Representing the Stemper family are (from left) Noah, Joe, Jim, John and Jack Stemper. Third-generation owners Joe, Jim and John continue the 115-year-old family business, while Noah and Jack — the sons of John Stemper — represent its fourth generation. (Submitted photo)

For more than a century, churches have turned to T.H. Stemper Company for everything from candles and vestments to sacred vessels and sanctuary furnishings. But ask President Jim Stemper what truly sets the company apart, and he won’t begin by talking about inventory.

Instead, he’ll talk about people.

“Our customers are our greatest teachers,” Stemper said.

That philosophy — listening first, sharing knowledge and building lasting relationships — has guided the family-owned business for more than 115 years. In an era of online ordering and automated customer service, T.H. Stemper Company, located at 1125 E. Potter Ave., Milwaukee, believes its greatest asset isn’t what sits on its shelves but the knowledgeable people who answer the phone, greet customers and genuinely care about helping churches find the right solution.

“When you call Stemper’s, you’ll talk to somebody who knows the industry, knows the products and can provide whatever guidance you need,” Stemper said. “And if I can’t find it — or if I know where you can get it and I don’t offer it — I will refer you to that source.”

That commitment has been passed from one generation of the Stemper family to the next.

The story began in 1911 when Stemper’s grandfather, Thomas H. Stemper, a teacher and church organist with no experience in the church goods industry, purchased the bankrupt European Statuary & Art Co. in Milwaukee. Two years later, he acquired another struggling religious goods business, Milwaukee Church Supply Co., eventually combining the two under the T.H. Stemper Company name. What began as a manufacturer of plaster statuary gradually evolved into a full-service church goods company, adapting to the changing needs of Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Episcopal, Methodist, Baptist and other Christian communities.

Leadership eventually passed to Thomas’s son, Daniel J. Stemper, and his wife, Jean. Together they raised eight children, six of whom would eventually work in the family business. Each brought different strengths — expanding sales territories, developing restoration services, strengthening customer relationships and helping the company navigate decades of change within Christian denominations. Today, Joe, John and Jim Stemper own the company. Jim serves as president, while fourth-generation family members Jack and Noah Stemper, John’s sons, are already helping carry the tradition into the future.

Although T.H. Stemper Company has become a trusted name that many parishes simply assume will always be there, the company’s future was once far from certain.

In 1980, Daniel J. Stemper died unexpectedly at age 52.

Jean Stemper, despite having no business experience, suddenly found herself responsible for leading the company. Each month, a trusted friend in the church goods industry traveled from Chicago to review the books, offer guidance and encourage creditors to remain patient. At the same time, sons Michael, Peter and Joe stepped in to help. Joe began traveling from parish to parish with nothing more than a catalog, laying the foundation for the company’s relationship-based outside sales program that continues today. Peter developed the company’s expertise in restoration and replating, a specialty that has since become one of T.H. Stemper Company’s defining services.

“I am proud of the fact we are still going, and it’s a huge thanks to my brothers and my mother,” Jim said. “We could have lost the business with the death of my father.”

Jim joined the business in 2000, intentionally learning every aspect of the company, beginning in shipping and receiving before moving into sales and developing his own territory throughout the Chicago area.

One of the biggest misconceptions about the business, Jim said, is that T.H. Stemper Company simply sells church supplies. Over the years, the company has added services to meet the emerging needs of churches.

For example, as churches throughout Wisconsin consolidated, many suddenly found themselves with duplicate furnishings and sacred items. The company responded by creating a consignment program that inventories, markets and sells surplus church goods, returning a portion of the proceeds to the originating parish. What began as a local solution has since grown into a service that, thanks to the internet, is now used by churches across the country and around the world.

“We’ve had people tell us, ‘I didn’t know you did that,’” Jim said.

The company has also become known for restoring sacred vessels. As the cost of precious metals continues to rise, Jim often encourages parishes to search their own sacristies before purchasing new chalices or ciboria. Many older sterling silver pieces can be professionally refinished for far less than the cost of replacing them.

“Some of the finest pieces are already sitting in parish closets,” he said.

Today, Stemper’s employs approximately 15 people between its Milwaukee headquarters and its Main Street store in La Crosse, where Noelke Church Goods — long a trusted resource for Catholic parishes and families throughout the Midwest — became part of the T.H. Stemper Company family in 2019.

“We work very hard,” Jim said, “but it’s the only way we’re going to survive; by sharing our knowledge, treating people honestly and valuing the relationships we’ve built over generations.”

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