Question. What if I told you that the Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Matthew is the oldest Lutheran congregation in North America? This church has a rich history spanning centuries. It reflects the changing face of New York City. St. Matthew’s story began in 1643. Dutch Lutherans in New Amsterdam founded it. However, the church wasn’t officially chartered until December 6, 1664. Governor Richard Nicolls issued the charter after the British took control.
The first church building for St. Matthew was built in 1671. It stood on Broadway where Trinity Episcopal Church is today. This location was outside the city walls. Sadly, that building was destroyed in 1673. The congregation rebuilt south of Rector Street and Broadway. People described this structure as a “cattle shed”. A new stone edifice replaced it. This was Trinity Church, dedicated on June 29, 1729.
In 1750, German-speaking members left St. Matthew’s. They bought a brewery on Cliff Street. This became Christ Church Lutheran. Rev. Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, a key figure in American Lutheranism, began serving there in 1750. He started a parish school in 1752.
Rev. Bernard Michael Houseal served St. Matthew’s for 14 years starting in 1770. His home and Trinity Church were destroyed in the New York Fire of 1776. Luckily, the church records survived. The congregation then worshiped in the Cedar Street Scotch Presbyterian Church. Houseal left New York in 1784. He was a Loyalist. That same year, Christ Church Lutheran reunited with Trinity Lutheran Church. They became the United German Lutheran Churches in New York City. Services were held in the former Christ Church building. It was known as The Old Swamp Church.
St. Matthew’s was a founder of the New York Ministerium in 1786. An English-language Lutheran church was founded in 1822. It was built on Walker Street. This was named Saint Matthew’s Church. Always in debt, it was sold in 1826 for $22,750. The United German Lutheran Churches declined to help. The building was quickly resold to them at the same price. It was then called “Christ and Old Trinity”.
The congregation kept both buildings. Christ Church held services in German. St. Matthew’s Church used English. The Christ Church building was sold in 1831. The congregation met in St. Matthew’s until 1838. At that time, the entire congregation took the name St. Matthew’s. German services became predominant. By May 1840, English services stopped due to German immigration. The German services were very popular.
Several other congregations grew out of St. Matthew’s. St. Paul’s German Evangelical Lutheran Church was founded in 1841. St Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church was founded in 1847. Trinity, the Old Church, subsidized it.
In 1868, St. Matthew’s sold its Walker Street church. It acquired the former First Baptist Church. This was at Broome and Elizabeth streets. The church became known as the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Saint Matthew in the City of New York. In 1881, the Concordia Collegiate Institute was founded at the Broome Street church. St. Matthew’s supported the institute until it moved in 1893.
In 1885, St. Matthew’s joined the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. This was a more conservative group. St. Matthew’s built a new church in 1903. It was located at 300 West 9th Avenue at 44th Street. In 1906, St. Matthew’s built a mission chapel at 145th Street and Convent Avenue. The Broome Street church closed in 1913. The congregation moved to the 145th Street mission chapel.
St. Matthew’s merged with Messiah Mission Church in 1945. They moved to the Messiah church building. In 1956, a new church building started construction at 202 Sherman Avenue. It was completed in 1957. That building was sold in 2006. The congregation moved to the Cornerstone Center on 178 Bennett Avenue.
Today, St. Matthew’s continues its mission. It serves its community and upholds its long and storied traditions. It remains a testament to the enduring power of faith. It also shows the Lutheran presence in New York City.