About Saxe Gotha
Building a church God uses to restore people,
by leading people in a flourishing relationship with Jesus Christ.
Saxe Gotha Today
Saxe Gotha Presbyterian Church is home to more than 1,100 covenant partners who love to worship God, study His Word, fellowship with one another, and serve the community through our various ministries. We are currently led by Rev. Joel Brantner, who has served as our Senior Pastor since August 2023. Located in the heart of Lexington, South Carolina, we believe Saxe Gotha Presbyterian Church is part of Jesus’ church, united with all whom He has called to Himself. The church is not a building; it is a people saved by Jesus Christ and joined together as His Body, with Jesus as our Head. Because we belong to Jesus, we share His mission. Jesus said, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). Therefore, Saxe Gotha Presbyterian Church exists not simply to maintain what we have, but to join Jesus in seeing lives in Lexington and beyond restored, renewed, and transformed by His grace.
460+ average weekly attendance
75+ ministries
40+ Sunday School classes
Our Mission and Vision
Saxe Gotha Presbyterian Church through the grace of Jesus Christ, is building a church God uses to restore people by leading them in a flourishing relationship with Jesus Christ. We are endeavoring to accomplish this by creating environments that anticipate different levels of faith growth. Beginning with pre-Christians, each environment is constructed to facilitate a map of discipleship, resulting in continual faith growth that leads each person to a flourishing relationship with Jesus Christ.
The Purpose of Each Environment
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Find and Connect
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Gather and Engage
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Foundations of the Christian Faith
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Teach and Sharpen
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Driciple and Train
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Mobile through missions, church planting, or leadership
What We Believe
As ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians, we believe the Gospel changes everything. Our faith is rooted in the authority of Scripture, centered on Jesus Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and lived out together as God’s people in the world.
The Bible
We believe the Bible is the infallible Word of God. Scripture is the final authority for what we believe and how we live. Through the Bible, God reveals who He is, what He has done through Jesus Christ, and how He calls His people to live.
God
We believe there is one true God who exists eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God created all things, rules over all things, and is perfectly holy, loving, just, and faithful.
God made humanity in His image to know Him, love Him, and glorify Him forever.
Jesus Christ
We believe Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God who became fully human without ceasing to be fully God. Jesus lived a sinless life, died on the cross for our sins, rose bodily from the grave, ascended into heaven, and will come again to make all things new. Through Jesus alone, people are forgiven, reconciled to God, and given eternal life.
Salvation
We believe salvation is by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. No one earns salvation. It is a gift from God. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, people are brought to repentance, faith, and new life in Christ. Followers of Jesus are adopted into God’s family and called to grow in holiness, obedience, and love.
The Church
We believe the Church is the body of Christ. The Church is a community of believers called to worship God, grow in faith, care for one another, and share the Gospel with the world.
The Church exists not for itself alone, but to participate in God’s mission of restoring people and communities through Jesus Christ.
The Holy Spirit
We believe the Holy Spirit lives in every Christian, giving spiritual life, comfort, conviction, guidance, and power for faithful living. The Spirit equips the Church with gifts for worship, ministry, discipleship, and mission.
Our History
Saxe Gotha Presbyterian Church has a long history of faithful service in Lexington. Fun fact: Saxe Gotha was the original name of the town of Lexington! The church held its first worship service on February 14, 1982, with 14 people present, and became an organized church later that year. As the congregation grew, Saxe Gotha moved to its current location on Sunset Boulevard in 1984, completed the Sanctuary in 1991, added the Total Life Center in 1995, and opened the Light House in 2004.
Over the years, these spaces have supported worship, Sunday School, Bible studies, youth ministry, fellowship, and community outreach. In 2014, Saxe Gotha joined ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians, continuing its commitment to Scripture, discipleship, and the mission of Christ. Today, Saxe Gotha remains rooted in Lexington and committed to serving the Greater Columbia area with the hope of the Gospel.