Our History
– Founding –
Apologia began with a family and a pastor in a living room.
For three years one family from Deer Park attended Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Tony, WI, served by Rev. Jeffrey Ahonen. Their weekly two-hour commute (four hours, round-trip) was long and at times impractical for their young family. Sometimes they talked with Pr. Ahonen about starting a new mission in St. Croix County, closer to home, but it wasn’t until early 2017 that talks became serious. After a month of planning, Apologia Evangelical Lutheran Mission met for the first time. It was on Friday March 31st, 2017, that the family and Pr. Ahonen first celebrated the Divine Service in the family’s living room in Deer Park, WI.
Our mission continued to meet in the family’s home for years as they graciously opened their doors to visitors. But it was difficult to establish a permanent presence in the community while the pastor who served us lived two hours away.
In the Summer of 2023, six years after the mission began, an opportunity arose to call a seminary graduate to serve us locally. In July the Rev. Jacob Henson accepted the call to serve our mission under the supervision of Pr. Ahonen. After his installation, Rev. Henson took full responsibility of our weekly church services, adding weekly Bible studies for both children and adults.
– From Mission to Church –
A year later, in Fall 2024, Apologia took another step: public presence in the community. Through a gracious arrangement with a local Methodist congregation, we began renting a worship space in a public church building. The Methodist congregation continued their usual Sunday morning worship while we worshiped on Saturday evenings.
Another year later, we took a final step in becoming an established church: we called our first pastor. Until this point, our mission had been a “daughter” congregation of Good Shepherd from Tony, WI, and was served by Good Shepherd’s pastors. This changed on August 30, 2025 when we extended a direct call to Rev. Henson to serve as our own pastor. On October 17, 2025, Rev. Henson was installed as the first pastor of Apologia. With his installation, we changed our name from Apologia Evangelical Lutheran Mission to Apologia Evangelical Lutheran Church.
– Filling a Need –
While Lutheran churches seem to proliferate on every street corner in Wisconsin, few are wholly confessional (that is, few Lutheran churches remain completely faithful in doctrine and practice to the Holy Scriptures as exhibited in the historic Lutheran Confessions). Apologia was formed precisely as a confessional Lutheran presence in St. Croix County. Our mission is to provide our members and community with church services and teachings that are doctrinally pure (faithful to Scripture).
When it comes to God’s Word, why settle with teaching that is only mostly accurate? The Word of God is our life! Even a little bit of falsehood can lead people astray. At Apologia, we give thanks that we are united in confessing the truth. We fully subscribe to Luther’s Small Catechism and the Book of Concord because we are convinced that these writings faithfully express the doctrine of God’s Holy Scriptures.
Likewise, why settle for worship that is only mostly faithful? The church service is where we receive true, eternal gifts! It is where God distributes forgiveness of sins and strengthens faith for eternal life! When we attend the Divine Service, we do not want anything less than a liturgy and hymnody which are entirely faithful to God’s Holy Word. At Apologia, we give thanks that our historic Christian liturgy and Lutheran hymnody remain unaffected by modern and postmodern cultural trends.
– Behind Our Name: Apologia –
In the Ancient Greek language, an apologia (ἀπολογία, pron. ah-po-lo-GEE-ah) was an “answer” that a defense attorney would give in legal court. In response to accusations and objections from the prosecution, an apologist marshaled evidence to demonstrate and defend truth before a jury or judge. The Apostle Peter beautifully adopts this word in his First Epistle, urging Christians to be apologists for (defenders of) the faith in an unbelieving world:
“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer [apologia] to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you…”
~ 1 Peter 3:15
Inspired by 1 Peter 3:15, we chose the name Apologia for two reasons.
The Church is Missionary
First, “Apologia” reminds us that the Church is missionary. Christians are not isolationists, simply caring for themselves. We live in the world and we engage with the world. When curious people (or even hostile people) ask us why we have such hope within us, we are ready to “give an answer” and direct them to the Word of truth which converts hearts through the power of the Holy Spirit (Jm. 1:18, Jn. 3:5).
Our Hope is Sure
Second, we chose the name Apologia because it shows that the “hope which is in us” is not the same as feeble wishful thinking. When people believe the Gospel message, they are not taking a blind “leap of faith.” The Christian faith is founded on facts. The Incarnation, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ are historical events, corroborated by hundreds of eye-witnesses and documented in Scripture (Lk. 2:15-17, 1 Cor. 15:1-8). Therefore, apologia expresses our bold confidence in the promises of the Gospel. Jesus became Man, died for us, and rose again from the dead—and because He did, we have peace with God and the sure hope of eternal life.