First Lutheran Church of Venice

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First Lutheran Church of Venice is a Lutheran church in Venice, Los Angeles. It is part of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) and was founded in 1944 on the Westside. The church serves Venice, Mar Vista, and Marina del Rey, and belongs to the Pacific Southwest District of the LCMS. It offers both traditional and contemporary worship services.

The church once ran the First Lutheran School of Venice, an elementary school opened in 1948. The school was closed in 2018 after 70 years.

As of 2006, the congregation had about 331 members, making it the third largest LCMS church in Los Angeles and the largest in its circuit, which includes Beverly Hills, Inglewood, and Santa Monica.

Venice is known for its art scene, and First Lutheran is described as art-friendly. The church hosts programs that explore the divine through visual arts, readings, and music. Since 2001, it has hosted the Masters in the Chapel music series, which has featured artists from major local groups. The series began after a 1998 fire gutted the sanctuary and led to restoration; the rebuilt hall has acoustics that enhance performances.

A pipe organ installed in 2004 was built by the same designer as the organs at Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, and it is showcased in concerts at the church.

The exterior features a mural titled Jesus Roller Skating with Friends in Venice Beach, painted in 1997 by Maur Van Doorslaer, a Benedictine monk from St. Andrew’s Abbey.

In popular culture, actor Orson Bean joked about his wife Alley Mills’ baptism by the church pastor, followed by a beach baptism together. Bean and Mills also participated in the church’s annual A Christmas Carol, with Bean playing Scrooge.

Senior pastor: Rev. John Palka.