Good Shepherd - A Church Where People Are Known

In the 10th chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus says, "I am the Good Shepherd. I know my own and my own know me." From Good Shepherd's beginnings 30 years ago in the basement of founding Vicar Art LeClair's home to our current congregation of 325 families and almost 900 members, parishioners have experienced a church community where they are known, loved, empowered and cared for. Along the way Good Shepherd has grown from a small mission congregation on the outskirts of south Denver to a large, bustling suburban congregation at the heart of one of the fastest growing communities in America.

A Church Where People Are Involved and Encouraged to Share
How did this happen? One of the ways has been through the development of faith sharing groups such as the Alpha program and the Good Shepherd men's group. Another has been by making it easy for people to get involved in ministries and encouraging people to share their gifts with the parish and the wider community. A third way is by providing regular fellowship events for all ages where people can stay connected and celebrate their common life.

A Church Where People Are Welcoming and Inclusive
Good Shepherd is a community where people believe in incarnating the love of Christ in their lives by reaching out to those in need and welcoming those who are different from themselves. During the past several years, this atmosphere of welcome and tolerance for diversity has been tested at Good Shepherd as Episcopalians wrestle on a diocesan and national level with what it means to be an inclusive church. This time of testing has, for most parishioners, strengthened their commitment to be a parish that is welcoming to all regardless of race, ethnicity or sexual orientation.

Come and See!
We invite you to "come and see".to experience the sense of belonging, the welcome, the worship and the commitment to service that so many parishioners at Good Shepherd have found here.

Our Mission

The mission of Good Shepherd Episcopal Church is to celebrate God's love and grow together in faith, to serve the world in Christ's name.

The people of Good Shepherd carry out this mission in several ways:

• Through dynamic worship, and Christian education and faith formation ministries for children, youth and adults.
• By supporting through time, talent, financial resources and in-kind contributions such ministries as the St. Francis Center in Denver (day shelter and support services for the homeless in downtown Denver), Bridgeway (shelter and support for pregnant teens), Covenant Cupboard (food bank based at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Greenwood Village), St. Clare's Dinners (serve dinner to the homeless and hungry at St. Peter and St. James Episcopal Church in downtown Denver), Diocesan Jubilee Center (after school programs ESL programs and food bank), Sudanese refugee resettlement, House of Hope (homeless women's shelter), the Colorado Haiti Project (Diocesan mission to Haiti), Jamaica Dental/Medical mission, and support for missionaries in Tunisia and Hungary.
• By reaching out to parishioners and members of the community who are in need of pastoral care, material support and encouragement, and by striving to welcome all people regardless of race, ethnicity or sexual orientation.

Our Beliefs

Good Shepherd Church is a parish of the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado and the Episcopal Church USA, and a member of the world-wide Anglican Communion. We hold to the beliefs and worship practices that are described in the Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church. What binds the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion together in one fellowship is a commitment to the following four beliefs:

SCRIPTURE
The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are the revealed Word of God. However, we believe that Scripture is not always clear, does not answer all questions, and is not a text with which to prove points. We therefore turn to "tradition" - the worship, teaching, and life of the church throughout the ages to help guide us in our interpretation of the Bible.

TEACHINGS/DOCTRINE
The Nicene Creed is the sufficient statement of the Christian Faith. As members of the Anglican Communion and inheritors of the catholic tradition of faith, we do not hold our own doctrine, but look to the historic creeds of the Church as a summary of our beliefs, believing that the Church gives us freedom to explore new ways of thinking. The primary focus of the Nicene Creed is the belief that God is a Trinity of persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit- and that Jesus is the incarnation of God... the human face of God who died on the cross for our salvation.

WORSHIP
The two sacraments, Baptism and Holy Eucharist, were instituted by Jesus Christ as our initiation into the Christian faith and as nourishment for our spiritual journeys. In the Episcopal Church baptism is administered at any age and all baptized Christians are welcome to receive communion at God's altar.

CHURCH GOVERNANCE
The historic Episcopate. In the Episcopal Church, administrative and spiritual authority is vested in bishops who are elected democratically at Diocesan convention. In the Episcopal Church, like the Orthodox churches, bishops have sole authority in their own dioceses and are not subject to the authority of the Pope, as in the Roman Catholic Church. Authority to minister in local congregations is handed down from bishops to priests through the rite of ordination and clergy are subject to the authority of their diocesan bishop in all matters of worship, pastoral care, financial administration and doctrine.