From a Green Bowl to a Growing Church
The first service of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church took place on October 3, 1971, in the Green Bowl restaurant in Watertown. A hundred and sixty-three people showed up. Less than a month later, on October 31, 132 men and women signed the church's constitution, and the fledgling congregation moved quickly to find a permanent home. They purchased a 16-acre site at East Main Street and the Highway 16 bypass, and a new sanctuary was dedicated in February of 1973.
From those modest beginnings the congregation grew steadily. Preschool classes began in the fall of 1983, a first educational wing with offices was dedicated in November 1987, and a second educational wing was added in the fall of 1999. The newer wing housed spacious classrooms, a library, a music room, a youth room, a health room, and a preschool area. Good Shepherd Lutheran School opened its doors in the fall of 2000, extending the ministry's reach into the wider Watertown community. The congregation today counts more than 1,100 members, and the school serves more than a hundred children.
Worship on Sundays and Wednesdays
Good Shepherd gathers for worship twice a week. Sunday services begin at 9:00 am, and a Wednesday service is held at 6:00 pm. The Lord's Supper is celebrated at every service. A Sunday School and Bible Study Hour runs from 10:30 to 11:30 am on Sundays, and during the seasons of Advent and Lent the Wednesday schedule expands to add services at 10:00 am and 7:00 pm.
The worship follows the historic Lutheran liturgy. The preaching calendar tracks the lectionary through the church year, moving from Epiphany and Lent through Holy Week, Easter, Ascension, Pentecost, the Holy Trinity, and the long Sundays after Pentecost. Sermon manuscripts are uploaded as downloadable documents, and past services are recorded and posted on the church's YouTube channel so members can revisit the message at home. For those without internet access, the Sunday service is also televised Tuesday afternoons at 3:00 pm on cable channel 98 and the high-definition cable channel 985.
Members who prefer to listen on the radio can tune in to the Lutheran Hour each Sunday on WTMJ 620 AM at 5:30 am, WBEV 1430 AM at 5:30 am, WGN 720 AM at 6:00 am, WTKM 1540 AM or 104.9 FM at 7:30 am, or WGLB 1580 AM at 5:00 pm.
What Good Shepherd Believes
Good Shepherd's confession is classically confessional Lutheran. The church affirms belief in the one true God, the Holy Trinity, confessed in the three ecumenical creeds, who is the Creator and Sustainer of all things. It teaches that all people are in bondage to sin, death, and the devil, and that no one can free themselves or make themselves right with God by their own powers. It confesses that Jesus Christ, true God and true man, lived a perfect and holy life for us, shed His blood on the cross to atone for our sins, and rose from the grave on the third day in victory over Satan and the grave. It holds that the Holy Spirit delivers Christ's forgiveness, life, and salvation fully and freely through the preaching of the Word, through Baptism, Absolution, and the Lord's Supper. The church teaches that Christ is working in believers to lead lives of faith toward God and fervent love toward one another in their daily vocations, that the Church is to send out workers to proclaim the Gospel and bear witness to the living hope in Christ Jesus, that the Church is to extend God's mercy to the poor, weak, and defenseless, and that Christ will come again on the Last Day to judge the living and the dead and to give eternal life to all who believe in Him.
Good Shepherd Lutheran School and Daycare
Sharing the same East Main Street campus, Good Shepherd Lutheran School opened in 2000 and now educates more than a hundred children. Preschool classes have been part of the ministry since 1983, and a daycare operates alongside the school for families needing full-day care. Parents can reach the school at 920-261-2579 and the daycare at 920-261-0242. The school maintains its own web presence with information about enrollment and programs, and a Christian Day School section in the church's volunteer list invites members to substitute teach, assist in classrooms or the library, coach staff and sports, help with PR and marketing, and lead after-school activities and clubs.
Sunday School and Youth Ministry
Sunday School meets every Sunday from September through May, from 9:15 to 10:15 am, and welcomes children ages 3 through 6th grade. Each week covers a different Bible story, helping children learn what God has done for them and how to live as followers of Jesus.
Middle school youth (grades 6 through 8) and the high school youth ministry both meet Sunday mornings from 9:15 to 10:15 am. High school youth also gather on Sunday evenings for food, fellowship, an activity, and a devotion. The high school calendar fills with game nights and larger fellowship outings to Brewer and Chinook games, Noah's Ark, Christian concerts, an Escape Room, broomball, and SkyZone, among other events.
A Place to Use Your Gifts
Good Shepherd's vision statement reads, "Every day, Everywhere, by Everyone... Sharing the Grace of the Good Shepherd." The congregation believes that God has given each person a unique set of gifts and talents, and that members are called to discover, cultivate, and share those gifts both inside the church and out in the wider community.
In worship, members can serve as greeters, worship assistants, ushers, attendance recorders, altar guild members, altar flower chart coordinators, sanctuary decorators for special seasons, wedding coordinators, information desk attendants, or church picnic helpers. The music ministry is unusually broad: openings include a brass choir, flute and woodwind choir, handbell choir, mixed choir, music librarians, praise team singers and instrumentalists, traditional worship soloists and instrumentalists, pianists, and organists. Caring ministries include hospital visits, Stephen Ministry, Prayer Shawl Ministry, shut-in and nursing home visits, and transportation assistance. Fellowship groups include a Men's Breakfast Bible Study, Mom to Mom, Ladies' Quilters, Coffee Hour Ministry, and LWML (Lutheran Women's Missionary League) circles. There are also slots for Bible study leaders, devotion writers, Reach Group facilitators and participants, new member mentors, and shut-in ministry greeting card writers. A Faith in Action volunteer form and an Interest Inventory help match members with the right fit.
Generosity and Giving
Weekly tithes and undesignated gifts support the Good Shepherd General Fund, which underwrites both the church's ministries and the school's general operations. Members can give online, set up automatic withdrawal from a checking or savings account, drop off or mail offerings to the church office, or use the Vanco Mobile Faith Engagement app on a smartphone. The church also holds an Endowment Fund, created by the congregation to promote Christian education at Good Shepherd and to help members pursue professional church work, and welcomes planned gifts through wills, trusts, and bequests. Members can support the Endowment with regular or special thank offerings, or remember it in a bequest in their trust or will.
Reaching Out to Watertown
The Missions and Outreach Advisory Council helps coordinate the church's efforts to extend mercy to the poor, weak, and defenseless in the wider Watertown area. Members can volunteer with partner ministries such as the Bread & Roses Food Pantry and Meals on Wheels, sign up for short-term mission trip leadership, join the evangelism team, or help with visitor follow-up. Local mission participation, Share-A-Meal cooking, and family meals cooking are among the available ministries.
Music and the Arts
Music is woven into nearly every corner of Good Shepherd's ministry. The congregation supports a brass choir, flute and woodwind choir, handbell choir, and mixed choir, and provides openings for a praise team alongside more traditional soloists and instrumentalists. The 1999 educational wing added a dedicated music room for choir rehearsals and instruction, and the music library keeps resources organized for choir members. Beyond music, the Artistic and Creative team welcomes banner makers, outdoor sign volunteers, VBS crafters, and Christmas decorators, while the Drama group assists with the school play and props for musicals.
Visiting Good Shepherd
The church and school share a campus at 1611 E. Main Street in Watertown, Wisconsin. Office hours are 8:00 am to 4:00 pm Monday through Friday during the school year (September through July) and 9:30 am to 1:30 pm during the summer (June through August). Anyone curious about the church is welcome to drop by, schedule a tour, or call 920-261-2570 with questions. A New Member Sign-Up form is available for those ready to take the next step. The church's One Church Software mobile app, available for both iPhone and Android, keeps members connected to sermons, the events calendar, and serving schedules throughout the week. Visitors and newcomers are warmly welcomed, and the staff and whole community are glad to help anyone draw closer to the heart of the church family.