
Quick Facts
Founded
Peshtigo River Conference WELS congregation
Denomination
WELS
Service Times
Weekly worship per congregation schedule; free tutoring program for community youth
Men's Ministry
Yes
Kids Ministry
Yes
Pastor Credentials
Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary-trained WELS pastor; revpaulcole@gmail.com.

10-Point Theological Scorecard
Christology
Is Jesus the only way? (John 14:6)
WELS confessional — Book of Concord and This We Believe; Trinitarian.
Strong
Scripture
Inerrancy affirmed? Final authority?
WELS This We Believe affirms verbally inspired, inerrant Scripture.
Strong
Men's Discipleship
Intentional formation for men?
Verify in person.
Caution
Soteriology
Faith alone? How is salvation presented?
Lutheran sola gratia / sola fide; Augsburg Confession.
Strong
Gender / Biblical Design
Biblical manhood and womanhood by God's design — patriarchal, complementarian, egalitarian, or affirming gender ideology?
WELS male-only pastoral ministry; Pastor Paul Cole (male) serves.

WELS confessional Lutheran — male-only pastoral ministry per Holy Scripture (1 Tim 2:11-12) and the Lutheran Confessions (BoC). Women may serve as deaconesses but not as pastors.
Strong
Leadership Structure
Male elders/pastors? Accountability?
WELS congregational polity; Northern Wisconsin District (Northwoods Peshtigo River).
Strong
Preaching Style
Expository or topical/therapeutic?
Lutheran lectionary expository; law/gospel.
Strong
Mission Clarity
Great Commission central?
Free tutoring program for community youth; local Menominee congregational mission.
Strong
Cultural Alignment
DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?
Yellow — verify in person.
Caution
Accountability Structure
Denominational home, elder plurality, or external network — is the pastor answerable to anyone?
WELS — full denominational accountability.
Strong

Assessment
Christ Evangelical Lutheran Menominee is a WELS congregation in Michigan's Upper Peninsula on the Wisconsin border. Pastor Paul Cole serves. Distinctive ministry feature: free tutoring program for community youth. Standard WELS confessional posture — Book of Concord subscription, male-only pastoral ministry.
#wels#lutheran#confessional#mi#menominee#upper-peninsula#peshtigo-river-conference#northern-wisconsin-district#youth-tutoring

MOOP Engagement Tracker
How this church was personally verified by the MOOP directory team:
✓
Researched church website

Sources & Evidence
These are the URLs consulted to arrive at this church's scoring. Score-note claims are synthesized from homepage content, denominational directories, and public statements of faith at the time of review. Church websites change frequently; we're progressively adding Internet Archive snapshots to prevent link rot.
-
[1] Live source
christmenominee.com
-
[2] Live source
yearbook.wels.net/unitsearch
-
[3] Live source
nwd-wels.org/district-ministries.html
Transparency note: MOOP ratings are researcher judgments about publicly available theological and ecclesial evidence. They are not infallible. If a church's public posture has changed since our review, or if we've mis-read evidence, tell us — we publish corrections.

Last reviewed:
2026-05-16
— Annual review recommended