Welcome to the Lutheran Campus Ministry at Princeton University!
In a place centered on the important task of learning, our programs provide opportunities to continue exploration and education of the Christian faith and Lutheran tradition. Our community gathers monthly for dinner and lively table talks at Murray-Dodge Hall on the Princeton University Campus.
A part-time chaplaincy, Lutheran Campus Ministry cooperates with other Christian campus ministries and local Lutheran congregations to:
a) proclaim the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ,
b) help students, faculty and staff grow up into salvation (1 Peter 2:2) through fellowship, worship, service, social action, and academic events, and
c) learn together what being a Christian means for how and why we live.
Local churches engaged with Princeton University include the Lutheran Church of the Messiah, located in Princeton, and Prince of Peace Lutheran, located in Princeton Junction. Both churches are eager to welcome visitors.
You will find more information on my background, monthly Table Talks, and Churches in Partnership below. I can also be reached at lcmprinceton@gmail.com.
I hope you’ll join us – we look forward to hearing from you!
Rev. Martin K. Erhardt
Lutheran Chaplain, Princeton University; Pastor, Lutheran Church of the Messiah
Meet the Chaplain
Meet the Chaplain: Martin K. Erhardt
Welcome to Lutheran Campus Ministry! I look forward to meeting you! I came to Princeton as a student myself in 2007 and was appointed Lutheran chaplain at the university in 2011. I also serve as the pastor of the Lutheran Church of the Messiah on Nassau St., Princeton. In my spare moments, I enjoy hiking, driving oxen, singing and stomping to baroque music, and reading books by P. G. Wodehouse, James Herriot, Chaim Potok, Shusaku Endo, and Patrick O’Brian, among others. I am an avid fan of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, Gilbert & Sullivan operettas, and the King James Bible – especially its accounts of Paul’s encounters with the burghers of Thessalonica, Berea, and Athens in Act 17. A former chemistry professor, I’m a graduate of Princeton Seminary (M. Div.), the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Ph.D. in chemistry), and Valparaiso University (B.S.in chemistry and economics), and serve as the Lutheran chaplain at Princeton University.
Rev. Martin K. Erhardt
Lutheran Chaplain, Princeton University & Pastor, Messiah Lutheran Church
Worship - Churches in Partnership
Lutheran Church of the Messiah
407 Nassau Street
Princeton, NJ 08540-4647
609-924-3642
Sunday worship service at 10:30 a.m. during the academic year. During the academic year, Messiah provides rides from the old U–Store building at 36 University Place at 10:15 a.m. Sunday mornings. If you need a ride when Princeton University is not in session, call or email Messiah by the Thursday of the previous week to arrange one. If walking, biking or driving, go east on Nassau St. The church is located a few blocks past Harrison Street at the corner of Nassau and Cedar Lane, one mile from Palmer Square. Visit the church website from more detailed information on summer worship schedule, directions and maps, calendar of events, or to contact us directly.
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church
177 Princeton-Hightstown Road
Princeton Junction, NJ 08550
609-799-1753
Sunday worship service at 9:30 a.m. For transportation to Prince of Peace Church on Sunday mornings, please arrange for a ride by calling the Church Office at 609-799-1753. For directions to Prince of Peace Church, visit the church website and follow the tab under “contact.” The church is 4.5 miles from Witherspoon Street, via Washington Street which leads into the Princeton-Hightstown Rd. Click HERE for a contact person at Prince of Peace.
Thursday Evening Table Talks (dinner discussions):
Fall 2024: Sept. 5, Oct. 10, Nov. 7, Dec. 5
Spring 2025: Feb. 6, Feb. 27, Mar. 27, April 24
Discussions are 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. in 210 Murray-Dodge Hall at Princeton University. After 4pm, parking is available in the university lots on William St. All are welcome! Please join us and invite friends.
Past Table Talks
2022-2023
Sept. 8, 2022: The King James Bible in America
Oct. 13: The LCMS and Other Churches: Comparing Theology and Practice (Part 1)
Nov. 17: The LCMS and Other Churches: Comparing Theology and Practice (Part 2)
Dec. 15: The LCMS and Other Churches: Comparing Theology and Practice (Part 3)
Feb. 2, 2023: Practical Suggestions for Putting Up with People
Mar. 2: When God Seems Absent
Mar. 30: Want to Grow As A Christian? Go Back to the Start
May 4: When Life Feels Repetitive
2021-2022
Sept. 2, 2021: Is America Losing Religion?
Oct. 6: Facing Our Heroes’ Flaws
Nov. 4: Jesus’ Descent into Hell in the Apostles’ Creed
Dec. 2: Temptations of Respectability
Jan. 13, 2022: Western Civ. without Christianity?
Feb. 3: Justification and the Forgiveness of Sins: How Do They Happen?
Mar. 1: A Mardi Gras Look at Lent
Apr. 7: The LCMS Turns 175
May 5: Faith on Trial in Finland
2019-2020
March 5. 2020: What do we mean by ‘grace’?
February 6, 2020: Loving Our Neighbors: Navigating Gender Identities and Language
January 9, 2020: The Restlessness of the Saints
December 5, 2019: Secular Religion
November 7, 2019: Why Are Some Churches Trading Pews for Dinner Tables? (Pastor Erhardt)
October 10, 2019: Diversity and Its Discontents: Hungary’s Attempt to Preserve Christian Culture (Pastor Erhardt)
September 12, 2019: The Bible and Human Rights (Pastor Erhardt)
2018-2019
May 2, 2019: Seeking Fulfillment (Pastor Erhardt)
April 4, 2019: How Unified Should the Church Be? (Justin Hylden)
March 7, 2019: Overcoming Negativity (Pastor Erhardt)
February 7, 2019: All I Really Need to Know I Learned from Evangelicalism (Justin Hylden)
January 10, 2019: Humility as Withdrawal and Engagement (Pastor Erhardt)
December 6, 2018: A Baptism Story — An Interview with Hadley Arkes
November 8, 2018: Sin: The Dirty Word We Still Need (Justin Hylden)
October 4, 2018: Suffering in the Shadow of the Cross (Justin Hylden)
September 13, 2018: The Catholics We Are (Pastor Erhardt)