Lutheran Church of the Redeemer (Atlanta)

The Lutheran Church of the Redeemer is a Lutheran church in midtown Atlanta, Georgia. The congregation was founded in the city in 1903, with the current building constructed in 1952.

For the Lutheran church in Jerusalem, see Church of the Redeemer, Jerusalem.

Lutheran Church of the Redeemer
Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Redeemer
The church as seen in 2019
Lutheran Church of the Redeemer
Lutheran Church of the Redeemer
Lutheran Church of the Redeemer
Lutheran Church of the Redeemer
33.774525°N 84.384209°W / 33.774525; -84.384209
Location731 Peachtree Street NE
Atlanta, Georgia 30308
DenominationEvangelical Lutheran Church in America
Websitewww.redeemer.org
History
FoundedMarch 15, 1903
DedicationSeptember 7, 1952
Architecture
Architect(s)Harold E. Wagoner
StyleGothic
Completed1952
Administration
SynodSoutheastern Synod
Clergy
Assistant priest(s)Ruth Hamilton
Jonathan Trapp
Ronald Bonner
Senior pastor(s)Mark H. Larson

History

The church was originally founded with 39 charter members on March 15, 1903, as the first English-speaking Lutheran congregation in Atlanta (St. John's Lutheran Church, founded in 1869 as a German-speaking church, was the first Lutheran church in Atlanta).[1][2][3] The congregation originally held service at a local YMCA.[4] The first church building was constructed in 1905 near the Georgia State Capitol in downtown Atlanta.[5] The congregation experienced significant growth during World War I as many members of St. John's became members of Redeemer due to anti-German sentiment.[6]

In 1937, the congregation moved to its current location at the intersection of Peachtree Street and Fourth Street in midtown Atlanta, near Saint Mark Methodist Church.[5] This building was nicknamed the "Church of the Lighted Window" because it had a large stained glass window featuring the Good Shepherd facing Peachtree Street.[7] The current building, a gothic structure built primarily of Tennessee quartzite and Indiana limestone, was constructed in 1952 and was designed by Harold E. Wagoner, a notable ecclesiastical architect.[5] The building's dedication occurred on September 7 of that year.[8] In 2002, the church dedicated a new pipe organ built by Orgues Létourneau Limitée: the Opus 80.[9]

Early in its history, Redeemer became affiliated with the United Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the South.[1] Through a series of church unions, Redeemer is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and is the largest congregation within the church's Southeastern Synod.[5][10] In 2015, Timothy Smith, the senior priest at Redeemer, was elected bishop of the North Carolina Synod of the ELCA, replacing retiring bishop Leonard Bolick.[11][12]

References
  1. Ahrendt 1969, p. 28.
  2. Grem, Darren (November 3, 2006). "Lutheran Church". New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  3. "History". St. John's Lutheran Church. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  4. Garrett, Franklin M. (1969). Atlanta and Environs: A Chronicle of Its People and Events, 1880s-1930s. II. University of Georgia Press. p. 442. ISBN 978-0-8203-3904-7 – via Google Books.
  5. "The Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Redeemer". Georgia Historical Society. June 16, 2014. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  6. Ahrendt 1969, p. 27.
  7. "What We Believe & Redeemer's History". Lutheran Church of the Redeemer. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  8. Poole, Donald R. (1959). History of the Georgia-Alabama Synod of the United Lutheran Church in America, 1860-1960. p. 58 – via Google Books.
  9. "Lutheran Church of the Redeemer". The Atlanta Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  10. "Lutheran Church of the Redeemer". Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  11. McLaughlin, Nancy (May 31, 2015). "Evangelical Lutherans elect new bishop". Winston-Salem Journal. Berkshire Hathaway. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  12. Funk, Tim (May 30, 2015). "Atlanta pastor, an NC native and UNC-CH grad, elected new bishop of NC Lutherans". The Charlotte Observer. McClatchy. Retrieved January 7, 2020.

Bibliography
External images
Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, 1919
Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, circa 1937–1952
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