About St. Francis

Welcome to the community and worship of St. Francis Lutheran Church. Inspired by God’s wide vision, we celebrate and embrace diversity of households, faith expression, race, gender identity and expression, class, culture, age, sexual orientation, ability, and immigration status. We particularly feel called to advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. Our congregation believes that God’s deepest longing is to bring healing and wholeness to all human beings and all creation.

Like St. Francis of Assisi, after whom this congregation is named, we believe each person is called to be an instrument of God’s healing work in the world.
 If you are a lifelong Lutheran, this congregation invites you to deepen your faith and share it with others.
 If you have never been to a Christian church, this congregation invites you to be curious, explore, ask questions, and participate.
 If you have been hurt, disappointed, disillusioned, or rejected by the church, this congregation invites you to embrace wholeness and forgiveness.
 If you are hungry for justice and peace, this congregation invites you to come together and become part of the healing work of Christ in the world.
 If you love liturgy, St. Francis is the place for you! And if you don’t know what liturgy is, St. Francis might also be the place for you.

Martin Luther’s hope was that the church would reform its practice and preaching to be more consistent with the word of God as contained in the Bible. What started as an academic debate escalated into a religious war, fueled by fiery temperaments and violent language on both sides. There was no reformation, but a separation.

“Lutheran” was the name applied to Luther and his followers as an insult, but it was later adopted as a badge of honor. Many Lutherans still consider themselves as a reforming movement within the Catholic Church, and they have engaged in ecumenical dialogue with other church bodies for decades.

On January 1, 1996, St. Francis Lutheran Church was expelled from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA), along with First United Lutheran Church of San Francisco, for violation of a provision of the ELCA constitution. In January 1990, the two congregations had called and ordained a gay man and a lesbian couple, graduates of Lutheran seminaries, who were not approved for ordination by the ELCA solely because they refused to pledge lifelong abstinence from sexual relations. We believe gay people are as much a part of the
Body of Christ as anyone else.

Lutheran Lesbian and Gay Ministries, a predecessor of Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries (elm.org), was started by members of St. Francis to respond to the exclusiveness of the ELCA. Since then, the ELCA re-examined their constitution and voted to make key changes in 2010. These changes were more friendly to lesbian, gay, and transgender clergy, allowing them to join the ELCA as clergy. As a result, St. Francis voted to rejoin the Sierra Pacific Synod and was officially restored back into the ELCA on February 27, 2011.

We believe all people are children of God, who is the creator of life. We believe the Christian church is made up of those who have been baptized and believe Jesus Christ is the son of God and savior of the world. The church, regardless of the external form it takes, is the gathering of those who believe in Christ.

adopted March 26, 2023

 St. Francis Lutheran Church is a blessed, inclusive, multigenerational congregation warmly welcoming all with respect and without judgment to share in our hospitality and talents. Come as you are.

 We encourage active participation: Everyone has gifts to share.
We enjoy having fun and finding opportunities to celebrate with each other.

 We partner with other organizations and faith communities to take an active role in the life of our neighborhood,
city, and beyond.

 We work for justice and liberation, transforming our world by leveraging our imagination, courage, and
resilience.

 We balance our unique, proud historical past with God’s plan for our congregation to evolve and to make an
impact in the future.
We proclaim God’s gifts of love and grace.

 We celebrate God’s presence in our lives through the sharing of communion.

 We offer healing and enrichment to bring about a world of forgiveness, wholeness, and peace for all.

We are happy to share with you the gift that we, ourselves, have received from those who founded this congregation, and from those who, with vision and courage, have renewed it and are renewing it still.

1899 The First Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Congregation is organized and purchases a lot on Rincón Hill in San Francisco.

1903 Ansgar Danish Lutheran Congregation is organized and selects a site on Church Street in San Francisco for its new church. The Ansgar Danish church was essentially completed just after San Francisco’s 1906 earthquake and fire. This is the building in which we worship today. Look around, and you can see beautiful artwork dating back to the very beginning of this congregation.

1906 The First Finnish church is dedicated in early April, but that congregation worships in their new building only once or twice before the April 19, 1906, earthquake

and subsequent fire destroys it.

1906–1936 First Finnish builds a new church and parsonage with the name Gethsemane at 50 Belcher Street, directly behind Ansgar Danish.

1964 Gethsemane and Ansgar merge and become St. Francis. The pastor encourages St. Francis to minister to its diverse community. A childcare center opens at the Belcher Street property. Outreach to Latino and Black families and to the growing Castro community begins.

1980s The AIDS crisis: At the height of the AIDS crisis, funerals are held several times a week for both members and non-members of St. Francis.

1990 St. Francis becomes the first Lutheran church in America to ordain and call openly gay clergy: St. Francis calls the Rev. Ruth Frost and the Rev. Phyllis Zillhart as its

pastors, breaking an ELCA rule that forbade congregations from calling gay or

lesbian pastors unless they had taken a vow of celibacy. The congregation is put on

trial, along with First United Lutheran Church of San Francisco, which had called a

gay seminary graduate, the Rev. Jeff Johnson, as its pastor. The ELCA Synod

(Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) holds a trial and finds both churches in

violation of the rule.

Dec. 31, 1995 St. Francis and First United are removed from the ELCA roster. St. Francis starts Lutheran Lesbian and Gay Ministries (LLGM), and with growing leadership nationwide, several groups begin advocating for the full inclusion of sexual minorities in the ELCA.

2009–2010 The ELCA votes for full inclusion of sexual minorities, and in 2010, the Sierra Pacific Synod invites St. Francis to return. St. Francis accepts in July 2010.

Feb. 27, 2011 St. Francis celebrates its reconciliation with the ELCA.

Dec. 10, 2016 St. Francis celebrates its 110th anniversary in the Castro neighborhood.

The Reverend Beate J. Chun began her ministry at St. Francis in January 2014. Originally from Germany, she has lived across North America while serving congregations in Texas, Wyoming, and the South Bay.

In her ministry, Pastor Bea is passionate about preaching from the Bible for a 21st century context and creating a community of belonging for all people. She believes the church has a vital role in advocating for equality, compassion, and inclusion. Pastor Bea encourages dialogue, education, and action on issues such as racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights, and economic equality. Through her leadership, the church strives to create a welcoming and affirming space for all, emphasizing love, justice, and community engagement. As a certified Spiritual Director, Pastor Bea believes spirituality cultivates the depth of imagination, courage, and resilience needed to create a more kind, just, and sustainable world.