Our Core Values
Scripture First
The Bible is the infallible Word of God. It is the foundation for all that we believe, teach, and preach. It is the foundation for how we live, love, and serve.
Building Family
We are dedicated to developing strong, loving bonds of family & community united in Christ. We support the skills, interests, and experiences of one another to build up our family of believers.
Commitment to Service
We follow Christ’s example and pursue opportunities to serve the earthly and spiritual needs of our community—guided by the Bible and attentive to our community’s voice.
Investment in Ministry
We prioritize opportunities to invest our God-given resources and time into the growth of our church and community, and into the spread of Christ’s gospel.
Open Doors
God’s love moves us to welcome and invite everyone to join our ministry celebrating and proclaiming the good news of Jesus—through personal conversations and thoughtful partnerships.
Our Mission
Open doors for the gospel to connect every person to their Savior.
Our Vision
Equip the Hillside & beyond to thrive through the gospel of Christ.
Our Leadership Team
Our church family is in an exciting new chapter of transitions and opportunity as we continue in our mission restart and revitalization efforts. During this time, our ministry continues with the faithful service of both our St. John’s leadership team and our dedicated volunteers. Together, we remain committed to Christ-centered worship, connecting every person to Jesus, and being lights of Christ in our community.
Paul Demcak
Church President
Nate Wordell
Council Leader
Matt Poch
Council Leader
Nick Montgomery
Chaplain
Neil Graff
St. John’s Pantry Coordinator
Rachel Wordell
Worship
What We Believe
What we believe and teach is rooted in God's perfect Word — The Bible. Because we know it never changes, we know we can find rest and peace in it.
Here are some ways to describe the truths that we firmly hold to as a church and lovingly hold out to our community. However, the best way to learn what St. John's believes is in our Bible 101 course. Click the link below and we would love to connect with you!
There is only one true God who is holy, eternal, and has all power and wisdom. In the Bible, God reveals himself as Triune - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The Bible is God's Word. It's true and without error.
God created the heavens and the earth and all that is in them, in six days thousands of years ago.
All people are special creations of God, created in God's own image.
Our human race cut ourselves off from God when Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden. Since then we've lived in rebellion against God's goodness, unable to reconcile ourselves to him.
The gospel is the good news that our loving God sent Jesus Christ to take away the sins of all people. Because of Jesus' perfect life and sacrificial death, God completely and freely forgives us for every sin.
Jesus is God the Son, born of the virgin Mary. He suffered and died on the cross to pay for all of our sins.
Jesus physically rose on Easter morning, conquering death. And because he rose, heaven is our home. We have assurance that we will live with Jesus forever in joy and fulfillment.
The Holy Spirit creates faith in our hearts through the gospel, and dwells in all believers.
There is one holy, Christian church, made up of all who believe in Jesus.
Through baptism, the Holy Spirit washes away our sins and makes us God's children, no matter our age.
Jesus' promise to give us his true body and blood in this sacred meal forgives our sins and strengthens our faith.
Even though sin is a tragic reality in our lives, we can enjoy community, hope, and forgiveness because of God's love for each of us in Jesus Christ.
What Is WELS?
Christians who make up the body of Christ have always gathered together; locally and globally. St. John's on the Hillside belongs to a gathering of Christians called the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS). Here's what that means for you:
Wisconsin is the place where this church body was founded, though you can find WELS Christians all over the globe!
Evangelical derives from the Greek word for "gospel" or "good news." Our church is founded on the gospel (the good news!) of Jesus Christ, our Savior. The term evangelical in the Biblical context has nothing to do with politics.
Lutheran means that our church holds to the Biblical principles of:
- Scripture Alone, What we mean by this is that the Bible is all true, inerrant and trustworthy. That all our teachings and faith are based on God's Word and not human tradition or opinion. That any questions or controversies we have–we go to the Lord for the answers.
- Faith Alone, That we are saved not by some cooperative effort between God and man but that he did it all. We are not saved by our own good deeds and actions and work. It is not like the university class where we get the grade we deserve. No, God gives us an A in Jesus and faith simply trusts that what God says is true since he doesn't lie!
- Grace Alone. Grace means undeserved love. Our salvation is 100% God saving us. He didn't save us because we had any worth or merit or were better looking morally or physically than anyone else. It is purely his mercy, his love that saves even though we don't deserve it. This is why we have confidence in our relationship with God–it's not based on what we do or what we are but what Jesus did for us on the cross!
Synod comes from the Greek, and has the idea of "walking together on the road." As a group of Christians walking together, we can accomplish more for Jesus than we can alone!
Questions? Contact Us!
We'd love to get to know you more. If you have a question about St. John's on the Hillside, or anything on your heart and mind, please complete the form below.