The Way Church — Church Directory

Quick Facts

Pastor — the shepherd God holds accountable Matt Rothe (Lead Pastor)

Founded 2017 (launched September 10; plant team formed 2016)

Denomination Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS)

Service Times Sundays at 10:00 AM at Highmark Brewery

Men's Ministry No

Kids Ministry Yes

Website www.thewaychurchva.com

Pastor Credentials Church planter from Trinity Lutheran Woodbridge

10-Point Theological Scorecard

Christology

Is Jesus the only way? (John 14:6)

WELS — confessional Lutheran, Trinitarian orthodoxy.

Strong

Scripture

Inerrancy affirmed? Final authority?

WELS holds to biblical inerrancy and the Lutheran Confessions.

Strong

Men's Discipleship

Intentional formation for men?

Verify — no men's ministry confirmed.

Caution

Soteriology

Faith alone? How is salvation presented?

Lutheran — justification by grace through faith alone (sola fide).

Strong

Gender / Biblical Design

Biblical manhood and womanhood by God's design — patriarchal, complementarian, egalitarian, or affirming gender ideology?

WELS ordains only men. Conservative on gender. Verify local practice.

WELS ordains only men — conservative confessional Lutheran

Caution

Leadership Structure

Male elders/pastors? Accountability?

Pastor Matt Rothe leads. WELS provides denominational oversight.

Caution

Preaching Style

Expository or topical/therapeutic?

Verify — WELS pastors trained at Martin Luther College and Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary.

Caution

Mission Clarity

Great Commission central?

Church plant — 16 families planted into underserved Fredericksburg market. Missional DNA.

Strong

Cultural Alignment

DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?

Brewery-venue church plant — verify no progressive drift; site language is generic non-denominational-evangelical rather than confessional Lutheran.

Caution

Accountability Structure

Denominational home, elder plurality, or external network — is the pastor answerable to anyone?

Re-fetched homepage describes 'Bible-centered' relationship-based ministry with no explicit WELS, Lutheran Confessions, or Book of Concord references. Pastor Matt Rothe not named on landing page. WELS claim asserted in directory but not corroborated on-site — yellow held.

Strong

Assessment

The Way Church is a WELS (Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod) church plant in Fredericksburg, meeting at Highmark Brewery on Sundays at 10 AM. Led by Pastor Matt Rothe, planted in 2017 by 16 families from Trinity Lutheran in Woodbridge. WELS is one of the most conservative Lutheran bodies in America — male-only ordination, closed communion, confessional Lutheranism. The brewery venue is creative and culturally engaged without compromising doctrine. Active Facebook and Instagram presence.

#lutheran#wels#church-plant#fredericksburg#confessional#verified-2026

MOOP Engagement Tracker

How this church was personally verified by the MOOP directory team:

✓ Researched church website

Sources & Evidence

Enrichment Notes

Site uses 'Bible-centered messages' and 'relationship-based ministries' language; does NOT explicitly name WELS, LCMS, or any Lutheran synod on inspected pages. Prior record asserts planted from 'Trinity Lutheran Woodbridge' (which would be WELS if Trinity-Woodbridge is WELS). Meets at Highmark Brewery — unusual venue. Keep yellow; verify WELS affiliation via WELS congregation locator (wels.net/find-a-church).

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 thewaychurchva.com
[2] Live source thewaychurchva.com/about

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.