About Us
Our Story
In 2022, members of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) living in the UK extended a heartfelt invitation to WELS World Missions to send trained pastors to help establish and serve congregations in the UK. Up to that point, the only English-speaking WELS services in the UK took place once a month in Northwood, near Ruislip, led by a WELS Pastor who commuted all the way from Germany!
In August 2023, a WELS family in Wolverhampton generously opened their home in Essington to host weekly Sunday services, led by Pastor Paul Hartman.
We were soon blessed by the hospitality of the local Anglican church at St. John’s Church, Essington, who kindly offered the use of their newly built church hall. Our first service in this welcoming space took place in July 2024.
Since October 2024, services have been led by Trainee Pastor Lawrence McCatty, as we continue to grow in faith and fellowship together.
WELS
WELS stands for the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. It’s a bit of a mouthful, but each word is significant.
- Wisconsin is where three pastors serving German immigrants joined together in a common fellowship more than 175 years ago. Today, it is still where more than half of our membership calls home—but now we have congregations spread all across North America and missions spanning the globe.
- Evangelical is a Greek word. Literally translated it means “gospel oriented.” It is an apt description, for the gospel of Jesus Christ is at the core of all we believe and proclaim.
- Lutheran refers to those who adhere to the teachings of Martin Luther, the leader of the Reformation in Germany. God used Luther to point out the errors of the church some 500 years ago—that salvation was something that must be earned. It was Luther who once again made clear that salvation is received through faith in Jesus as a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8,9).
- Synod literally translated means “walking together.” As a fellowship of Christians, we walk together as individuals and congregations sharing a common bond of faith in Jesus articulated in the Lutheran Confessions.
WELS currently has more than 330,000 men, women, and children in nearly 1,300 congregations across the United States and Canada united by a common faith in Christ’s saving love, and now in the UK!