Community & Business
7 November, 2025
Last Maclagan church celebrates 90th birthday
St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church at Maclagan celebrated its 90th anniversary at a special service on Sunday.
Since 2014, when the Presbyterian Church closed, the congregation has been the only church in the Maclagan-Quinalow district.
The church was packed to its capacity of 100 as past members and friends of the congregation travelled from surrounding districts.
Former minister Matt Thomas, now serving at Mount Gravatt in Brisbane, also travelled back to Maclagan with his family.
The All Saints service was led by the parish’s new minister Sean Hotinski, who arrived earlier this year.
Pastor Sean preached on the story of Zacchaeus, the short man who climbed a tree to hear Jesus speak.
Maclagan has been a host to many young graduating ministers over the years and many of these former ministers passed on hearty greetings with Bible verses to their former congregation, read out by church secretary Margaret Kucks.
Following the service, and the reading of greetings from those not in attendance, one of the church’s older members, Royce Jensen, gave a talk on the history of the congregation, which, as he explained, has a history longer than 90 years.
“The first services began in the late 19th Century when German settlers, who were predominantly Lutheran, worshipped in their homes,” he said.
Mr Jensen said the first organised Lutheran congregation formed in 1906, when the Christian communities of Maclagan decided to build a non-denominational ‘Union’ Church to hold services in.
A local settler, Mr Hermann donated the land.
At 5pm on Saturday November 3rd 1906, the Grace congregation of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Australia was formed.
In 1908, a separate Lutheran congregation formed in Maclagan, and worshipped in what is today the C&K Windermere Kindergarten building.
At that time, there were two Lutheran, and Presbyterian, Anglican and Methodist churches in town.
In 1935, the Grace church congregation resolved to build its own church.
Mr E. Wieck donated his land, which was located next door to the Anglican church.
The congregation folded into this new Maclagan congregation, and changed its name to St. Matthew’s.
The first Minister for the new church was Pastor Rogge, who served the church until 1946.
Between 1961 and 1965, the church was shifted into town next to the Methodist (later Uniting) Church.
Mr and Mrs W. Peters donated a Sunday School building and reed organ.
In 1966, the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Australia merged with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Australia, and a new Maclagan parish was created, including churches at Peranga and Kulpi.
In 1991, with country areas declining in population, the Peranga church closed and the building was relocated to Oakey, where it is now used by Trinity Lutheran Church.
Maclagan met with the church of the same name at Goombungee and the decision was made to combine into a new parish, also including Kulpi.
Since that time, Maclagan’s pastor has been based at Goombungee.
Some of the names of Pastors who have served at Maclagan over the years include Lohe, Wandel, Helbig, Schilling, Schultz, Rathjen, Thiele, Demmer, Pukallus and McKenzie.
With all other churches in the district now closed down, St. Matthew’s has become the local hub for Christian worship at Maclagan.
