St. David is

a community founded in faith and marked with the cross of Christ forever. We embrace our past with humility, and trust God's plan for our future with hope. We care for each other and reach out to care for the needs of our neighbors.


As a caring community of brothers and sisters in Christ, we are called to:

  • gather and be embraced by God's love, and go to share God's love with others
  • rejoice in our opportunities to serve each other and our neighbors in need by sharing what God has first given us: our selves, our time, and our possessions. signs of God's gracious love
  • join together to be nourished by Word and Sacrament, which empowers us in our joyful call to proclaim God's eternal grace to all people

Sunday Mornings

Come and join us, just as you are, and experience the transformative power of God's love at work at St. David. There's a place for you at the table here!

Mission Statement

Marked with the cross of Christ forever, St. David is a caring community called to love, serve, and proclaim God's eternal grace to all people.

The Moravian star

shining brightly from St. David Lutheran Church is a beacon to worshipers and a symbol of the light of Christ reflected by our congregation.

Our history

In 1844, according to tradition, occasional worship services were held under a brush arbor and in a schoolhouse that stood on the present site of St. David Lutheran Church in West Columbia, SC Travel was very limited in those days, so a desire was born to have a church that members of the community could attend with regularity. At the 22nd meeting of the SC Lutheran Synod, St. David petitioned to become a member. The request was granted on Nov. 10, 1845, and St. David became an organized church of the state synod.


In the same year, a one-room structure was erected on land donated by Daniel David and Nancy Amanda Caroline Sox Roof. The Civil War was a trying time for the congregation, as four of the original charter members gave their lives while in service. After the war, reconstruction was equally trying for the young congregation, both financially and spiritually. A full-time pastor could not be supported by the congregation, so various parish connections were established between churches in the Gilbert and Leesville areas. The church secretary reported in 1880 that St. David “was in a state of gloom, though it is thought a dim light is seen in the future pointing to prosperity and a great revival and outpouring of God’s grace.”


What prophetic words, for in 1892 the church experienced increased membership and plans were made to increase the size of the one-room building. The newly enlarged building was used until 1930. During the Great Depression, St. David was still growing and expanding its ministries. A new brick veneer church building was erected, and in 1949 an educational building was added. At that time, the sanctuary was built for $3,000 with no debt incurred.


In 1955, St. David became self-supporting and called its first full-time pastor. The community continued to grow along with the membership at St. David. On Palm Sunday, April 15, 1962, services were held for the first time in a new edifice with seating capacity for 600, which serves as the sanctuary today. In 1990, a new Family Life Center was dedicated to provide for expanded ministry. In 2000, a connector between the sanctuary and the educational building was built, which added space for classrooms and a choir rehearsal area. In addition, the organ was rebuilt and the narthex expanded.


Many wonderful new things are happening here! Our congregation continues to fulfill our Bishop’s vision for our synod, as we grow “deeper and wider.” Our newly opened prayer room and the formation of our church Prayer Team are some exciting new ways in which we are growing deeper in our prayer lives and spiritual disciplines. Our congregation is not only growing deeper, it is growing wider in our outreach! The clearest example of this is our support of the Hispanic mission congregation, Iglesia Luterana Cristo Rey, that meets at St. David. We give thanks for the many ways in which God’s work is being done here at St. David and we look forward to what God continues to have in store for us!

Our Denomination and affiliations

St. David is a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), part of the South Carolina Synod of churches.

  • The ELCA confesses the Triune God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. In our preaching and teaching the ELCA trusts the Gospel as the power of God for the salvation of all who believe.


    The ELCA’s official Confession of Faith identifies the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments (commonly called the Bible); the Apostles’, Nicene and Athanasian Creeds; and the Lutheran confessional writings in the Book of Concord as the basis for our teaching. ELCA congregations make the same affirmation in their governing documents, and ELCA pastors and deacons promise to carry out their ministry in accordance with these teaching sources. This Confession of Faith is more than just words in an official document. Every Sunday in worship ELCA congregations hear God’s word from the Scriptures, pray as Jesus taught and come to the Lord’s Table expecting to receive the mercies that the Triune God promises. Throughout the week ELCA members continue to live by faith, serving others freely and generously in all that they do because they trust God’s promise in the Gospel. In small groups and at sick beds, in private devotions and in daily work, this faith saturates all of life.


    For more information about the ELCA, click here.

  • We Lutherans in South Carolina are part of a church that shares a living, daring confidence in God’s grace — and there’s room for all here. Your questions, curiosity, passion and complexities are part of who you are, and you are a beloved child of the living God!


    In the South Carolina Synod, we seek to respond to God’s love by loving him and serving the people he has created. There are ministries for – and with – all ages, not only in the state of South Carolina, but in many parts of the globe.


    The South Carolina Synod is one of 65 synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).


    For more information about the South Carolina Synod, click here.