N1584-A County Road K
Sharon, Wisconsin 53585
262-296-1804
262-882-4000
The Rev. Gary V. Gehlbach
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LINKS
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The Publisher
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N1584-A County Road K
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Sharon, Wisconsin 53585
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262-296-1804
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262-882-4000
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The Rev. Gary V. Gehlbach
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Rev. Gehlbach is Pastor of Triune Lutheran Church, Sharon, Wisconsin. He has served the congregation since 1991. He is a 1987 graduate of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri. |
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Why was this site started?
Although my wife and I have not been on many vacations, over the years we have had the opportunity to visit many churches (primarily Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod congregations) and attend their services. The one thing we appreciated was attending congregations which used the historic liturgy. In these congregations, our children could easily fit in and follow liturgy. However, there were some congregations we visited which we found difficult to identify as Lutheran. Now when we travel, our usual practice is to call to the Lutheran churches where we are visiting to find out if they use the liturgy.
Well, my "fussy family" is traveling to Florida in October (2000). The question arose, what church will we attend? As we were thinking about this, we noticed that many other people have the same concern. From there, the idea developed to gather this information into one place. In order for easy access, I set up a web site.
The hardest part was drawing up some criteria for listing congregations. Even among liturgical congregations, there are many diverse practices (chalice or individual cups, congregations which have both liturgical and contemporary services, open vs. closed communion, presence of a crucifix in or near the chancel, whether or not women assist in leading during the service, three-year vs. one-year lectionary, TLH, LW, or HS98). After some input from fellow pastors (and my family), the criteria were formulated. The sad thing is some confessional pastors may not be able to be listed at this time because they are seeking to lead their congregations away from non-Lutheran practices to Lutheran practices (from open to closed communion or restoring the historic liturgy). It is my prayer that the Lord will sustain them in this task and give them wisdom to lead their people back to an historical, confessional, liturgical Lutheran practice.
Updated: Friday, July 15, 2005