about us
Serving the Baton Rouge community for over 60 years.
For more than 60 years, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana has lived out Christ’s call to love and serve Him and our fellow human beings.
The church has also maintained the Anglican tradition of our founding. We are an Episcopal community of believers united by generations of families committed to passing on their faith, through ministries that reach out to our members and our community at large, and through the abiding guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Church History
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Baton Rouge was founded in 1956 by a handful of worshippers who first met in a private home, then at Goodwood Elementary School, and next in temporary buildings erected by parishioners. With the gift of seven acres of land from Mrs. Eleanor Witter, the owner of the former Goodwood Plantation, St. Luke’s members realized their dream of a permanent church home at what is now 8833 Goodwood Boulevard. The first permanent building was completed in July 1964. Temporary buildings were moved and refurbished on the Goodwood location. Three of those original buildings were in use up until 2022, when new church office and lower school office buildings were constructed and then dedicated in February 2023.
St. Luke’s Episcopal School was founded in 1957 and has become the largest ministry of our church, expanding over time to offer grades Pre-K through 8. Through support from school families and church members, the school campus now includes classroom space in the Schwing Building and the Noland Building, as well as the Bishop Charles E. Jenkins Activity Center.
Rectors and priests who have led St. Luke’s parish through the years include the late Rev. Robert B. Hall, first rector of St. Luke’s; the late Rt. Rev. Clarence C. Pope, Jr., who went on to become Bishop of Fort Worth, and then returned to Baton Rouge in retirement; the late Rt. Rev. Charles E. Jenkins who served as rector of St. Luke’s from 1985 until his consecration as Bishop of the Diocese of Louisiana in 1997; the late Rev. Eric B. Williams; and the Rev. Canon R. Brien Koehler who was followed by interim rector the Rev. Canon David L. Seger. The Rev. Dr. Bryan Owen is our current rector.
In the early morning hours of February 17, 2024, the original St. Luke’s Church building, Pope Hall, and the Church Library were destroyed by a fire. After months of planning, preparation, and careful design work for new buildings, a groundbreaking ceremony was held on November 2, 2025, marking the beginning of the rebuilding of St. Luke’s Church and Pope Hall.
Starting with just eighty confirmed Episcopalians who said “yes” to God’s call to establish St. Luke’s in 1956, today’s congregation now includes more than 1,500 baptized members. St. Luke’s remains a vibrant faith community committed to caring for one another, spiritual growth, and bringing others closer to God through Jesus Christ.
We invite you to come and see what God is doing at St. Luke’s!