Ezekiel Lutheran Church sits on South Second Street in River Falls, Wisconsin, a block from Main Street, where it has anchored the community since 1890. Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and part of the Northwest Synod of Wisconsin, Ezekiel has built a reputation for blending traditional Lutheran liturgy with a contemporary flair, a strong music program, and an unusually wide span of ministries that begin with infants in child care and continue through high school, women's circles, prayer shawls, and a decades-long partnership with a village in Haiti.
A Congregation Born in 1890
Ezekiel was organized in 1890 when a determined group of charter members came together to found a Lutheran parish in River Falls. More than 130 years later, the congregation's mission statement (Following Jesus while growing in Faith, Generosity, and Discipleship) still shapes its planning. A vision statement outlines growth in three directions: Faith, through inspiring worship, enriched music, intergenerational connections, and faith formation for all ages; Generosity, by giving according to means and supporting mission and ministry; and Discipleship, through reaching up, reaching out, and reaching in, welcoming new members, and expanding community engagement.
Sunday Worship at 9:30 AM
Worship is at the heart of life at Ezekiel. The congregation gathers for a single Sunday service at 9:30 AM, celebrated in person and livestreamed on YouTube. Holy Communion is offered every Sunday, and worship uses historically familiar forms that are creatively adapted for the present day. On months with a fifth Sunday, the service includes a special time of healing. Inclement weather follows a council and pastor decision; youth programming and Confirmation classes follow River Falls Public School cancellations.
First-time visitors will find parking along South Second Street, East Walnut Street, and East Locust Street, with additional spaces available at First National Bank on South Second Street and at River Falls State Bank on East Walnut Street. A coffee hour between services offers a relaxed setting for conversation.
Music at the Center
Ezekiel places great emphasis on the quality of its music. The program includes a choir, a bell choir, a praise band, and instrumentalists who give shape to both traditional and contemporary settings. Worship is offered in a blended style: historically familiar Lutheran forms rooted in the Evangelical Lutheran Worship hymnal, paired with contemporary leadership and instrumentation led by Contemporary Worship Director Matthew Mitchell. Sermons are recorded and released as a podcast called Ezekiel Sermons, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and RSS.com, and Pastor Steve also records short video reflections that are posted on YouTube.
A Full Children's Ministry from Birth Through High School
Ezekiel takes seriously the claim that faith formation spans every age. Children's Ministry Director Marci Norum oversees the program, which begins with infants and runs through Confirmation and high school.
- G3 (Gather, Grow, Go): Infants, toddlers, and their parents meet on the first Sunday of each month, beginning in October, from 9:40 to 10:20 AM in the church library for songs, Bible stories, prayer, and play. No registration is required.
- Sunday School: Children ages 3 through fourth grade meet on Sunday mornings from 9:40 to 10:20 AM in multi-age classrooms, following the Gospel with age-appropriate lessons and activities. New students can start at any time.
- 56 Club: A gathering for fifth and sixth graders that bridges Sunday School and Confirmation.
- Confirmation: A multi-year formation program that follows the River Falls Public School calendar for weather cancellations.
- High School Ministry: Youth in grades 9 through 12 meet Wednesdays from 3:30 to 7:30 PM in Room 200 for homework help with a licensed educator, a shared dinner, and Bible study. Students also help with children's programming, play in the praise band, and run the church's audiovisual systems during worship.
A Prayground at the front of the sanctuary welcomes young children and families during worship. The congregation is also making plans to send high schoolers and adult leaders to the 2027 ELCA Youth Gathering in Minneapolis.
Jacob's Ladder: Child Care, Preschool, and 4K
Jacob's Ladder is Ezekiel's early childhood program for children ages six weeks through six years, housed on the second and lower levels of the church building. It began in 1986 when Susanna Circle, a young mothers' circle at Ezekiel, saw a need for a Christian preschool in River Falls. The church council gave permission to launch it in February 1986, and it opened in September of that year in the church nursery. When the new sanctuary was built in 1995, Jacob's Ladder moved to its current second-floor location. Child Care was added in 2012 to provide wrap-around care with the 4K program, and it has since grown from two classrooms to four on the lower level.
- Child Care operates year-round, Monday through Friday from 6 AM to 6 PM, serving children ages six weeks through six years. Full-time and part-time rates are available, with a sibling discount, drop-in hourly care, breakfast and afternoon snack provided, and a Christian, play-based curriculum that includes monthly chapel times.
- Preschool follows the school calendar from September through May, with two or three half-day morning sessions for children ages 3 to 5, in classes designed for younger 3-year-olds or for 3.5- to 5-year-olds. The student-to-teacher ratio is 10 to 1.
- RF4C (River Falls 4 Children) makes Ezekiel a partner site for the community-based 4K program of the River Falls School District. Classes run from 8:50 to 11:30 AM and 12:45 to 3:25 PM, taught by Wisconsin DPI-licensed teachers with a 13 to 1 student-to-teacher ratio. Bus transportation is available through the River Falls Bus Garage.
The 2nd Floor Project, scheduled for summer 2026, will renovate Jacob's Ladder's space to meet safety requirements and modernize classrooms for the program's continued growth.
A Prayer Ministry for Members and the Wider Community
Ezekiel's Prayer Ministry is open to everyone, members and non-members alike. A Prayer Team prays daily for the church and its members by name. Prayer stations are set up in the sanctuary during Communion and healing services for individual prayer with two prayer leaders. Prayer Request Cards are available in the pew racks, and a Prayer Chain, coordinated by Sandy Tauferner, responds to emailed or written requests. The Prayer Shawl Ministry knits and crochets shawls for loved ones in need of comfort. Prayer by Appointment offers private time with a prayer leader in the chapel, with several team members available between 9 AM and 9 PM any day of the week.
Women's Ministry and the Circles of WELCA
Ezekiel's women's ministry is part of Women of the ELCA (WELCA). Membership is open to all women who are members of the congregation, and five circles meet monthly for fellowship, Bible study, and service projects. Sarah Circle meets on the second Tuesday at 1:30 PM, Mary Circle on the second Tuesday at 7 PM, Rebekah Circle on the second Wednesday at 9:15 AM, Rachel Circle on the second Thursday at 9:15 AM, and Hannah Circle on the second Thursday at 1:30 PM. The women support local, churchwide, and global missions, assembling sewing kits, health kits, school kits, and blankets, and they contribute to Sewing for Sustenance, a Northwest Synod of Wisconsin project that supplies sewing machines, fabric, and supplies to women in the synod's companion synod in Malawi.
A Dementia-Supportive Community
Ezekiel openly identifies as a dementia-supportive community. The congregation maintains a library of resource materials from the Aging and Disability Resource Centers of Pierce and St. Croix Counties, the Alzheimer's and Dementia Alliance of Wisconsin, and the National Institute on Aging. Topics include defining dementia, caregiving, brain health, memory cafés, adult respite, memory screening, the ten early warning signs of Alzheimer's, working while caregiving, and a locally run social respite day program called Among Friends. Pastor Sarah Schaffner oversees the ministry and is the contact for anyone with questions about local resources.
Worship Helpers and Service Teams
Serving in worship at Ezekiel is organized through Breeze, the church's management software, with named coordinators for each team: Mary Ashbach leads the AV team, cantors, and readers; Pastor Steve Dow coordinates assisting ministers; Megan Franklin coordinates the coffee hour; Roger Hammond oversees the prayer team; Allison Klein leads acolytes and the children's message; Ken Lee coordinates summer ushers and 8:30 ushers; Jeannie Solum leads the altar guild; Torrey Prigge coordinates 10:30 ushers; and Joyce Walen coordinates communion assistants. Anyone can sign up through Breeze with the email address on file.
Partnerships Beyond the Congregation
Ezekiel maintains active partnerships with a number of local and global organizations. The church helps support:
- Our Neighbors' Place in River Falls, which serves people experiencing housing instability and financial hardship in Pierce and St. Croix counties.
- The Our Neighbors' Place Backpack Program, run with the River Falls School District, providing weekend meals to students in grades 4K through 12 whose families are facing food insecurity.
- Grace Place Shelter in New Richmond, a 30- to 90-day transitional housing program.
- The River Falls Community Food Pantry on St. Croix Street.
- The Free Clinic of Pierce and St. Croix Counties, providing primary health care to uninsured residents.
- Turningpoint, the only domestic and sexual violence crisis shelter in the two-county region, with a thrift store on Main Street in River Falls.
- Helping Haiti, a ministry that began in 2002 when five Ezekiel members traveled on a Food For the Poor pilgrimage. The project grew into an ecumenical effort with Catholic, United Church of Christ, LCMS, Assembly of God, and United Methodist congregations in River Falls to build twenty-five two-room houses and, ultimately, a two-story school in Ganthier Village that now serves 650 students. An annual It Takes a Village Valentine concert at Ezekiel and a Starfish Program among the members help fund teacher salaries.
Staff and Leadership
Ezekiel is pastored by Steve Dow and Sarah Schaffner, who serves as Pastor of Community. Matthew Mitchell directs contemporary worship, Marci Norum directs children's ministry, and Amy Nelson directs Jacob's Ladder. The Church Council is led by Mark Janda (President), Sandy Tauferner (President Elect), Scot Simpson (Treasurer), and Tom Gunderson (Past President/Secretary), with team leaders overseeing Resources, Faith, Generosity, and Discipleship.
Giving and the Building Our Future Campaign
Ezekiel offers several ways to give. The General Fund supports operations, staff, building, and program expenses. The Missions Fund supports local and global partners, and separate funds support Women of the ELCA, youth summer Bible camp at Luther Point in Grantsburg, the annual youth summer trip, children's ministries, Jacob's Ladder, and the music program. A Legacy Fund is held with the St. Croix Valley Foundation as an endowment. The Building Our Future Campaign is currently funding the Jacob's Ladder 2nd Floor Project in summer 2026, with a Sanctuary Refresh Project planned afterward. Gifts can be made by check, by texting GIVE to 715-354-0197, through Breeze online, or by scanning a QR code during worship. Members can also participate in E3 (Ezekiel's Extra Endeavors), a SCRIP gift card program run by volunteers between services.
Weddings, Baptisms, and Funerals
Ezekiel hosts weddings for members, baptisms for children, youth, and adults of any age, and funerals and memorial services. The church publishes an Ezekiel Wedding Handbook, a Funeral Memorial Service Guidelines document, and a Prayer of Remembrance Funeral Pall, and assists families with planning funeral lunches.
Staying Connected
The monthly Connections newsletter keeps the congregation informed of council minutes, ministry updates, and events. Council minutes are posted online each month. Ezekiel is active on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, and sermons are released each week through the Ezekiel Sermons podcast. Visitors are warmly invited to join in worship at 9:30 AM on Sunday mornings, in person or online.