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: Who is the pastor at the church?
A: Jim Johnson, 45, is the new pastor at Good Shepherd. Jim and wife Linda come from a background in college ministry. For the past 10 years, they have been serving a growing ministry to mostly rural college students in Minneapolis. Prior to their calling at the Free Lutheran Bible School, a ministry that involved directing 150 to 180 college students in a Bible-study-based ministry training program, Jim served as a pastor in northern Minnesota. Jim, a former newspaper journalist, is a graduate of the University of Minnesota. He and Linda live in east Camarillo with their children, ages 18 to 2.

 Q: What are the primary goals and purposes of Good Shepherd?
A: Our 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,” says Pastor Johnson. “We’re one among many. We want to become part of the team of churches that can effectively help people.” The church has two primary goals: 1) Teaching the Bible, and 2) Pointing people to Jesus Christ. “We believe every word of the Bible is true,” says Pastor Jim, “And I’m hoping to call people to a life-changing commitment to Jesus Christ.”

 Q: Do we really need another church in Camarillo?
A: The population of Camarillo has grown from 60,000 to 65,000 in the last five years, “and many of the new people don’t have a new church yet,” says Pastor Jim. According to surveys conducted in the new neighborhoods of Camarillo, approximately 70 percent of the new residents have not connected with a new church –“and even less have joined one,” says Pastor Johnson.

 Q: Do I have to be a Lutheran to attend?
A:  “No way,” says Pastor Jim. “We want to be open to everybody.” The theme of the new church outreach is “You belong.” “Someone recently asked me if, with so few Lutherans in Camarillo, and three Lutheran churches already in town, 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,” says Pastor Johnson. 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. But we also have a heart for new residents in the Mission Oaks area, the Pitts Ranch Park area and the neighborhood around Camarillo’s second-newest primary school, the La Mariposa School. “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 new residents of Camarillo, and 2) What kind of church would be the best asset for the people there. I also love how many kids there are in Village at the Park and the Pitts Ranch neighborhood. Linda and I love children – and we hope we can help new parents survive!”

 Q: What do you mean by that?
A:  “To say it more specifically,” says Pastor Jim, “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,” Pastor Jim explains, “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.”

-We’re guessing that people will find three things happening in our church services.
-You probably will smile and laugh. (The Bible says the joy of the Lord is our strength).
-You probably will cry. (I believe that God is making serious changes in lives here).
-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.”

 James L. Johnson, Pastor
pastorjim@goodshepherd-church.net