Living Word (Evangelical) Lutheran Church

I visited Living Word (Evangelical) Lutheran Church at 901 Ely Boulevard South this Sunday (Aug. 28th). (Their sign still says Evangelical, though they have otherwise dropped Evangelical from their name.)

Rev. Jeffery D. Smith pastors the congregation whose attendance averages around 35 to 40 weekly, and represents a good mix of young, middle-age, and elderly. He also pastors Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church in Windsor. After he delivers the sermon at Living Word, he departs to lead the service in Windsor.

This is the third Lutheran church in town. I discussed why there are more than one in my posting about St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church. The simple answer is they belong to different Lutheran denominations. Living Word is a member of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), the third largest Lutheran body in the U.S.. Though similar in many ways the Missouri Synod, WELS sees itself as more conservative and stricter about who it can have fellowship with. However, the liturgical service is very similar, and you would not likely be able to tell the difference between the two.