About Us – Intown Lutheran Church

Our Mission

Intown Lutheran Church exists because we have. . . .

. . . a God worth knowing.

. . . a city worth loving.

. . . a life worth living.

Our world is full of many ideas about God. Does God even exist? If so, what does he think of me? And how can I connect with him? Here at Intown Lutheran Church, we invite you to take a fresh look at the God of Christianity who reveals himself in the Bible. As you do so, we pray that you will find the same peace and hope in Jesus that we have found, and agree that we truly have a God worth knowing.

That same God sent his Son Jesus to win precious forgiveness for you, me, and every human being on the planet. Because cities are the world’s greatest concentrations of human beings, we believe that cities are a vital place for Christians to share and show the love of Jesus. No matter who you are or where you’ve been, we hope you’ll join us now as we reach out to a city worth loving.

Cities are full of people, and yet living near thousands of complete strangers can sometimes make you feel very alone. At Intown Lutheran, you’ll find a loving community of people who gather together on a regular basis to remind each other that we’re never alone! God is always among us as we hear his Word, encourage one another, and serve our community. We pray that you will join us in the eternal friendships that make up a life worth living.

Our Beliefs

We are a Christian church. We believe that God solved mankind’s problem of sin by sending Jesus Christ into the world to live a perfect life in our place, die on the cross to pay for our sins, and rise from the dead to guarantee eternal life in heaven to all who believe.

We are a Biblical church. We believe the Bible is the inspired, inerrant Word of God, and thus the only objective source of truth in the world. The Bible is first and foremost a book of good news, about how God designed and implemented his plan of salvation by sending Jesus to be our Savior. The Bible is the only place in the world we find this message of grace, and so the Bible is the ultimate authority for everything we believe, teach, and do.

We are a confessional Lutheran Church. This means we believe that the teachings of the Bible are correctly represented in the Lutheran Confessions (found here.) These documents were prepared during the Protestant Reformation, a time in church history when God led believers back to his Word and to the historic faith taught by Jesus and the apostles. While times have changed since the writing of these documents (c. 1580 A.D.), the timeless truths of Scripture have not. For a clearer and more modern explanation of these same biblical truths, click here.

We are a member of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. Being part of a larger church body allows us to be part of ministries that extend far beyond our doorstep here in Atlanta. The ministry of the WELS includes a robust worker training system, humanitarian aid efforts, and extensive mission work, both in North America and around the world. You can learn more about the work of our church body here.

Our Pastor

Lucas Bitter received thorough training on his way to becoming a pastor. After graduating from Luther Preparatory School in Watertown, WI, Lucas earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Languages (Greek and Hebrew) from Martin Luther College in New Ulm, MN, and then received his Master of Divinity from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon, WI.

Lucas’s seminary training included a 1-year internship at Hope Lutheran Church in inner-city Toronto, which filled him with a strong passion for urban ministry. Upon returning to the Seminary, he wrote his senior thesis paper on the topic of “Planting Churches in Global Cities.”

After graduating from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 2013, Lucas served as a pastor for 4 years at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Marietta, GA. In 2017 he accepted a call from the South Atlantic District Mission Board to move into Atlanta and start a brand-new mission church.

Lucas loves many things about Atlanta – including the weather, the culture, the food – but most of all he loves the opportunity to reach out to a large and diverse mission field with the good news about Jesus.

On an average day you might find Pastor Lucas working in his coworking space, teaching a Bible study in a local coffee shop, or jogging on the Beltline trail. You might find his wife Meredith teaching online classes, practicing the piano, or taking the kids on a playdate to the park. The ideal Friday night for the Bitter family would include grilling out and relaxing with neighbors and friends in their Ormewood Park backyard.

If you’d like to learn more about Intown Lutheran, have a spiritual question, or just want to say hi, feel free to reach out to Pastor Lucas via email: pastorlucas@intownlutheran.com