Guam Summary Page

The LCMS began financially supporting the ministry of the Lutheran Church of Guam, an independent Lutheran congregation located in Anigua, Guam, in 1978. The congregation itself developed out of a Lutheran Servicemen's Center, established by German missionary Edmund Kalau in the late 1950s. Kalau served in the Palau Islands 800 miles southwest of Guam. When the center closed in 1969, the Lutheran Church of Guam was formed. The Lutheran Church of Guam is a congregation that affiliates itself with the LCMS and the Lutheran Congregations for Christ. In general, this congregation ministers to the expatriate community in the area. Some nationals also attend and participate in ministry, but for the most part, it provides worship and fellowship opportunities for the large North American expatriate community that would otherwise not have access to worship in their native tongue—English. Of the families that belong to the congregation, roughly 20 percent are military households that move frequently.

As the Asian economic crisis changes the island's economy and its military population shrinks due to downsizing, the church’s role increasingly is to reach out to other cultures, including the Chamorro (the indigenous people of Guam and the Mariana islands), Filipino, Korean, Chinese and Japanese communities on Guam.

Learn more about the Lutheran Church of Guam at www.lutheranchurchofguam.org.

LCMS World Mission supports the ministry of several “international” or “expatriate” congregations around the world, including ministry at the Lutheran Church of Guam. These congregations generally minister in English to the expatriate community in the area. Some nationals also attend and participate in ministry, but for the most part, these congregations exist where there is a large North American expatriate community that would otherwise not have access to worship in their native tongue—English.

Many of these congregations need support, due to the nature of the membership which is often in flux, because expatriates are likely those who have accepted a short-term overseas work assignment and are not likely to stay in the community or church fellowship permanently. Consequently, as the membership experiences great turnover, financial support is not always stable.

These congregation members are also well poised to do mission outreach and to witness the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ among nationals and other expatriates in the foreign country where they reside. Both are important, as there may not be another missionary presence, and expatriates—who are separated by great distances from their families, language and culture—are often experiencing great spiritual need, as well as the need for fellowship in their own language.

The LCMS is not currently financially supporting any mission projects in this country. To view other countries where the LCMS supports ministry or has relationships, visit www.lcms.org/international.

Phone: (852) 2375 8987
Fax: (852) 2375 9177

 Lutheran Church of Guam
787 W. Marine Drive
Anigua, GUAM 96910
Website: www.lutheranchurchofguam.org