Worship

At the center

The Lutheran Church of Geneva is a community on the move, with members from a wide variety of backgrounds coming and going in this crossroads city, and worship is at the center of our life together. It’s a time we set apart each week in the midst of lives that are often busy and pulled in many directions to recall what’s most important for us: the love of God that claims us, draws us into community, and sends us out into the world. If you want to get to know this congregation, there’s no better place to start than joining us for worship.

What to expect

We think of ourselves as a church with deep Lutheran roots and wide ecumenical branches. That means we strive for worship that is…

Christ-centered. The good news that God is healing and redeeming the world through Jesus Christ is at the center of everything for us, including worship. We proclaim it in many different ways—through songs and scripture, through preaching, prayer, and sacraments—and listen together for the gospel each week.

Rooted in tradition. We value the patterns of liturgical worship that Christians have developed across denominations over the centuries, and our weekly services have a shape common to many. Each week we hear readings from both the Old Testament and the New; we sing; we confess our brokenness and sin and hear words of forgiveness; we share the Lord’s Supper.

Reflective of the richness of the global church. We believe worship should always be shaped by the gifts and experiences of the gathered community. With our members coming from 40-some different countries, it’s especially important that our worship services reflect that multicultural character. The Ecumenical Prayer Cycle, developed by the World Council of Churches, shapes our worship in many ways. Each week we pray for several countries by name, and we do our best to sing songs from these countries as well. Over the course of a year, we pray for each country in the world, and if you worship here for a year, we should sing something from close to your home, wherever it is.

Open to playfulness and experimentation. While the Christian tradition gives us a shape for weekly worship, we see that shape as a flexible and generative one. There’s lots of room to try new things. Creative ways of telling the biblical story, imaginative ways of praying, and joyful ways of dancing are all part of how we proclaim and hear the gospel.

Welcoming to all. People of any economic status, marital or family situation, sexual orientation, gender identity, or ability are welcome to full participation in worship. All music, readings, and communal responses are printed in the weekly bulletin, and a children’s area is set up in the sanctuary for young children to move and play quietly during the service. All are welcome at the Communion table.

Where and when

Our weekly worship service takes place every Sunday in our sanctury at the Lutheran Church: 20, rue Verdaine on the Place Bourg-de-Four in the Old Town. Come and see!