Welcome!
Thank you for visiting our web site. We hope you find it helpful to get to know us and also come to know that we hope you will visit us and make use of some of the resources you find here.
As pastor of Good Shepherd it is my God given duty to preach the whole counsel of God. This means that I am to be a teacher of the Word by proclaiming both the law of God which shows us our sins, and the Gospel of the Lord, which shows us our Savior. The goal of preaching the Word of God is to make us wise unto salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord. (2 Timothy 3:15-17)
It is also a joy to be able to do this task. It is by the grace of God we can also belong to a faithful fellowship in the Evangelical Lutheran Synod where we can be supported and support others and mission work with this one saving message.
Come and visit us and I can assure you I will be glad to meet you and many others will do all they can to make you feel at home.
In Christ Jesus,
Pastor Harting
PS: Please take a look at the following short messages that have been added over the past few months....
Press Release:
Evangelical Lutheran Synod disagrees with homosexual clergy resolution adopted by ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America)
MANKATO, MINNESOTA—Officials of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS), a church body based in Mankato, noted with concern and disappointment the decision of the national convention of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), held in Minneapolis August 17-23, to allow the ordination of practicing homosexuals and lesbians as pastors of the church.
The smaller ELS is not affiliated with the larger ELCA, even though the names of the two churches are very similar. Good Shepherd Evangelical Lutheran Church in Indianola at 202 N. Kenwood is a member of the ELS.
ELS President, Rev. John A. Moldstad, said: “Ordaining practicing homosexuals and lesbians to the ministry is a serious departure from the biblical standards of morality to which Lutherans and Lutheran pastors have historically been held.” Moldstad clarified that, in contrast to the newly-adopted position of the ELCA, the position of the ELS on the matter of homosexuality and marriage is as follows:
We confess that Scripture condemns homosexuality and extra-marital relations (fornication and adultery) as sin. Nevertheless, when an individual caught up in such sins truly repents, the forgiveness of the Gospel is to be fully applied. We confess that the divine institution of marriage is to be heterosexual, in which, according to God’s design, a man and a woman may enjoy a life-long companionship in mutual love. We teach on the basis of Holy Scripture that marriage is the only proper context for the expression of sexual intimacy and for the procreation of children. See Rom. 1:26-27, 1 Cor. 6:9, 18 and 7:2-9, John 4:17-18, 1 John 1:9, Gen. 1:27-28 and 2:18-24, Matt. 19:4-6. (From We Believe, Teach, and Confess, adopted by the ELS in 1992)
Moldstad explained that ELS churches welcome into their midst those who may struggle with temptation toward a same-sex attraction, but who know in their conscience that this is wrong, and who seek God’s help in their struggle. Said Moldstad, “The ELS believes that in this world it is the duty of the church – as the body of Christ – to be a community of healing and reconciliation in the Gospel, and a beacon of hope to all humanity. And so, while the church is indeed called by the Lord to condemn as sin that which God condemns as sin, it is the church’s privilege also to offer and apply the grace, forgiveness, and acceptance of God, in Jesus Christ, to all who repent of their sins – whatever those sins may be.”
In addition to the similarity in names, the ELS shares a common heritage with some segments of the ELCA. The Mankato-based group was organized in 1918 by pastors and congregations that had declined to enter a merger that formed one of the predecessor bodies of the ELCA. The ELS has not participated in subsequent Lutheran mergers either – including the one that formed the ELCA in 1988 – because of what it saw as doctrinal compromises that these mergers represented.
President Moldstad may be contacted at the synod office in Mankato, by telephone (507-344-7354) or by email (elsynod@blc.edu). The synod’s web site is evangelicallutheransynod.org
"A Look Inside the Lutheran Church"
You can now listen to the new evangelism series entitled: "A Look Inside the Lutheran Church". Click on the "Listen to a Service or Message" button on the side bar. Rev. Matthew Crick of the ELS Board of Evangelism presents these messages on three very interesting subjects: The Mission of the Church, Liturgy and Hymns and The Lord's Supper and Communing. If you have further questions about these subjects or anything else, please feel free to contact me.
-Pastor Harting
also.....
Please take notice of the "Youth" section of the website!
“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;” (Psalm 127:4-5) In this passage our Lord tells us what a gift of grace children are to us and especially parents. In Ephesians 6 he also tells fathers to raise them up with an education that is Word of God: “And you, fathers, so not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.”
To this end the church also desires to assist and work. All believers are to “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you;” (Matthew 28:19-20) Youth of all ages in Christ’s church are also spoken to in this commission by Jesus and youth of all ages are also to be made into disciples from all nations.
I hope you enjoy the latest update of our website that includes a section on youth. (Click the side bar button on the home page labeled “Youth”.) At Good Shepherd, we have always tried to integrate youth of all ages with all the other church members in all her activities. Children are expected to join the families in the worship and most of the other activities. If you pause to think about it there are hundreds of opportunities for youth to join in the Word of God and fellowship here at Good Shepherd each year. We are thankful to be given the gift of children and are thankful to learn, grow and serve right along with them. May God bless your family. We invite you to join us in the many opportunities to be in God’s Word and fellowship with us.
In the name of Jesus,
Pastor Harting
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