Welcome to Christ the King Evangelical Lutheran Church

CHRIST – a name meaning the Anointed, the one chosen to be our Savior

THE – as opposed to the generic “a”, this word distinguishes one from all others

KING – Jesus won the victory over guilt, death and the devil so that He might rule in us

EVANGELICAL – proclaiming the Gospel, the good news

LUTHERAN – standing beside Martin Luther in his belief of “salvation by grace alone”

CHURCH – a gathering of like minded people

In July of 1990, the South Atlantic District Mission Board gave approval to begin calling a missionary/pastor to lead the work of establishing a congregation in Charlotte County, FL.  Ten different pastors were called to move here to help establish our church. However, each of them was led to decline our call. Finally, on the eleventh call, Pastor LeRoy Martin of Menomonie, WI, was led by the Holy Spirit to accept our call.  Christ the King's first public worship service was held on December 15, 1991 in the cafeteria of Neil Armstrong Elementary School.  On February 17, 1994, Christ the King was granted mission status.  In February, 1996, ground breaking took place and on Sunday, July 7, 1996 the cornerstone was put into place.  Dedication Sunday was November 10, 1996 (Luther's birthdate). 

Christ the King Lutheran Church takes its inspiration from Ezekiel 34:16  "I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed..."

We confess Jesus Christ as the only Savior from sin and the only hope for eternal life.  We share the message that salvation is the gift of God- "By Grace Alone, By Faith Alone, and By Scripture Alone".  We believe that all of the Bible is the true Word and inspired by the Holy Spirit.

The Bible teaches that Holy Communion is a holy act instituted by Christ. Together with bread and wine we receive Jesus’ true body and blood. In this special meal Jesus gives the forgiveness of sins, strengthens our faith, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe. Only people who repent of their sins and have a proper understanding  in the Christian faith should be admitted to this sacrament.

Matthew 26:26-28; 1 Corinthians 10:16; 1 Corinthians 11:27,28; 1 Corinthians 10:17

 Pastor Rutschow attended a Lutheran grade school in Palos Heights, IL for a couple years until his home congregation opened its own school. He graduated in 1984, and went on to attend Northwestern Preparatory School (now called Luther Preparatory School) in Watertown, WI. He graduated in 1988 and continued his education at Northwestern College in Watertown. He graduated in 1992 and moved on to Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. 

     After two years at the Seminary, he was assigned to be serve a vicar year at two congregations in southern California. He then accepted a one-year emergency call to teach Religion at Arizona Lutheran Academy in Phoenix. He returned for his final year at the Seminary, graduating in 1997.  

     Pastor and Johannah have been blessed with three children. David is a senior in the pastor track at Martin Luther College in New Ulm, MN. Elizabeth is a sophomore majoring in Nursing at Wisconsin Lutheran College in Milwaukee, WI. Mark is a freshman majoring in Engineering at the University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ.

     Pastor particularly enjoys teaching Bible classes and interacting with his members, as well as writing and preaching sermons.  On his off time, he enjoys sports, biking,  and travel.
     Pastor Rutschow was installed as Pastor of  Christ the King Lutheran Church on February 4, 2024.