The Lutheran Church of The Good Shepherd

Be Seen • Be Heard • Belong

WELCOME TO THE LUTHERAN CHURCH OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD

Founded in 1957, The Lutheran Church of The Good Shepherd is a welcoming and advocating congregation, striving to share the love and grace of Jesus with all people at home, in the local community, and across the globe, from the youngest children to the wisest elders. Worship in this congregation blends the beauty and mystery of diverse varieties of Christian liturgy with music, scripture, poetry, and the visual arts to communicate God’s liberating, unselfish love made known in Jesus.

The Lutheran Church of The Good Shepherd 1957

THE JOURNEY OF FAITH AND LIFE LIVED IN COMMUNITY

Theology shapes who we are and how we behave as a people of faith in the world. Our theology is deeply rooted in the writings and translations of both the Hebrew Bible and the Greek New Testament, and we believe God speaks to us through this living Word of God, proclaiming the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. From these deep roots we grow in new directions upward and outward. The ways we “do” theology allow us to find the gift of fresh insight each time we open the scriptures and open our hearts of connection to God’s whole world. We welcome with gratitude conversations about scripture, faith, our journeys of daily life, the challenges and joys we share, and our prophetic witness in God’s world.

We believe the Spirit of Divine Love is ever at work throughout the cosmos — creating, enlightening, restoring and reconciling both creatures and creation. We are open-hearted and open-minded in our theology and intentionally inclusive in our practice. We unashamedly recognize and claim the truth of the Way of Christ Jesus. At the same time, we believe that no one religious tradition has a monopoly on truth. We seek the abundant life that Christ promises, by embracing the diversities of race, culture, gender, ethnicity, and religion that shape humanity.

If you are committed or if you are just curious, if you consider yourself Christian or not, if you are filled with longings, wonderings, fears, or hopes — we would love to be in conversation and to share in this holy, unfolding journey of life together.

Through Good Shepherd’s affiliation with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and community connections, Good Shepherd is proud to partner with other organizations including: Lutheran World Relief, Faith Action Network, Earth Ministry, Reconciling Works, Interfaith Works, CIELO (Centro Integral Educativo Latino de Olympia), and the Thurston County Food Bank.

God welcomes us all — here in worship and in all the ways we are invited to join God’s eastering ways among us, centered in the Gospel and grounded in community. You are invited to make this Good Shepherd community a home for your spiritual and justice-making journeys.

Through commitments to mercy and justice ministries and spiritual care, this congregation seeks to care for God’s children of all ages — the spiritually and physically hungry, those experiencing marginalization of various kinds, those in the LGBTQIA+ communities, and God’s whole hurting creation.

Open-hearted, open-minded ELCA congregation

The Lutheran Church of The Good Shepherd 2024