A Historic Lutheran Congregation in the Heart of Waco
St. Mark Lutheran Church has stood on Clay Avenue in Waco, Texas, since 1917. More than a century after its founding, the congregation still gathers each Sunday for the same kind of worship that has defined Lutheran Christians for hundreds of years. The church describes itself as a Christ-centered, historic, liturgical Lutheran congregation placed in the heart of Waco, and the building, the hymnal, and the rhythm of the services all reflect that conviction.
The congregation belongs to The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LCMS) and accepts the historic confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church compiled in the Book of Concord as a true and binding exposition of Holy Scripture. Worship follows the historic Lutheran liturgies set out in the lubric Service Book (Concordia Publishing House, 2006), and the church year, with its seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost, shapes everything from the colors on the altar to the sermons preached from the pulpit.
Sunday Morning at St. Mark
The principal Sunday gathering is the Divine Service with Holy Communion at 9:00 a.m. The service runs until about 10:30 a.m. and is followed by a full hour of formation for every age. At 10:30 a.m., Sunday School meets in the Fellowship Hall, the Adult Bible Class meets in the Fellowship Hall, and the Youth Bible Class meets in the Youth Building. Each runs until 11:30 a.m. A Catechesis Class titled "What Do Lutherans Believe" follows at 11:45 a.m. in the Youth Building.
On Sunday mornings, an usher or greeter is available to help newcomers find their way. The main entrance is at the front of the sanctuary, with a second door on the south side. Once the service has begun, the doors are locked for security, and a buzzer at the south door (to the right of the front doors) admits latecomers. Parking is available in the church lot and along Clay Street or 20th Street.
Visitors are warmly welcomed. "We at St. Mark Lutheran Church would count it a true honor to have you join us," the church says, "We know that visiting a new church for the first time can be a scary experience." First-time guests can participate as much or as little as they like, sit and observe, or simply follow along with what unfolds.
The Historic Liturgy and Its Meaning
St. Mark follows the historic Lutheran liturgy, a pattern that Christians have practiced for centuries. The service moves from the Invocation (calling on the name of the Triune God), through Confession and Absolution, Scripture readings, the Creed, the Sermon, Holy Communion, and the Benediction. The congregation stands during the confession of sins, the Creed, prayer, and the reading of the Gospel, and sits for the rest. Pastors wear robes to symbolize the "robe of Christ's righteousness," drawing attention not to themselves but to Christ and His forgiveness.
The colors arranged on the altar and pulpit mark the seasons of the Church Year. White, used for holiness and purity, appears during Christmas, Epiphany, and Easter and on special feast days. Blue, the color of royalty, marks Advent. Purple, for repentance, marks Lent. Red, signifying the Holy Spirit, martyrdom, and special events in the lives of Christians, marks Pentecost, Reformation, Confirmation, and commemorative days. Green, the color of life, marks the long Pentecost season as it emphasizes the Christian life, and it also appears during Epiphany.
The liturgy is not decoration. The church explains it this way: "Worship in the Lutheran Church follows a pattern that Christians have practiced for centuries. Certain things done, if understood, can have great meaning and impact on one's worship experience." True worship, the church teaches, is receiving from God His promised gifts of life, salvation, and the forgiveness of all sins, and then giving thanks and praise for those gifts.
What Lutherans Believe
St. Mark teaches that the entire Bible is the inspired and errorless Word of God and that it points to Jesus as the Savior. There is one true God, Who exists in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and God is the creator of everything that exists. Adam and Eve, the first parents, were created pure and holy, but they went against God's will and brought sin into the world. Since that time, all people have been conceived and born in sin, and people cannot restore themselves to a right relationship with God by their own efforts.
God sent His Son, Jesus, into the world. Jesus is both true God and true man. He lived to fulfill God's law for us, died on the cross to pay the penalty our sins deserved, and rose from the dead so that we might have eternal life. He now sits at the right hand of the Father to intercede for us. Because of Jesus' death on the cross, God declares a person just, righteous, and forgiven, not because of human effort but because the justification won by Jesus is applied to the one who believes in Jesus as Savior. Faith itself is a gift of God, given by the power of the Holy Spirit, so that all the glory belongs to God.
The means of grace are the Word, Holy Baptism, and Holy Communion. By these means, the merits of Jesus' perfect life and atoning death are personally conveyed to all who believe in Jesus as their Savior. Jesus will come again to take all believers to Himself, the dead will be raised, and on the final day all will be judged. The true Christian Church is made up of all believers of all times who trust in the Triune God and in Jesus Christ as their only Savior. Christians are called to tell others that salvation is by faith in Jesus Christ and to show their faith by deeds of love.
Holy Communion: Closed and Careful
St. Mark practices Closed Communion. The church explains that "it is our desire that all people would commune with us, but out of high regard for the Lord's Word, we believe that unity in teaching comes before unity in communion." Members of a Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod congregation, or of a congregation with which St. Mark shares altar fellowship, are welcome at the Lord's Table. Those who are not members of such a congregation are asked to refrain from communing and to speak with Pastor Kolb about the practice and how to prepare to receive this gift.
In Holy Communion, the congregation teaches, communicants receive the real presence of Christ - His true body and blood - in, with, and under the bread and wine, for the forgiveness of sins. The Bible passage 1 Corinthians 11:27-30 warns that it is possible to take the Lord's Supper in an unworthy manner, which leads to one's judgment, and the church takes that warning seriously. The Benediction at the end of the service uses the blessing God has placed on His people for close to 3,500 years (Numbers 6:24-26).
Pastor Peter C. Kolb
The pastor of St. Mark is Peter C. Kolb, called to serve the congregation in April of 2018. Before coming to Waco, Pastor Kolb served as a missionary for The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod in Hong Kong, served as a pastor at Faith Lutheran Church in Corsicana, Texas, and at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Vandalia, Illinois, and served as Regional Chaplain to missionaries and their families in Asia. He graduated from Concordia University, Nebraska, and Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. Pastor Kolb and his wife Kristie have been married for many years and have been blessed with eight children.
Pastor Kolb preaches most Sundays and is the regular voice of the congregation. The sermon archive also lists occasional sermons by Pastor Knobloch, who is associated with the parish. Members and newcomers can reach the pastor by email through the church contact page.
Forming Faith: Bible Classes, Sunday School, and Catechesis
Bible teaching is built into the rhythm of every Sunday. The Adult Bible Class meets at 10:30 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall during the same hour as Sunday School and the Youth Bible Class. A Catechesis Class walking through "What Do Lutherans Believe" meets at 11:45 a.m. on Sundays and 6:00 p.m. on Mondays, both in the Youth Building.
The Adult Instruction ministry walks older members and inquirers through the Lutheran faith in a more deliberate, structured setting, and bulletins carry the full text of each Sunday's service, including the readings, so worshipers can prepare beforehand or follow along during the service. Bulletins are archived back at least to 2025 and include the full Church Year: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week (Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil, Easter Sunday), Ascension, Pentecost, and the long stretch of Sundays after Pentecost. Midweek services are also included, with midweek Advent and Lent services through the week.
Youth and College-Age Ministries
The congregation takes seriously the formation of young people. Two youth groups, both called "Grounded for Life," meet monthly. Senior Youth (grades 9-12) meets every first Sunday from 11:45 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. for lunch, Bible study, fellowship, and fun. Junior Youth (confirmation age through 8th grade) meets every third Sunday from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., skipping Mother's Day, Father's Day, and holidays. The Youth Bible Class on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. runs alongside the Adult Bible Class.
St. Mark also welcomes college-aged members and visitors between 18 and 30, including students at Baylor, McLennan Community College, and Texas State Technical College, as well as young adults working in the Waco area. The church has hosted gatherings for this age group and points them toward conferences with other LCMS congregations, including a "Wanted: Conscience - Dead or Alive" conference at St. Paul Lutheran in Austin.
Men's Breakfast, LWML, and Family Life
The men's ministry gathers around a regular Men's Breakfast, and the women are organized as the congregation's unit of the Lutheran Women's Missionary League (LWML), an official auxiliary of The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. The LWML has focused for over 77 years on affirming each woman's relationship with Christ, encouraging and equipping women to live out their Christian lives in active mission ministries, and supporting missions. The motto, "Serve the LORD with gladness!" comes from Psalm 100:2. The LWML's stated object is mission education, mission service, mission inspiration, and grants for mission needs.
Family life at St. Mark is treated as something shared rather than separated. "At St. Mark Lutheran Church we value the family and we believe church should be a place for people of all ages," the congregation says. "There are great benefits for a family that gathers together to hear God's Word." Fellowship dinners and a variety of activities, including sporting events, are part of the rhythm of the parish.
Missions in Taiwan and Africa
St. Mark supports missionaries in two specific places. Rev. Dr. Michael and Jen-Yi "Irene" Paul serve through the LCMS in Taiwan, where Michael serves as a theological educator for the China Evangelical Lutheran Church, teaching in congregations and at China Lutheran Seminary in Hsinchu, writing and translating Lutheran Chinese resources, and mentoring new church workers. Michael was born in Cotabato City in the Philippines to LCMS missionary parents, holds a bachelor's degree in linguistics with a minor in Chinese from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and earned his Master of Divinity and a doctorate in doctrinal theology from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. Irene is a graduate of Concordia University, Seward and Wayne State University, and taught learning disabilities and special education. The Pauls have three children, Rachel, Jonathan, and Elizabeth.
The congregation also supports Lutherans in Africa (LIA), an LCMS-recognized organization founded in 2010 that equips Africans to be teachers of the saving faith in Christ Jesus. The work includes training pastors, evangelists, deaconesses, and Sunday school teachers in pure doctrine and its instruction, liturgy, and hymnody, and translating key doctrinal resources into African languages.
Joining the Congregation
St. Mark welcomes new members through the traditional Lutheran paths of Bible instruction, baptism, and confirmation. Adult Instruction meets in the parish and prepares adults for membership, and the Catechesis Class series walks through "What Do Lutherans Believe" for those preparing to join the church. Visitors who want to learn more about the parish are encouraged to come on a Sunday morning, attend Bible study, or drop by during the week to speak with Pastor Kolb.
Giving can be done online or mailed to the church office at 2000 Clay Ave., Waco, TX 76706. The office number is 254-754-0644, and the email address is pastor@stmarkwaco.com. The church office is reachable online as well, with messages typically answered within one to two business days.