About Us

We are an independent Lutheran congregation serving the east metro area of the Twin Cities. We welcome people from all over the St. Paul/Minneapolis metro area.

Being independent Lutheran church means that we are not affiliated with any national or global Lutheran denomination. But we do identify as distinctively Lutheran and embrace the rich theological tradition of Lutheranism. We subscribe to the Lutheran Confessions (the Small Catechism, the Augsburg Confession, etc) as all Lutheran churches do.

We have an active, energetic group of members here. We often say that we are all "close to the fire" meaning that most of our members are very involved and invested in the ministry at Grace of God.

Our worship is liturgical but blended. We value good music and exellence in everything we do. Children and youth are important to us. We love children in worship and the engagement of youth in ministry.

Our congregation is welcoming and friendly. It is hard to "sneak" in at Grace of God! We will notice you and say "HI!" We will not pressure you into membership or involvement, but we will invite you to be a part of the family here at Grace of God!

Pastor Jon Marxhausen

Pastor Jon was born and raised in Minnesota. He graduated from Concordia University in St. Paul and Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. He loves to sing, appreciate art, write, watch movies and eat pizza. ("A bad pizza is better than no pizza.") Pastor Jon's wife, Dawn, is a music teacher in Maplewood, Minnesota. She and Jon love to travel together. They have 4 grown children and one delightul grandchild! They live walking distance from beautiful Colby Lake in Woodbury, Minnesota.

People just like you formed this independent Lutheran congregation. We’d love your help in writing our future.

In August of 2004, a group of us got together and decided the time had come to create an independent Lutheran congregation, outside the construct of a “synod” or national organization’s direction.

We legally incorporated in the State of Minnesota as “Grace of God Evangelical Lutheran Church” because we wanted to reflect our belief that Grace alone is what matters. We held our first worship service on August 22, 2004 at Eagle Valley Golf Course in Woodbury.

Word spread of our little independent group and we began to grow. We welcomed people from all traditions and backgrounds. We welcomed those who felt overlooked in church and those who felt rejected by the church. We embraced our new friends and our congregation grew. By Reformation Day, 2004 we officially chartered and signed our constitution. Our first confirmands were confirmed the following week.

Two months later, in January 2005, we extended a call to Pastor Jonathan Marxhausen who was installed as the first pastor of Grace of God on February 5, 2005 and who continues to serve us.

In November, 2008, we moved into our own modern worship space at 420 Hayward Ave in Oakdale. We filled our little church with music and art and light and hope. A few years later we expanded our space as we continued to grow. We treasure our congregation and invite YOU to come and visit us soon!