About Ascension

A brick church with a brown roof, surrounded by green grass, trees, and a clear blue sky.

  • The Bible is the inspired and trustworthy Word of God.

  • There is one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

  • Every person is sinful and needs God’s forgiveness.

  • Jesus Christ is true God and true man and the only Savior from sin.

  • Jesus died for all people and rose bodily from the dead.

  • Forgiveness and eternal life are gifts of God’s grace, received through faith in Jesus.

  • The Holy Spirit creates and strengthens faith through God’s Word and the sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion.

  • Jesus will return, raise the dead, and give eternal life to all who trust in him.

For a fuller explanation of our beliefs, please visit the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod’s website, or contact us.

What We Believe

In the spring of 1974, a spark was struck which began the idea of a new Lutheran church in Mitchell.  Pastor Robert Beckmann wrote a letter to the Home Mission Board of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, and asked that a study be made of the Mitchell area.  After some consideration, Pastor John Engel was authorized to make that study of the Mitchell area and he began to explore the mission possibilities.  An initial group of just fifteen people began to gather for worship on Sundays in the Milliken Funeral Home courtesy room. After accepting a call to another congregation in Canada, Pastor Beckmann was succeeded by Pastor Larry Nast, who continued the mission study.  Once the study was finished and information about the mission prospects in Mitchell was recieved by the General Board for Home Missions of the Synod, the little group of believers was granted "mission status" and formed a new congregation.

During meetings that followed, the name 'Ascension Evangelical Lutheran Church' was chosen by the members of the new congregation.  Their stated purpose was to to spread the Gospel good news of Jesus Christ as Savior of all nations as a part of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod.  The first resident pastor to be called to Ascension was Rev. Robert Gurgel.  He was officially installed as the pastor of the new congregation on July 20, 1975.

The new congregation of Ascension determined that it was now time to build.   On a three-acre site located at the corner of W. 23rd Avenue and N. Wisconsin Street, on the north side of Mitchell, a new church building was constructed, along with a parsonage for the pastor, located adjacent to the church building. Future plans included an eventual Lutheran elementary school on the same site.

The last worship service in the Milliken building was held on February 8, 1978 and on June 25 of that year, the new church building on W. 23rd Avenue in Mitchell, SD. was dedicated.

Those Who Have Served at Ascension:
Pastor John Engel - 1974
Pastor Larry Nast - 1974-1975
Pastor Robert Gurgel - 1975-1980
Pastor Daniel Hrobsky - 1980
Pastor Reginald Pope - 1981-1997
Pastor Martin Luchterhand - 1997
Pastor Timothy Johnson - 1997-2002
Pastor David Reichel - 2002 - 2025

Ascension is currently in the process of calling a new pastor following the retirement of Pastor David Reichel.

During our pastoral vacancy, Pastor Jonathan Werre of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls is serving Ascension’s congregation and leading Sunday worship.

We are grateful for his service and for God’s continued care for our congregation during this time.

Our History