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The Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd is a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Lutherans are Christians who accept the teachings of Martin Luther (1483–1546), a German theologian and reformer. His teachings from the Bible are the heart of Lutheranism:
♦ We are saved by the grace of God alone, not by anything we do.
♦ Our salvation is through faith alone – a confident trust in God,
who in Jesus Christ promises us forgiveness, life and salvation.
♦ The Bible is the norm for faith and life, the true standard by
which teachings and doctrines are to be judged.
Our Mission
We are a Christian congregation that believes God's love has come to us through Jesus Christ. Led by the Holy Spirit, we serve God and the community by sharing the good news of His grace.
Our Values
The Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd shares the following values it holds with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Church Universal:
♦ We proclaim Jesus Christ through Word and worship
♦ We welcome all people into our community
♦ We nurture our community in its Christian growth
♦ We serve by sharing the good news through acts of
compassion, in our community and in the world
Our History
The Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd (LCGS) looks forward to celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2013! Our earliest beginning was in October 1962, when the Rev. Rodney A. Gatzke was appointed by the then-Lutheran Church in America to develop a Bel Air mission. On Christmas Eve that year, 25 people met for worship in the basement of the Harford County Public Library. The first Good Shepherd worship service was celebrated February 17, 1963 in rented space at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Bel Air. On Organization Day, October 20, 1963, The Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd officially became a congregation with 92 charter members.
Over the years, the congregation gave much of its time, talent and treasure to grow in service of the Lord. On May 14, 1967, LCGS celebrated worship in its own building at 1515 Emmorton Road!
By 1974, the church completed a second phase of building, adding more Sunday school rooms and office space. In 1977, Good Shepherd Cooperative Nursery School (now Good Shepherd Lutheran Preschool) opened its doors to the community. The preschool will celebrate its 35th anniversary in 2012!
On September 20, 1992 LCGS dedicated a new sanctuary, narthex and other facilities, and with them came more worshippers. By 1996, the congregation had grown so much an assistant pastor was called to help shepherd the congregation.
The congregation marked its 40th Anniversary on March 23, 2003 with a ground-breaking service for a new education and fellowship wing. Among the new ministries added in 2003 were contemporary worship and small group Bible studies.
LCGS
embarked on more renovations in 2010 to add a commercial
kitchen, additional preschool classroom, new conference
room, offices, and storage space. The congregation has
dreams for new ministries, programs, and the calling of
our fifth senior pastor! What began as a tiny band of
committed Lutherans is now The Lutheran Church of the
Good Shepherd of today, reaching out to widen God's Kingdom.
The
congregation has dreams for new ministries and programs
as The Rev. Jeanne Madsen, our fifth senior pastor, prepares
to begin her ministry with us on Feb. 1, 2012! What began
as a tiny band of committed Lutherans is now The Lutheran
Church of the Good Shepherd of today, reaching out to
widen God's Kingdom.
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