Who we are
We are a faith community sent by God to pursue God's hopes and dreams for Southwest DC and the world.
St Matthew worship services are led by a rotation of pastors who guide our congregation with care and dedication. For questions regarding the church building or facility use, please visit our Contact Us athttps://www.stmatthewdc.org/contact-us or call the church office at (202) 800-4600. We would be delighted to hear from you!
Stefan Brodd, Cantor. Stefan Brodd is the cantor at St. Matthew and First Trinity Lutheran Churches in Washington, D.C., and for the Churches of Sweden, Norway and Finland, also in Washington. He has served as musical director and accompanist for many musical theater productions for the City of Greenbelt, and has played at the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Landsburgh Theatre, Signature Theatre, and Gunston Arts Center. Stefan also accompanies and arranges music for performers on Embassy Row and at gala events in Washington venues. He has accompanied Tony Award winner Audra McDonald, Tony and Emmy Award winner Christine Baranski, and Helen Hayes Award winner Floyd King, among others.
Stefan holds a bachelor’s degree in music and mathematics and a master’s degree in computer science. At NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, he was particularly proud of his work on the Cosmic Background Explorer mission, which verified the Big Bang theory of the origin of the universe and earned its principal scientists the Nobel Prize for Physics.
What we believe
St. Matthew is a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The ELCA confesses the Triune God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. In our preaching and teaching the ELCA trusts the Gospel as the power of God for the salvation of all who believe.
Born out of the study and teaching of Martin Luther, the Lutheran tradition holds that the love and grace of God have no prerequisites and are indeed intended for all people, no matter how flawed. Being in receipt of this saving grace, Lutherans are called to love and serve their neighbors and the world, and St. Matthew is committed to doing that in Southwest D.C.
The teachings of Jesus uniformly proclaim inclusion for all. We are called to practice this radical welcome and work toward justice for all people, including immigrants, people of color, LGBTQIA+ people, people with disabilities, and children.
We recognize two sacraments: Baptism and the Eucharist (Holy Communion), and we celebrate the latter every Sunday. Our services also include scripture readings, a sermon, prayers, music, and thanksgiving for our gifts.
St. Matthew was formed in 1893 and incorporated in 1900. The original church was located on D St. between 10th and 11th St. in Northeast Washington, D.C. The congregation eventually grew too large for this location, and on April 6, 1930 a new church on Kentucky Avenue at 15th St. in Southeast Washington, D.C. was dedicated. As the District of Columbia continued to change, the St. Matthew congregation once again felt the need to move. On May 9, 1962 St. Matthew purchased a 50,000 square-foot site at Delaware Ave. and M St. in Southwest D.C., which is where the present church is located. St. Matthew grew to become a diverse congregation, reflecting the diversity of Washington, D.C. as well as the diversity of the kingdom of God. Over time, its church facility suffered a number of structural problems. On March 16, 2008, the congregation left the building and began worship at other locations in the area, including with First Trinity Lutheran Church in Northwest Washington, D.C. During this time, the congregation engaged in activities to realize their vision of a new, state-of-the-art church facility that would fit their needs and the needs of their ministry in the community.
St. Matthew eventually entered into a partnership with a real estate developer to create a new church facility as part of a multi-use space that included an apartment complex in the same location as the previous church in Southwest Washington, D.C. In January 2019, the St. Matthew congregation dedicated its new church. St. Matthew continues its partnership with First Trinity Lutheran Church with whom they spent so many years in fellowship as their building was being planned and constructed. St. Matthew's new property is a true community building filled with non-profit partners and hosting events throughout the year. See more detail on our building share page.