Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church has anchored the south edge of downtown Columbus since 1848 as a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Southern Ohio Synod. Today it is known for its traditional Sunday liturgy, a stained glass program that traces the Life of Christ, a ten-and-a-half-foot statue of Christ modeled on the Thorvaldsen in Copenhagen, and an explicit welcome that asks nothing of race, gender identity, sexual orientation, or ability.
A House Divided, A Church Begun
Trinity's story begins not in triumph but in a split. In the 1840s, German and Prussian immigrants gathered at St. Paul's Lutheran Church at Mound and High Streets in the south end of Columbus, in what is now German Village. A dispute over language and doctrine divided the congregation, and on January 28, 1848, forty-eight members formally established Trinity German Evangelical Lutheran Church under the leadership of Pastor W. F. Lehmann.
The founding names tell the story of who built Trinity. The Heyl family - the baker Christian Heyl had already hosted the first recorded Lutheran service in Columbus in 1818, in his OH Perry Inn - supplied eight of the forty-eight founders. The Beckers, Bickles, Conleys, Heckmanns, Kaetzels, Kannemachers, Krells, Macholds, Macks, Schmelzes, Schotts, and Spielmanns filled out the charter roll. Christian Heyl continued to support the new congregation with his own money, supplying whatever the members could not afford. Eight men - two elders, two deacons, two trustees, a secretary, and a treasurer - formed the first church council. Trinity affiliated with the Lutheran Joint Synod of Ohio.
A Downtown Sanctuary in the German Gothic Style
For its first decade, Trinity worshipped in rented halls - a seminary building, then the German Independent Protestant Church on Mound near 3rd - while members debated, raised funds, and grew. On April 6, 1856, five years before the Civil War, the congregation settled on a lot at 3rd and Fulton and hired George Kannenmacher as architect. The cornerstone was laid on July 28, 1856, eight and a half years after the founding, and Trinity dedicated its new building on December 20, 1857 - just in time for Christmas.
The structure rose in the traditional German Gothic style and still serves today as a visual gateway into downtown Columbus. The basement was not finished until 1861, funded by the Lutheran Brotherhood and the Ladies' Aid Society, each contributing through monthly dues of twenty-five cents. In 1863 the congregation purchased an organ for $1,100. The bell tower and steeple were added in the years that followed, as was the balcony. A century and a half on, the sanctuary still seats around 250 guests.
The Schlee family became Trinity's largest benefactors in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, picking up where Christian Heyl had left off. Nicholas Schlee of the Schlee Brewery was vice president of the Central Bank, which became the First National Bank, and led the consortium that rebuilt the Chittenden Hotel after the catastrophic 1894 fire as the fireproof Great Southern Hotel - now the Great Southern Westin. Nicholas Schlee and his son Theodore funded three of Trinity's stained glass windows.
The Christ of Compassion
Behind Trinity's altar stands a ten-and-a-half-foot statue of Christ copied from a marble work by the Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen. The story, told in the parish for generations, runs like this. Thorvaldsen modeled the figure in clay with arms outstretched in triumph and head held high. A heavy rain invaded his studio; the dampness softened the clay and the arms sank downward in what looked like a ruined work. As Thorvaldsen raised a hammer to demolish it, the meaning changed: the bowed head and lowered arms no longer read as defeat, but as a compassionate Christ encircling the sorrowful and needy.
Trinity's longtime pastor, the Reverend C. C. Hein, brought the copy home between 1903 and 1917 after a Mrs. Emil Mayer showed him a photograph of the Copenhagen original in the Ladies' Home Journal. Visitors approaching the altar can see the inviting hands from nearly anywhere in the sanctuary; only those kneeling at the altar can see the eyes of Christ.
Windows that Trace the Life of Christ
Around the time Trinity acquired its Thorvaldsen Christ, the congregation installed fourteen stained glass windows from the von Gerichten Art Glass Company of Columbus. Brothers Ludwig and Theodore von Gerichten, German immigrants whose work won honors at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, went on to produce roughly 1,800 windows for about 850 churches across the country. Trinity's are considered among the finest examples of their craft.
The sanctuary windows trace the Life of Christ from the Nativity through the Road to Emmaus. Companion windows in the Fellowship Hall depict the Ten Commandments and the Lamb and harp of Revelation 5. Three windows along 3rd Street - depicting Baptism, Holy Communion, and the Word of God - were designed to be read from the sidewalk, illustrating that the church is made up of people called through the Gospel, made God's children in Baptism, and nourished through Holy Communion. A scroll across the Fellowship Hall windows reads in German: "Permit the Children to come to me and forbid them not for of such is the kingdom of Heaven."
Saturday Evenings and Sunday Mornings
Trinity offers Holy Communion at every service. Saturday worship at 5:00 p.m. is intentionally quiet, simple, and intimate, with music on the piano. Sunday worship at 10:30 a.m. is the traditional service: the Chancel Choir sings (except during summer break), the organ and piano accompany the congregation, and the Bell Choir plays about once a month.
Children are always welcome in worship. Books, quiet activities, and a cry room are available, and ushers can direct families. At different times of the year, especially during Advent and Lent, the pastor leads simple prayer services at 12:05 p.m. on Wednesdays - Midday Prayers and Vespers.
A Liturgy Woven from Scripture
The service is built on two ancient halves. The Liturgy of the Word descends from the Jewish synagogue service - scripture readings, psalms, and prayers - and recalls Jesus reading from Isaiah in the Nazareth synagogue. The Liturgy of the Meal is the sharing of bread and wine in remembrance of Jesus' death and resurrection, rooted in the Passover meal he shared with his disciples.
Trinity walks visitors through every element of the liturgy and pairs each one with its scriptural origin: the Gathering with Psalm 149 and Acts 2; the Kyrie with the lepers' cry in Luke 17; the Sanctus with Isaiah 6 and Matthew 21; the Words of Institution with 1 Corinthians 11; the Sending with Matthew 28 and John 20; and the Benediction with Numbers 6. A three-year lectionary, shared by the majority of the world's Christians, governs the Sunday readings. The congregation points visitors to the First Apology of Justin Martyr (c. 150 A.D.) and the Augsburg Confession (1530) for the deeper history of the Christian assembly.
Music: Organ, Choir, and Bells
The music program centers on Dr. Maria Staeblein, Trinity's organist and Music Director. The Chancel Choir rehearses on Thursday evenings at 7:00 p.m. and sings at most Sunday services, with a summer break. The Bell Choir rehearses on Sunday mornings at 9:15 a.m. and adds its voice about once a month. New members of either choir are always welcome.
Welcome Without Exception
Members of Trinity begin from a clear conviction: God loves, forgives, and calls each person unconditionally, and every human being is created in the image of God. The congregation's welcome statement, displayed openly, says that all people are welcome regardless of race, age, gender identity, marital status, physical and mental abilities, sexual orientation, national origin, or economic status. The parish lists itself with ReconcilingWorks, the Lutheran organization that supports LGBTQ-affirming ministries.
A ramp to the rear entrance, a wheelchair lift, and handicap parking make the building accessible.
Worship Beyond the Walls
Trinity records and broadcasts each week's service, children's message, and musical meditations on its YouTube channel and Facebook page so that members and visitors across the Columbus community and beyond can join in. The congregation also prepares personalized, sealed communion packets consecrated by the head pastor for anyone who wishes to receive Holy Communion at home - alone or together with others watching the weekly video service.
Communication continues through email updates, the monthly Trinity Tidings newsletter, and a recorded Call-em-All phone message that plays through to voicemail so anyone can listen at their leisure.
Neighbors in the Building
Trinity's downtown location and historic building make it a natural gathering place. The sanctuary hosts weddings, concerts, and rehearsals; the Fellowship Hall seats about 100 with an attached kitchen; the Lounge, equipped with a kitchenette and audio-visual technology, fits about 20 for small meetings.
Outside groups use the building week to week, including the Columbus Gay Men's Chorus, the Columbus Cello School of Jill Crist (named Columbus Symphony Orchestra's 2020-2021 Private and Community Educator of the Year), and VOX & Illuminati. Central Ohio Area of Narcotics Anonymous holds a long-running meeting here on Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m.: Gay Joyous and Free, an open LGBTQ-affirming gathering. The congregation also participates in B.R.E.A.D. - Building Responsibility Equality And Dignity - a coalition of Columbus congregations of many traditions pursuing justice together. Trinity frames its work as "sharing the Word of God through worship and teaching, with love and service, in our congregation and in our community."