Our Beliefs
Our Beliefs
As a congregation within the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, Saints Peter and Paul Lutheran Church teaches and responds to the love of the Triune God. The three persons of the Trinity are coequal and coeternal, one God:
the Father, creator of all that exists
the Son, Jesus Christ, who became human to suffer and die for the sins of all human beings and to rise to life again in the ultimate victory over death and Satan
the Holy Spirit, who creates faith through God's Word and Sacraments
Our Mission
We exist to help people live
Alive in Christ.
Our Vision
At Saints Peter and Paul, we envision being a vibrant and multiplying family of God that is truly and fully Alive in Christ.
We envision that undergirding all of who we are and what we do is rooted in the Scriptures, in particular, the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). Therefore, we will be a congregation of disciple-makers in obedience to Jesus’ command. All members of the congregation will have someone that is intentionally investing in them to continuously mature in their faith. And, all members will intentionally be discipling at least one other person, and evangelizing one other person at all times.
We envision being a family of God that is growing and multiplying horizontally. As people come into contact with our ministry, they will be sent in many different directions. We believe through our intentional, Great Commission driven ministry, we will develop relationships and networks that span the globe and our family of God will be present on every continent in the world. We will accomplish this through evangelism, disciple-making, and church planting.
Through our ministry, thousands of people around the world will be introduced to true life in Christ.
Our Values
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We believe that God’s Word as recorded for us in the Bible is the source and authority of all we say and do. We intentionally listen to God’s Word and seek to obey it.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1
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Because God creates, sustains, and promises eternal life, we will love our lives, always advocate for life, and be life-givers.
“ Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.” Genesis 2:7
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God is our creating Father who desires a relationship with His creation. He has placed us in relationships with others to reflect His desires to the world. This includes relationships with family, friends, people in the church, and those who are far away from Christ.
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” Luke 10:27
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Pursuing health demonstrates a desire to live in the fullness of life God has promised. When things are not healthy, we find healing and restoration in Jesus and work towards healing and restoration in all aspects of health.
“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
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Jesus always gives us what we don’t deserve. He loves us when we are unlovable and forgives us when we have done nothing to deserve it. This is grace. And Jesus layers His grace on top of grace. We will always give others grace upon grace.
“For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.” John 1:16
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In Christlikeness, we live lives of humility - counting others more important than ourselves. This is a daily experience as we walk with Jesus. We remember our baptism, and intentionally confess our sins and receive forgiveness from Jesus.
“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” Philippians 2:3
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We disciple disciple-makers according to the Great Commission of Jesus.
“As you go, make disciples of all nations baptizing them and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And I am with you always to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20
Our Strategy
Our ministry strategy is broken down into “principles we live by” and “places we go”
Principles we live by:
Everywhere we go and in everything we do we strive to:
Seek the Lost (evangelism)
Disciple the Found (discipleship)
Multiply Disciple-Makers (multiplication)
Places we go:
We have three pillars of our ministry: worship, groups, and community. Each of these pillars contribute towards helping spiritually dead people be Alive in Christ. Worship is creative and participatory. Groups are family-based, intergenerational, and multinational. Community outreach is intentionally evangelistic.
We are Alive in Christ IN Worship because God is FOR us and God is WITH us.
We are Alive in Christ IN Groups FOR one another WITH one another.
We are Alive in Christ IN the Community FOR the Community WITH the community.
Our Senior Pastor
Pastor Aaron Gehrke was called to Saints Peter and Paul in July 2010. He is a 2010 graduate of Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO, and 2006 graduate of Concordia University in St. Paul, MN.
He is married to Abby and they are proud parents of their children Hazel, Max, Phoebe, and Ari. He enjoys playing all kinds of sports and musical instruments.
Pastor Gehrke and his family love the great outdoors: skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, fishing and so many other activities. pastorgehrke@copperluth.org
Pastor Gehrke is grateful to be surrounded by an incredible team of staff and volunteers who make the ministry what it is. For the full staff directory, see below.
Our History
Our congregation had its beginnings in the mid-1800’s during the mining boom that gave the Copper Country its name. Lutheran immigrants, distressed by the lack of properly called, trained, and ordained ministers, wrote to Dr. C.F.W. Walther, president of the Missouri Synod, requesting a pastor. Eventually, in response to this request, Rev. I.E. Wuebben arrived in Houghton in 1866. In January of 1867 the first Lutheran congregation in the Copper Country [and probably in the whole of Michigan's Upper Peninsula] was formed under the name "German Evangelical Lutheran Peter and Paul's Congregation at Hancock."
Our Board of Directors
Our congregation is governed by a Board of Directors, made up of seven members, who serve three year terms. They govern the organization through a structural model called Aligned Governance and Operations. Click here for the current list of members serving on the Board of Directors.
Our Board of Elders
Our congregation is cared for by its pastors and elders. The elders also oversee the Scriptural and doctrinal clarity of our congregation. Click here for the current list of members serving on the Board of Elders.
Our Logo
The three flames in our logo symbolize the Trinity, all three parts working together to refine us. When we are refined in Christ, our rough edges become smooth no matter how tattered they were before we met Him. The gradient to the flames symbolizes the different hues in copper. The bottom is green, which is a color metal can take on when it's very hot and also the color copper takes on after it's been worn. There is a geometric pattern to the flames, almost like stained glass. This is inspired by the history of our church. We are a forward-thinking congregation, with modern construction, yet with ties to a long past in a town with a lot of history.