What We Believe
Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, LCMS
Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in Georgetown, Indiana, is a congregation of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS). We are a Christian congregation grounded in the Word of God and committed to faithfully teaching and confessing the historic Christian faith. At the center of our faith is Jesus Christ, who came into the world to save sinners through His death on the cross and His bodily resurrection.
Our beliefs are founded upon the Holy Scriptures, the Lutheran Confessions, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Through God's Word and the Sacraments, Christ continues to forgive sins, strengthen faith, and gather His people into His Church.
The Bible, God's Holy Word
The Bible is the foundation of everything we believe, teach, and confess at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church. We believe that the canonical books of the Old and New Testaments are the inspired and inerrant Word of God.
Because Scripture is God's own Word, it is completely trustworthy and authoritative. The Bible reveals God's truth concerning creation, humanity, sin, God's Law, and His gracious plan of salvation. Most importantly, Scripture reveals Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world, through whom sinners receive forgiveness, life, and eternal salvation.
The Lutheran Confessions
As an LCMS Lutheran congregation, Shepherd of the Hills confesses the teachings contained in the Book of Concord, commonly known as the Lutheran Confessions. The Lutheran Confessions faithfully summarize and explain the teachings of Holy Scripture.
The Book of Concord does not replace the Bible. Rather, the Lutheran Confessions bear witness to the same Christian faith proclaimed in Holy Scripture and confessed by the historic Church. They provide a clear confession of what we believe, teach, and confess as Lutherans.
The Holy Trinity
We believe in one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
God the Father created the heavens and the earth and made humanity in His image. Although God created the world good, humanity fell into sin, bringing death and separation from God.
In His mercy, the Father sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, into the world. Jesus lived a perfect life, suffered and died on the cross as the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and rose bodily from the grave. Through Christ's death and resurrection, God gives forgiveness of sins, salvation, and eternal life.
The Holy Spirit creates and sustains faith in Jesus Christ through God's Word. He gathers believers into the Church and gives the gifts of Christ through the means of grace.
Word and Sacraments
At Shepherd of the Hills, we believe that Christ builds and sustains His Church through the means of grace: His Word, Holy Baptism, and the Lord's Supper.
These are not human accomplishments. They are God's gracious gifts through which Christ delivers His forgiveness and salvation to His people.
God's Word
Through the Holy Scriptures and faithful preaching, God reveals His truth, exposes our sin, proclaims the forgiveness found in Christ, strengthens faith, and equips Christians to live as God's people.
The preaching and teaching of God's Word remain central to the life of our congregation because Christians need to hear again and again the good news that Jesus Christ has died and risen for sinners.
Holy Baptism
We believe that Holy Baptism is God's gracious work for us, not a work that we accomplish for God. Through water and the Word, God forgives sins, gives new life in Christ, and makes us His children.
Because salvation is God's gift rather than a human achievement, we baptize both infants and adults according to Christ's command and promise. Baptism points us to God's gracious promise in Christ and gives Christians a lifelong assurance of His mercy.
The Lord's Supper
We believe that in the Lord's Supper, or Holy Communion, Jesus Christ truly gives His body and blood for the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.
At Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, we celebrate Holy Communion on the second, fourth, and fifth Sundays of the month. We come to the altar trusting the promises of Christ and receiving His gifts with faith and thanksgiving.
As an LCMS congregation, we practice closed communion because Holy Communion is a confession of a shared faith and unity in the teachings of God's Word. We therefore ask first-time visitors who desire to receive the Sacrament to speak with the pastor or an Elder before communing.
Historic Lutheran Worship and the Divine Service
Our worship at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church is centered on receiving Christ's gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation through His Word and Sacraments.
We celebrate the historic Lutheran Divine Service, using Scripture, liturgy, hymns, preaching, and the Sacraments to proclaim Jesus Christ and His saving work. The historic liturgy connects our congregation with generations of Christians who have gathered around God's Word and confessed the faith handed down through the Church.
Our worship is not centered on entertainment or personal experience. It is centered on Christ and His promises. In the Divine Service, God speaks to His people through His Word, forgives sins, strengthens faith, and gives His gracious gifts.
Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church embraces the historic Christian faith and worship of the Lutheran Church because the Gospel of Jesus Christ crucified and risen for sinners remains the deepest and most enduring need of every generation.
A Confessional Lutheran Church in Georgetown, Indiana
Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church is thankful to be part of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, faithfully confessing the Christian faith according to Holy Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions.
Our desire is simple: to remain faithful to God's Word, proclaim Christ crucified and risen, administer the Sacraments according to Christ's institution, and faithfully teach the Christian faith to our families, children, and community.
Sola Scriptura. Sola Gratia. Sola Fide. Solus Christus.
Scripture alone. Grace alone. Faith alone. Christ alone.
