and neighbors to the main hall for an evening of food and fellowship. A Pancake Breakfast and a Spaghetti Dinner round out the year, with all the traditional trimmings and prize raffles. The Joint Congregational Picnic on the second Sunday of September pulls several area churches together for an outdoor worship service at 10:30 AM and marks the first day of the new Sunday School year.
Weddings, Funerals, and Room Rentals
St. Luke's offers the Tudor sanctuary as a setting for weddings. The all-stained-glass interior and torchlit center aisle, the church writes, make it "a beautiful and unique location for your wedding." All inquiries are welcomed, and arrangements are coordinated through the church office. Couples marry beneath the Gethsemane window and the stained glass sequence of Christ's ministry, a setting that makes the marriage liturgy feel almost continuous with the church's catechism of light.
Funerals are also held at the church, where the regular rhythm of worship includes the funeral rite. The Easter Sunrise Service each year takes place at Oakwood Cemetery, a reminder of the church's pastoral care for the dying and the dead.
The church's facilities, including the main hall, are available for room rentals. Inquiries should be directed to the church office.
Where to Find St. Luke's
St. Luke's Lutheran Church of Bay Shore stands at 3 Lawrence Lane, on the corner of Montauk Highway and Lawrence Lane, Bay Shore, New York 11706. The church office can be reached by telephone at (631) 665-2554, with the office email at stlukeslutheranbayshore@yahoo.com. Pastor Baudler can be reached at AugsburgIV@aol.com or by cell at 631-605-2124.
Sunday worship with Holy Communion begins at 9:30 AM. Sunday School runs from 9:30 to 10:45 AM. The Augsburg Club Bible Study gathers in the lounge on Monday evenings from 7:00 to 8:30 PM (except the fourth Monday). The Prince of Peace Bible Study meets at the sister congregation in Brentwood on Saturday mornings from 10:00 AM to noon. The Tudor sanctuary at 3 Lawrence Lane is open to visitors, members, and all who would come to read the stained glass and hear the Word.