St. Matthew was organized on December 16, 1894. Originally a Wisconsin Synod (WELS) Lutheran congregation, members met in various homes and in a local school house until the first church building was completed on July 1, 1900. In the late summer of 1928, the church was struck by lightning. The resulting fire was catastrophic, resulting in the total loss of the structure. However, a few items were rescued from the burning building including the original baptismal font, which is still in use today. Not to be deterred, the congregation rebuilt and on May 11, 1930, the new "Church on the Hill" was dedicated. The congregation was housed in that same church building for the next 79 years, until 2009. (The photo above was one of the last pictures taken of the "Church on the Hill" before it was demolished in 2019.) Needing more space as St. Matthew grew, a new church building was commissioned in January of 2007. The present building was dedicated on September 20th, 2009.

In 2012, St. Matthew voted to part ways with the WELS.  The next year, St. Matthew was blessed to officially become a member congregation of the LCMS (The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod). St. Matthew is part of the LCMS La Crosse Circuit and the LCMS South Wisconsin District. 

St. Matthew celebrated its 125th anniversary with a special service and program on December 8, 2019. We look forward to seeing what God has in store for St. Matthew's next 125 years of ministry! We hope that you will become part of St. Matthew's story as well!

Our Vision

We Exist to Grow in Christ. 

We Exist to Share the Good News of Christ with Others. 

We Exist to Provide a Place of Refuge for the Weary and Worn through the Drudgeries of Life.

Our Church

We are a congregation with a zeal and a love for our Lord and Savior, Jesus! You will be loved and welcomed at St. Matthew. We see you as we see ourselves - Children of God, falling short of His standards, but also as those redeemed through the perfect life, innocent death, and glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ!

Our Community

In recent years, St. Matthew has grown to become a congregation of approximately 430 members. We have an active women's group (the Heartners), Sunday School, Ignite Youth Group, Choir, Handbell Choir, and several Bible study opportunities.