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Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS)

St. Paul / San Pablo Lutheran Church (WELS, Green Bay)

533 S. Webster Ave., Green Bay, WI 54301
WELS confessional Lutheran — Bilingual English/Spanish congregation
Quick Facts
Pastor — the shepherd God holds accountable Pastor Zabell
Founded Historic Green Bay WELS congregation with bilingual Spanish ministry
Denomination WELS
Service Times Bilingual English/Spanish services; YouTube online streaming
Men's Ministry Yes
Kids Ministry Yes
Pastor Credentials Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary-trained WELS pastor; bilingual English/Spanish ministry.
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 Zabell (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 (Green Bay Conference).
Strong
Preaching Style
Expository or topical/therapeutic?
Lutheran lectionary expository in English and Spanish; law/gospel.
Strong
Mission Clarity
Great Commission central?
Distinctive bilingual Hispanic outreach in Green Bay.
Strong
Cultural Alignment
DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?
Yellow — bilingual Spanish-language ministry; verify in person on cultural posture.
Caution
Accountability Structure
Denominational home, elder plurality, or external network — is the pastor answerable to anyone?
WELS — full denominational accountability.
Strong
Assessment
St. Paul / San Pablo Lutheran in downtown Green Bay distinguishes itself with bilingual English/Spanish ministry — a relatively rare WELS Hispanic-outreach footprint. Pastor Zabell serves. Affiliated school. Standard WELS confessional posture — Book of Concord subscription, male-only pastoral ministry.
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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. [1] Live source stpaulgreenbay.com
  2. [2] Live source yearbook.wels.net/unitsearch
  3. [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
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