St. Luke's United Methodist Church (Indianapolis, Indiana)

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In November 9, 1952, a group of approximately fifty persons interested in establishing a new Methodist Church to serve the rapidly growing far north side of Indianapolis met, selected officers and appointed committees.

The first worship service of St. Luke's United Methodist Church was held in the Broad Ripple Legion Hall at 6379 College Avenue on January 11, 1953. The name St. Luke's was chosen at a congregational meeting on March 1, 1953. On the following Sunday, 119 persons became members at a Constituting Conference, and St. Luke's officially became a member of the Indiana Conference. Guest ministers and lay speakers filled the pulpit until June 28, 1953, at which time Reverend William A. Imler, assigned by the Indiana Conference as the pastor, preached his first sermon at St. Luke's.

The site for the new church at 86th and Illinois was approved in the spring of 1953, and the present church site was purchased in January of 1954. The laying of the cornerstone occurred on August 21, 1955, and the new church was consecrated by Bishop Richard Raines on March 4, 1956. The following year the church school wing and parsonage were added.

Reverend Richard Hamilton was welcomed as the new pastor in November of 1959. He served St. Luke's for 7 1/2 years, during which time a new sanctuary was constructed. In June of 1967, E. Carver McGriff became the new senior pastor, and it was he who preached the first sermon in that new sanctuary on September 10, 1967. Under his leadership, St. Luke's gew from a 900 member congregation to one of 4,500 members in 1993. Several building projects were completed during the years Dr. McGriff served St. Luke's, including the library, parlor, transept, new office area, new youth rooms, and the Great Hall. Dr. McGriff retired on June 20, 1993, after serving St. Luke's for 26 years

Dr. Kent Millard was appointed senior pastor effective October 1, 1993, following a comprehensive search of all jurisdictions from coast to coast. He served several churches with distinction in South Dakota and was a District Superintendent in the South Dakota Conference. Dr. Millard earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from McCormick Theological Seminary and an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Dakota Wesleyan University. He studied for one year at Cambridge University in England and has two masters degrees from Boston College.

In October of 1999, the educational wing was expanded, a 200-seat choir room was built, and a new 1,500 seat sanctuary was consecrated, providing space for the dynamic and ever-growing congregation of St. Luke's well into the next century. In March of 2003 St. Luke's will celebrate 50 years of Passionate People Powered by God.