Worship
Worship and You
"Work of the People" Worship
​At Good Shepherd we follow a pattern of worship called the "liturgy" which literally means "work of the people."You are invited to Good Shepherd not to just sit back and witness a show or concert, but to participate and be the worship community.The pastor and musicians serve as partner-leaders with you in facilitating this worship experience.The pattern of our worship loosely follows an ancient order of worship known as the Western Rite which is both Christ and Bible-centered and connects you not to just our worship community, but to Christians all over the world and generations of Christians that have come before us. The best way to experience our worship is to come check it out!
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Emphasis on Instruction
The Lutheran Church has historically been known as "the teaching church." We strive to continue that tradition at Good Shepherd through multiple studies throughout the year.
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Involvement
With just one full-time staff member in our church ministry—Pastor Newlin Schafer—Good Shepherd is an all hands on deck enterprise with opportunities for you to be involved in using your unique talents to advance Good Shepherd’s ministry.
Multi-generational
Good Shepherd strives to be a multi-generational church.Children are welcome and encouraged in our worship services.From the noise of little ones to the out of tune singing from gray-adorned crowns we are reminded in our family worship services that all ages are part of God's family. There are children’s folders with activities, but the best lessons for the children come from observing you and whispered helpful explanations in their ears.And don’t worry. We all know that every child has their wiggly moments.
What We Believe
Good Shepherd is a Christ-centered, Bible-believing congregation. We believe that Jesus Christ is the one true Son of God and the Savior of the world. By living a perfect life in our place, dying on the cross as our sinless substitute, and rising triumphantly from the grave on Easter morning, Jesus completely paid for the sins of all people and earned us a place in heaven. When we put our hope in him, it will not fail. It is a hope that stands firm forever.
The forgiveness and eternal life that Jesus has won for us becomes our own solely through faith in him.There is nothing that we need to do in order to earn it.It is a free gift of God’s amazing grace.If our salvation depended even in the least on what we do, we would all be lost forever, because we could never live up to God’s standard of perfection.That’s why Jesus came to live and die in our place.
We learn about God’s amazing love for us in Christ in the pages of the Holy Scriptures.At Good Shepherd we hold to the Bible as the completely true and inspired Word of God and the only source and authority for Christian faith and life.
For more explanation about our beliefs click here: https://wels.net/about-wels/what-we-believe/this-we-believe/gods-revelation/
Pastor Newlin Schafer
Newlin was called and came to Good Shepherd in the summer of 2017 from Weyauwega, WI. Since then he and his family have been happy to call Orange Park their home. Newlin has a growing family with his wife, Emily and their children Judah, Henry, Boaz, and Cora. They all love the greater Jacksonville area.
Newlin grew up on a farm in western Michigan where he still has family. Though encouraged to think about becoming a pastor from a young age it wasn’t until high school at Michigan Lutheran Seminary that he started down the path to sharing Jesus as a pastor. He graduated from Martin Luther College in 2007. He was a pastoral intern (called a vicar) at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Aurora, IL. He finished his Seminary training at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 2011. Before moving to Jax, he served in Middleton/Waunakee and Weyauwega, WI.
When not at church, visiting people, or meeting new people, you might find Newlin enjoying fun times with his family at the zoo or the beach, or in the yard; tinkering with a woodworking project; or playing a game. Stop by or call, he’s always happy to talk over a coffee or a beer.
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920.427.0552 (cell)
Our Pastor
Live stream Resources
If you are unable to join us in person for worship, please check out our livestream resources. Visit our Facebook page for a Facebook Live stream each service.
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Contact Pastor Schafer if you'd like to receive weekly emails including resources for livestream worship.