Q: What is the history if Good Shepherd Lutheran Church? (an interview with Pastor Jim Johnson)

A: Good Shepherd Lutheran Church is a new church.  Pastor Jim Johnson moved here from Minnesota.  Pastor Jim was dean of a college-level bible school (AFLBS) in Minneapolis and a charter member of Living Hope Church in St. Michael, Minnesota (located near Minneapolis). 
 

Q: When did Good Shepherd begin?

A: Good Shepherd began informally in 1995 as a family Bible study. Its 40 core members wanted to establish a growing Lutheran church that reached out to people who didn't already attend church. They began meeting on Sundays in 1998 and formally organized in January 2000.
 

Q: Do we really need another church here?

A: Someone recently asked me if, with so few Lutherans in Camarillo, and four Lutheran churches already in town, if we really need another Lutheran church. My answer is simple. "We're not trying to minister to Lutherans." We're here to build a church for people who aren't already going. Ever since I became a follower of Jesus at age 14, I've been most excited to see people who don't follow God – and don't seem to care – get in touch with Jesus Christ and become active, engaging followers of the Lord. My number one goal is to establish a ministry for families with young Christians who have felt alienated from church. My motto here is: "Come with your problems, your questions and your kids!"
 

Q: What's your heart for Village at the Park?

A: The Lord planted in Linda and me a great love and compassion for the new housing tract in Camarillo. With 1,005 new homes and 4,000 new people, we felt led to purchase a home in there on Canopy Drive and make ourselves available to meet needs. I want to learn every thing I can about the new families there. I've stopped by every house and our staff has knocked on almost every door. I've had great visits with dozens of people there. Now I want to get back in touch with the people and find out two things: 1) How can we serve the people of Village at the Park, and 2) What kind of church would be the best asset for the people there. I also love how many kids there are in the village. Linda and I love children – and we hope we can help new parents survive!
 

Q: What are the primary goals and purposes of Good Shepherd?

A: My primary goal is to partner with other churches in Camarillo to steer people to Jesus Christ. We're not the only good church in this city. We're one among many. We want to become part of the team of churches that can effectively help people. And so I want to focus on the two basic beliefs of the growing evangelical churches I have seen: 1) Everybody needs a personal relationship with Jesus Christ to be saved, and 2) Teach people what the Bible says. I believe that every word of the Bible is true. It's changed my life. I hope to pass it on. I'm hoping to call people to a life-changing commitment to Jesus Christ and a radical commitment to the Bible.
 

Q: What do you mean by that?

A:  To say it more specifically, I feel that we're called to four basic priorities at Good Shepherd: 1) To establish small groups (My dream is to see 100 small groups formed here), 2) To help broken people (no perfect people allowed!) Some people think God says, "Clean yourself up, then you're welcome at our church." We don't think that way here. We think Jesus says, "Come as you are and I'll transform you as you learn." 3) Solid Biblical teaching (We believe the Bible is true), and 4) Open arms: I hope to create an atmosphere that says, "Welcome home!" How can we serve you? How can we help you? Those are key questions for me and the leaders here. We want to learn to serve.
 

Q: What is your heart for the church as a pastor?

A: All my life, or ever since I became a follower of Jesus, I've longed to be a part of planting a growing, functional, prevailing church. I love to see new believers come to faith, and I love to see churches send new people into new roles. For the last 10 years, I've been a pastor to college students. I love their energy. They didn't come to our ministry to watch. They wanted to work, to have fun, and to impact people and watch them grow and change. I love to see believers work with each other. I love to see people of different races working together. I love to see all the different temperaments get along. And I love to see them work with other believers from other churches. That's what I'd love to see happen with our new church plant. A living, growing, organism, partnering with other churches in the city to reach people. Jesus said in Matthew 16, "I will build My church." We want to join in on that great work!
 

Q: How would you describe your worship style and music?

A: I would call it a happy blend of contemporary and traditional. I grew up in a church with the service my Mom and my Dad loved – they are in their 80s and they like the old hymns. But the people I was trying to reach didn't really know those hymns. They knew 70's music. I'm hoping that we can accommodate both. For me, a great worship service isn't about style and traditions. The question is, rather, "Is God present there?" Jesus once told a woman in Samaria, "Those who worship must worship in spirit and in truth."

The first service, at 8:30 is called the Foundations Service. Aimed at long-time church attenders who love structure and simple liturgy, it runs from 8:30 to 9:45 a.m.

The second service, at 11:00, is called Fresh Start. This gathering is aimed at people looking for a simple and fresh contemporary service -- with 30 minutes of accoustical and rhythm worship music, and  45 minutes of teaching.

The third service, at 6:00 p.m., is called Conversations. The evening gathering uses the same message and teaching, but is usually led by a college-age worship team. The service also usually features an attender who tells their "story" of God's work in their lives.

Whatever service you attend, I'm guessing people will find three things happening in our church service.

1. You probably will smile and laugh. (The Bible says the joy of the Lord is our strength).

2. You probably will cry. (I believe that God is making serious changes in lives here).

3. You probably will feel the presence of God here. (It might be a hymn, it might be a contemporary song. You might see a quality drama. But in the middle of it all, you're going to likely say, "I think this is worship, in spirit and in truth."
 

Q: What is your leadership team like?

A: It's a simple style of leadership with broad ownership. Our church is a family, but we want to be a growing family – a new community, a living organism that embraces all kinds of people. We operate with a board of elders and a church council. Currently we have six elders and eight on the council. These are quality, caring Christians. Hopefully we'll be doing more praying that politics in those meetings. I also soon hope to expend our ministry to families and to women. I'd love to see more women actively engaged in significant ministry. And I hope one day soon to add a worship leader and a director of family ministry.
 

Q: What do you think about Camarillo?

A: I'm a former Minnesota guy. I have lived in a city where the temperature dropped on day to 56-degrees-below zero. And now I'm living in a city with 300 days of warm sunshine… But more than that, I've been impressed with two things since moving from Minneapolis: a) the number of young families and b) the number of children. This is a great place for kids, isn't it? And it's a great place for a sports-loving family with nine children to raise a family.
 

Q: What is your vision for the church in the future?

A: I can't give you a picture of how big or how wide or how tall or how many. But I can give you this picture. I want to see a living, growing, joyful church, where new people feel like they belong and where kids love to go to church. I want to be a part of a church that has a big Sunday School that is viewed as "the best hour of the week for kids and volunteers." I envision 100 small groups one day. And a church that serves Camarillo in ways that matter – helping the poor, building marriages, equipping parents to raise kids, and meeting real needs.

All believers are members of the body of Christ, the one true church universal. Spiritual unity is to be expressed among Christians by acceptance and love of one another across ethnic, cultural, socioeconomic, national, generational, gender, and denominational lines.

Apart from Jesus Christ, all people are spiritually lost and because of sin, deserve the judgment of God. However, God gives salvation and eternal life to anyone who trusts in Jesus Christ and in His sacrifice on his or her behalf. Salvation cannot be earned through personal goodness or human effort. It is a gift that must be received by humble repentance and faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross. Jesus Christ, second Person of the Trinity, was born of the Virgin Mary, lived a sinless human life, willingly took upon Himself all of our sins, died and rose again, and is at the right hand of God the Father as our advocate and mediator. Someday soon, He will return to consummate history and fulfill the eternal plan of God.

Each person is born condemned in sin with an eternal soul. Life's purpose is to be reconnected to God through His Son Jesus Christ's completed work on the cross. Because of this Great Work, the believing soul now is promised a fulfilling life here on earth awaiting its final destiny in heaven. Death seals the eternal destiny of each person. At the final judgment, unbelievers will be separated from God into condemnation. Believers will be received into God's loving presence and rewarded for their faithfulness to Him in this life.

The Holy Spirit, third Person of the Trinity, convicts the world of sin and draws people to Christ. He also indwells all believers. He is available to empower them to lead Christ-like lives, and gives them spiritual gifts with which to serve the church and reach out to a lost and needy world.

The local church is a congregation of believers who gather for worship, prayer, instruction, encouragement, mutual accountability, and authentic relationships with each other. Through it, believers invest time, energy, and resources to fulfill the Great Commission: reaching lost people and growing them into fully devoted followers of Christ.