About Us
St. Matthew's is located in downtown Jersey City, N.J. Our ministry is based in two historic buildings:
The church itself, which was built in 1897-98;
The neighboring Barrow Mansion, which was built in the late 1830s.
Our mission
The mission of St. Matthew's Lutheran Church is to love, welcome, nurture and serve all people by following the example of Jesus Christ.
Pastor Menzi Nkambule
Phone: (201) 898-2350
Luther Seminary: Master of Divinity
Luther College: Bachelor's degree, accounting and finance
Inspired by: Jesus' reply, "The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is in your midst." -- Luke 17:20-21
Church council
Gerry Bakirtjy | Charles Bergstresser | Tryphosa Gera | Yma Petrides | Lyle Crouse
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
St. Matthew's is a congregation within the ELCA, which has headquarters in Chicago. This is from the ELCA website:
"This is Christ's church. There is a place for you here. We are the church that shares a living, daring confidence in God's grace. Liberated by our faith, we embrace you as a whole person — questions, complexities and all. Join us as we do God's work in Christ's name for the life of the world."
New Jersey Synod of the ELCA
St. Matthew's is included in the New Jersey Synod, a grouping of ELCA congregations that share the mission and ministry of the Church in the New Jersey territory.
The Synod has headquarters in Hamilton Township, N.J.
Core Values of the N.J. Synod:
Faithfulness
Generosity
Respect
Diversity
Change
Interdependence
We are Lutheran
From the ELCA: We are a church that walks by faith, trusting God's promise in the gospel and knowing that we exist by and for the proclamation of this gospel word. We proclaim that Jesus Christ was crucified and raised from the dead for the life of the world.
As the apostle Paul wrote (Romans 1:16-17), and we echo in our Constitution (2.02), we are not ashamed of this gospel ministry because it is God's power for saving all people who trust the God who makes these promises. "We are to fear and love God, so, that we do not despise preaching or God's word, but instead keep that word holy and gladly hear it and learn it" (Luther's Small Catechism).
God's word, specifically God's promise in Jesus Christ, creates this liberated, confident and generous faith. God gives the Holy Spirit, who uses gospel proclamation — in preaching and sacraments, in forgiveness and in healing conversations — to create and sustain this faith. As a Lutheran church, we give central place to this gospel message in our ministry.
We understand to be Lutheran is to be ecumenical — committed to the oneness to which God calls the world in the saving gift of Jesus Christ, recognizing the brokenness of the church in history and the call of God to heal this disunity.
"Lutheranism 101," published by Living Lutheran magazine in 2017 in connection with the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.