Our Savior’s History
Our Savior’s Lutheran Church was founded in 1959 by a wonderful group of people, including Rev. Edward Baack, who felt that Jefferson City needed a congregation of what was then called the American Lutheran Church. OSLC worshiped in the McClung Park open pavilion – including during winter – for the first year until the building was completed.
Rev. Baack served Our Savior’s until 1967 when Rev. Harold Laursen became our second pastor through 1972. Rev. Robert Klein, Sr. became our third pastor in 1973, serving until 1994. Rev. Dr. Scott Musselman came in 1995 and is our current pastor.
Our Savior’s brought a faith community which was focused on grace as the essential nature of God’s love. This was expressed in various ways including that men and women shared equal roles and that Communion participation was open to all Christians.
The original worship center was upstairs. That area was expanded in 1983 with the inclusion of new restrooms. The lower level sanctuary was added in 1988 with an expanded fellowship hall. This was also the year when we joined the new national church body, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Click here for more information on the ELCA. We completed a renovation in 2011 which included a new children’s worship center upstairs and a new nursery, restrooms, information center and kitchen on the lower level.
We celebrate that some of those original members remain as a thriving part of our community. And we take increasing delight in all the people who have come since and continue to join us now. Our Savior’s has had an ongoing desire to connect people to Jesus, particularly young families. We are always praying for people to join us on the journey with Jesus to create a new chapter in our history of faithfulness.