Interim Pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!

 

This is a very special time in the life of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church.  As a transitional time between pastorates, it is a time to draw near to God in whom we find our strength, our hope, our purpose, and our future.  It is when we draw close to God and humble ourselves in God's presence that we find such rich blessings for our lives -- starting with forgiveness, acceptance and purpose.

 

God has a purpose for Good Shepherd Lutheran Church!  A very holy and fulfilling purpose for each and every member and visitor who comes to us.  In order to discern where God is leading, therefore, this time of transition will be a journey of faithfulness that hearkens to the prophet's call, "Return to the Lord your God."

 

I invite you accordingly to join me in committing to daily prayer for our church and our church leaders, weekly worship to give praise to God, and study of the scriptures to hear and know God's word fully, so that we might better hear God's call, and receive what God has to give for our lives and for our future.

 

This is the day that the Lord has made!  Let us rejoice and be glad in it!  (Psalm 118:24)

 

Thank you for inviting me to be your partner on this special journey of faith.

 

 

The Rev. Thomas L. Weitzel

Interim Pastor 

About Our Pastor

Pastor Thomas Weitzel has 25 years experience working to renew churches and ministries.  Called to his first parish in a small town of 1,000 in north central Indiana in 1987 as a second career pastor, he brings to ministry an extensive background in public relations, newspaper management, and business consulting, all of which have assisted greatly in the work of redeveloping and renewing parishes.  Pastor Weitzel assisted that small worshiping congregation of 35-50 in raising their giving to an average 7 percent of annual income (compared to the ELCA average of less than 2 percent), build a new fellowship hall and pay off that building debt in three years, all through increased faith and sense of call.

Since 2000, Pastor Weitzel has worked as a church consultant in reorganizational efforts, situations of conflict, and assisting parishes and parish leaders in discerning God’s leading for new direction.  From 2002-2007, he served on the Bishop’s staff of the Florida-Bahamas Synod, for which he wrote a mission vision for the entire synod in 2009 entitled “Together in Mission.”  From 2008-2011, he served part-time on the Bishop’s staff of the Indiana-Kentucky Synod as Director of the Freed to Lead Initiative, managing a $1 million fund that makes grants to pastors for seminary debt and other financial needs and leading a capital campaign with a $3.5 million goal.

Pastor Weitzel has consulted with parishes and synods for mission renewal in Florida, the Bahamas, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota and in churches as large as 1,300 and as small as 30.

Pastor Weitzel is also a professional musician, with compositions published by GIA and Augsburg Fortress, and he maintains a worship website at www.LiturgyByTLW.com, which has an average of 6,700 visitors per month.