A Congregation Founded with Crown Point
Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church & School sits on South Indiana Avenue in Crown Point, Indiana, a short walk south of the city's famous courthouse square. The congregation was organized in 1868, the same year that Crown Point itself was established, and the parish has been woven into civic and religious life in Lake County ever since. More than a century and a half later, Trinity operates as a combined church and school campus serving families throughout the region.
The church is a member congregation of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, the confessional Lutheran body that traces its roots to Saxon immigrants who settled in Missouri in the 1800s. Trinity's own mission statement, "a family growing together, learning God's Word, serving our neighbor to witness Christ's love," shapes everything from Sunday worship to the school day.
Three Weekly Worship Services
Trinity offers three regular weekly services, two on Sunday and one on Monday evening, designed to give a range of styles while keeping the same Lutheran foundation across all of them.
The Sunday 8:00 a.m. service is the traditional service, held in the sanctuary and centered on classic hymns, the church's pipe organ, and musical performances. A children's message is given each week, and Holy Communion is celebrated at every service. Holy Communion is central to the parish's life together, a gift of Christ's forgiveness shared around the altar.
The Sunday 10:45 a.m. service is the contemporary service, led by Trinity's worship teams and featuring a mix of praise music. Like the traditional service, it includes a children's message and weekly Holy Communion. A nursery is available at both Sunday services for children under three, so that families can worship together without interruption.
On Monday evenings at 6:30 p.m., Trinity offers a Relaxed Traditional worship service for those whose week makes Sunday mornings difficult. This service follows the same liturgy as the traditional Sunday morning service but in a more casual setting, and it has become a regular rhythm for many in the congregation.
Dress at all three services is casual or traditional, whatever is comfortable. Visitors are welcome at any of them.
What Trinity Teaches
Trinity holds to the historic Christian teaching of the Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one God in three equal and eternal persons. The congregation confesses:
- God the Father created everything.
- Jesus Christ, the Son of God, became human, died for the sins of all people, and rose again, defeating death and the power of evil.
- The Holy Spirit works through God's Word and the Sacraments to create and sustain faith.
The Bible is taught as God's perfect and trustworthy Word and the only guide for Christian belief and life. Trinity summarizes its teaching in three movements: God's love for a world that has turned away from Him; the saving work of Jesus through His suffering and death in place of all people; and the gift of faith that comes through hearing the Gospel and receiving the Sacraments. As a Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod parish, Trinity joins Lutheran Christians worldwide in confessing the Small and Large Catechisms, the Augsburg Confession, and the other writings of the Book of Concord.
Life in the School Hallways
Trinity Lutheran School shares the South Indiana Avenue campus with the church and has its own building, faculty, and a web address at school.trinitycp.org. The school serves students from preschool through eighth grade, and it is a defining part of Trinity's identity. The very name "Trinity Lutheran Church & School" places the two ministries side by side.
Faith is woven into the school day, and students are active partners in the life of the church. Fifth graders hold an annual car wash fundraiser in the front parking lot, near Door B, to help send their class to Camp Lutherhaven for an outdoor learning trip. Eighth graders participate in the Annual Mums Sale, a long-running fundraiser that supports their class trip to Washington, D.C. Each fall, a Back-to-School BBQ Bash in the school's back parking lot brings church and school families together over hot dogs, hamburgers, lemonade, and cookies to kick off the new academic year. The Parent-Teacher League (PTL) helps organize this gathering and many of the other school events throughout the year.
Life Groups, Confirmation, and Youth
Small groups, called Life Groups at Trinity, are the heart of the congregation's adult discipleship. These groups meet regularly to study God's Word, share in conversation, pray together, and serve neighbors both inside and beyond the church. Trinity provides a directory of open groups through its Church Center platform, and new members and visitors are warmly invited to explore a group that fits their stage of life.
Confirmation is a major milestone for the congregation's young people. The program has a structured weekly schedule and memory work, sermon response assignments, and the making of confirmation stoles. The church provides registration, schedules, and forms.
Trinity's Senior Youth Group meets throughout the summer and during the school year for outdoor gatherings, fellowship, and faith formation. Youth also serve through trips and work days, learning to put their faith into practice alongside the adults of the parish.
GriefShare: A Weekly Walk Through Loss
Trinity hosts GriefShare, a 13-week Christ-centered support group for people grieving the death of a loved one or working through the pain of divorce, separation, or other deep loss. Sessions meet on Tuesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. in the church. Each meeting includes a video lesson, group discussion, and a safe place to share one's own story. GriefShare is open to anyone in the community, whether the loss is recent or years old, and runs in scheduled 13-week sessions that begin periodically. It is one of Trinity's quiet but steady outreaches, walking with neighbors through some of the hardest seasons of life.
Mission Trips and Local Service
Trinity's members step beyond the walls of the church through mission work both near and far. A mission trip to the Ysleta Lutheran Mission in El Paso, Texas, with cross-border ministry in Juárez, Mexico, is a recurring part of the parish's life, and the whole congregation is invited to learn about it, pray for it, and join the team.
Closer to home, Trinity partners with the broader Crown Point community through service projects and events:
- Pack Away Hunger: Carsten Falkenberg Memorial Meal Pack is an annual meal-packing event held at Crown Point High School in which volunteers from the church, school, and community pack thousands of meals to feed children and families in need.
- Red Cross Blood Drives are hosted at Trinity in partnership with the American Red Cross, where a single donation can save up to three lives.
- Church & School Work Day is a summer Saturday of campus projects large and small, with lunch provided, for families and individuals who want to pitch in on Trinity's buildings and grounds.
- Annual Mums Sale is a fall fundraiser for the eighth-grade Washington, D.C. trip.
Worship at the Lake County Fair
One of the parish's most beloved traditions is its Worship at the Fair services. During the run of the Lake County Fair in August, Trinity gathers in the Showcase Tent on the fairgrounds for a joyful Sunday morning service led by the Contemporary Worship praise team. It is a chance for Trinity members and the wider Crown Point community to worship together in the middle of one of the county's busiest weeks, and the services draw a crowd each summer.
Leadership and Staff
The pastoral team is led by Senior Pastor Hal Toenjes, who preaches and teaches across the congregation's three weekly worship services. Associate Pastor Cory Wielert assists with preaching, teaching, and pastoral care. Karol Ketcher serves as Deaconess, supporting ministry to families, women, and the wider parish. Robert Brannock is the Music Director, leading the traditional and contemporary worship teams and the music program.
A Director of Communications, Director of Operations and Technology, Facilities Manager, Church Secretary, and Bookkeeper round out the staff who keep the church and school running day to day.
Online, In Print, and Around Town
Trinity maintains an active digital presence. Each Sunday's worship is livestreamed on YouTube, and a separate video announcements feed keeps the congregation up to date. Weekly and monthly newsletters are published in PDF form, along with traditional and contemporary bulletins for each service. Online giving is available through the church's secure giving portal, and the Church Center platform lets members and visitors sign up for Life Groups, register for confirmation, and explore volunteer opportunities. The congregation is also active on Facebook and Instagram, with additional music and media shared on Spotify.
The church stands at 250 South Indiana Avenue in Crown Point, a short walk from the Lake County Courthouse Square. The school entrance is on the same property. Visitors and newcomers are warmly invited to attend a service, walk through the campus, and find their place in Trinity's family of faith.