Our Belief

Everyone Is Welcome

Good Shepherd  Lutheran Church welcomes ALL people to participate fully in the life and ministry of the congregation. God knows each one of us (Psalm 139) and declares that we are hand crafted in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God has prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10). God loves each of us and demonstrated that love through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 John 4:9-10). No matter where you are or what season of life you are in, you are welcome and we invite you to join us in the journey to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and to love your neighbors as you love yourself.

God Loves Everyone

We believe that God is love and has created all things in love and for love. God exists in loving community as Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer, and draws us into relationship with God, one another and the world. God is working to restore, reconcile and redeem all things. We believe that God is vibrantly active in the world revealing goodness, beauty and joy. God calls us and all people to partner with God in this life-giving mission. (For further study: Genesis 1 & 2; Genesis 12:1-3; John 1:1-5; 2 Corinthians 5:16-20; 1 John 4:7-21)

We Are Broken People

We believe that sin is essentially our inability to love God, neighbor and all of creation with perfect selflessness. We believe that we are in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves. Rather than authentically living in love, trust and dependence upon God we act out of self-interest and self-preservation. Our sin breaks God’s heart because it falls short of God’s perfect love. (For further study: Genesis 3:7-10; Psalm 1; 1 John 1:8-10; Romans 3:9-11)

Jesus Heals Our Brokenness

We believe that Jesus is God’s Son and the One through whom salvation has come for all people and all creation. God is fully revealed in Jesus. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection God has proclaimed love and forgiveness for all of creation, inaugurating the Kingdom of God on earth. By grace through faith the cross and empty tomb sets us free from sin and death and empowers us for Kingdom living. It is our encounter with the story of God’s work in Jesus that draws us into this freedom and empowers us for Kingdom living. The resurrection is God’s “yes” and final word, proclaiming that life and love win over sin and death for all creation. (For further study: Isaiah 43, Isaiah 53; Romans 10:5-17; Acts 4:8-12; John 1:1-5; Romans 8; Philippians 2:1-13)

The Holy Spirit Sustains Us

We believe that the Holy Spirit is the active presence of God in all of creation. The Spirit calls us to life through the Gospel, comforts us in hardship, shapes and empowers us for service, points us to Truth and sends us into God’s world to be about God’s mission and ministry. (For further study: Ezekiel 37:1-14; Acts 2; Mark 13:9-11; John 16:12-15; John 1:1-5; John 20:21-23; Galatians 5:16-26)

The Bible Shares God’s Living Story

We believe that the Bible is the inspired witness of God’s people throughout history. We believe that the Bible is true primarily in the sense that it truly points to Jesus, the Truth, who is the Word of God incarnate. While God speaks to us through the written word, Jesus is the Living Word. We read the bible through the lens of Gospel, God’s Good News for all people. (For further study: Joshua 1:8-9; Psalm 119; Isaiah 55:8-12; John 1:1-5; 2 Timothy 3:14-17)

The Church Exists to Love God and Love People

We believe that the Church is the universal gathering of forgiven sinners, set apart and sent into the world, partnering with God in God’s mission. Empowered and guided by the Holy Spirit we are called to love, worship and glorify God, and proclaim God’s love and forgiveness in word and deed. In each and every role of life – friend, employee, family member, citizen, neighbor – we are called to be about God’s mission, revealing the Kingdom of God, proclaiming the Gospel and partnering with God in the work of reconciliation. (For further study: Judges 18:5-6; Micah 6:6-8; Romans 12:1-13; 1 Corinthians 12:14, 12-27; 2 Corinthians 5:11-21; Ephesians 4:1-16;)

We Care for God’s Creation

We belong to a denomination, the ELCA, that takes seriously the intersection of faith and real life. The ELCA has some thought-provoking studies on critical issues of life and justice. Pray about them. Discuss them. Let them lead you to action and advocacy for the world that God so loves!