What we Believe

We believe, teach, and confess the Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

We believe, teach, and confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and the gospel as the power of God for the salvation of all who believe in him.

  • Jesus Christ is the Word of God incarnate, through whom everything was made and through whose life, death, and resurrection God fashions a new creation.
  • The proclamation of God’s message to us as both law and gospel is the Word of God, revealing judgment and mercy in the person and work of Jesus Christ through whom God was pleased to reconcile all things to himself.
  • The canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God. Inspired by God’s Spirit speaking through their authors, they record and announce God’s revelation centering in Jesus Christ. Through them God’s Spirit speaks to us to create and sustain Christian faith and fellowship for service in the world.

We believe, teach, and accept the canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the inspired Word of God and the sole authoritative source and norm of our proclamation, faith, and life.

We accept the Apostles’, Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds as true declarations of the scriptural faith we believe, teach, and confess.

We believe, teach, and accept the Unaltered Augsburg Confession and the Small Catechism as true witnesses to the Word of God, normative for our teaching and practice. We acknowledge that we are one in faith and doctrine with all churches that likewise accept the teachings of the Unaltered Augsburg Confession.

We believe, teach, and confess the other confessional writings in the Book of Concord namely, the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, the Smalcald Articles, the Treatise, the Large Catechism, and the Formula of Concord, as further valid expositions of the Holy Scriptures.

We believe, teach, and confess the gospel, recorded in the Holy Scriptures and confessed in the ecumenical creeds and Lutheran confessional writings, as the power of God to create and sustain the priesthood of all believers for God’s mission in the world.

Our National Affiliation:
The LCMC is not a denomination, it’s a movement.  We view the local church as the place where people in the community come to get connected with God and one another.  We celebrate the fact that everyone is wired a little differently; it allows each and every one of us to serve according to our own unique strengths, skills and talents.
 
 
 
 
Our District:

The three words that best describe the primary focus of the Augustana District are Theology, Church, and Mission. We exist to serve congregations of LCMC by tending to theology, serving the practical needs of congregations, and actively promoting and coordinating mission ventures. Our District Council, four boards, part-time service coordinator, and support staff assist the district in carrying out these commitments. 

Lead Pastor
 
Pastor Chad attended Northeastern Seminary and also completed a program of study in theology & ministry through Princeton Theological Seminary and courses through Inter-Lutheran Theological Seminary. He and his wife Laure have been married since 2009 and have 2 sons. He has been published in the Lutheran Witness, The National Center for Fatherhood, and the Father Life Magazine.
 
 
Associate Pastor
 

Pastor Dan Stahl and his wife Judy live in West Falls.  They have one daughter and son in-law with two grandchildren, they also have one son. Dan attended the Institute of Lutheran Theology in Brookings South Dakota. He serves part time here at the church. He has also been trained as a Stephen Ministry Leader and heads up the Stephen Ministry here at St. Paul’s.

Youth Directors
 

Jon and Cassie McGee serve as our youth leaders. Jon attended Canisius College from 2013-2017 earning a Bachelor’s in Environmental Science and a focus in Wildlife Biology. He is currently enrolled in the Youth and Family progran of the Institute of Lutheran Theology. 

Cassie also attended Canisius College for both her Bachelor and Master’s Degree’s from 2014-2019. She is currently a French teacher at one of public schools in the area.
Music Director
 
Michael Cygan began serving as the Music Director on April 16th, 2023. Michael is a graduate of Franciscan University earning a degree in theology and sacred music, and of St. Bernard’s seminary where he studied Pastoral Studies. Before coming to St. Paul’s he served as the Associate Music Director of St. Gregory the Great parish in Williamsville, N.Y. where he provided music both for the Sunday Mass and for the parish youth ministry. While providing a high caliber experience, in both traditional and contemporary music, is important to Michael, one of his favorite experiences is helping to encourage and develop others musical talents.

Contact us:

Office Hours: Varied

Church Location & Address: 53 W. Falls Rd. West Falls, NY 14170

Telephone: (716) 652-9197

Email: office@saintpaulschurch.com
Pastor Chad – ckyer@saintpaulschurch.com
Pastor Dan – dstahl@saintpaulschurch.com
Music Director – mcygan@saintpaulschurch.com
Youth Director – youthdirector@saintpaulschurch.com