Who We Are

Holy Trinity is vibrant, progressive, and diverse. Many were raised Lutheran but lots of others were Roman Catholics, other Protestants, or sometimes nothing at all. Some of our members are in their 20s and 30s, reflecting our neighborhood. We have a number of people who come to church alone, either because they are single or their partner/spouse does not attend. There are many families with young children. The LBGTQI+ community is well-represented. Some members have seminary degrees and others are new to the faith. Holy Trinity has a strong connection with the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and each year we have one or more seminarians as part of the ministry team.

Our theology reflects the Lutheran emphasis on grace, and the need for continuing reformation of the Church as it seeks ways to speak the gospel powerfully to contemporary culture. We value spiritual insights from Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Indigenous Americans and others as we work together for peace and justice in the world.

You may have had a bad experience with church or religion when growing up. We welcome skeptics and those who struggle with faith or organized religion. It can be hard to move beyond childhood religion to one that makes sense in today’s world. Wherever you are in your spiritual life you are welcome at Holy Trinity.

We believe that we are called to live our faith in the world as we work for justice and seek the good of all. Through ONE Northside we address issues such as affordable housing, hate crimes, mental health, youth homelessness, and access to health care. We have a strong antiracism ministry and are exploring what reparations might look like in our community. Our social ministry committee plans projects to support migrants, those who are unhoused, and other needs in our community. A green team connects our commitment to justice with our changing climate. We give approximately nine percent of our offerings to support local ministries in Chicago, world hunger, and other ministries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Purpose Statement

Grounded in ancient practice, we find our center in the triune God who empowers us to be open to the mystery by living our faith boldly in the world as transformative agents of welcome, justice, and healing.

What We Value

Our worship is ancient and new.

We celebrate a multi-sensory liturgy based on ancient patterns and rituals that go back to the early centuries of Christianity. We gather each Sunday to hear the scriptures and wrestle with their meaning for our lives today. We share the sacred meal of bread and wine and depart to serve a world in need. Though ancient, worship is always fresh and new as the gospel of Christ comes alive for our contemporary context. Time unplugged from electronic devices allows reflection and centering. Open to the Mystery we connect, strengthen and serve with joy.

Things We’re For:

Radical inclusivity regardless of race, ethnicity, gender identity, documentation or socio-economic status, sexual orientation or religious/spiritual background. Welcoming refugees and immigrants as the biblical injunction to provide hospitality to strangers. Democracy as the means  to support those who are marginalized or most vulnerable in society. Embodied gathering in real time and sacred space. Multisensory liturgy that helps us delight in God’s beauty. Intentional engagement with contemporary social, theological and spiritual issues. God’s creation, including human beings, that are wonderfully diverse. User-friendly liturgies. Preaching that is honest about the struggles of life and the grace of God. Robust congregational singing. Reverence and joy in worship that spills over into everyday life. Cultivating empowering relationships, not only at church but everywhere. Openness to questions and faith struggles.Treasuring mystery above certainty.

Things We’re Against:

Power and privilege that lead to prejudice and oppression. Systems that perpetuate white preference and advantage. Binary ways of looking at gender, sexuality, and other ways of being in the world. Political ideologies that pit love of country against service to the earth and all its people. Patriarchy and sexism that discriminate against women and gender non-conforming people. Senseless violence. Negative and hateful partisanship. Superficial responses to life’s painful and difficult realities. Boring sermons. Church services that don’t connect with everyday life. Equating Christianity with a particular political party. Indifference to injustice and suffering. Misuse of the earth and its resources.

One Church in Three Sites

Since our strategic planning report in 2024, Holy Trinity defines itself as “one church in three sites.” Since 1923 Holy Trinity been located in the Lakeview neighborhood, at the corner of Addison and Magnolia. In 2014 we began offering Saturday night services at Grace Episcopal in the South Loop since there was no ELCA congregation in the Loop. “HTLoop,” as it is known, became a satellite and mission community related to HTLakeview. The two sites share the same values and mission, the same commitment to multi-sensory liturgy, and the same administrative and communication structure. All three pastors periodically preach at both sites, though Pastor Sharai Jacob is the primary pastor for HTLoop and South Loop Campus Ministry.

Since the pandemic most of our worship, formation, and other programming is offered in person and online. Some of our members and associate members live throughout the country and are able to participate online. As “one church in three sites,” here is a listing of what Holy Trinity offers online:

Worship

• Saturday evening HTLoop livestreamed service on Zoom

• Sunday morning HTLakeview livestreamed service on YouTube

• Advent and Lent Compline - remote services on Zoom

Formation

• Sunday forum - hybrid

• Wednesday morning study - hybrid

• Lenten Wednesday evening study - Zoom only

• Lenten Sunday study - hybrid

• Antiracism / reparation events - mostly hybrid

• Spirituality group - hybrid

Meetings

• Council - mostly online

• Task force and team meetings - mostly online