The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with about 4 million members in nearly 10,000 congregations across the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
New England Synod
Christ the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church is a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Within the ELCA there are 65 Synods across the nation, each one a geographical region bound together to provide support for congregations and to carry out vital, life-giving ministries together in the region.
The New England Synod, which our church belongs to, includes 160 congregations in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and upper New York state. One well-known ministry of our Synod is Calumet Lutheran Ministries, a popular year-round outdoor camping and retreat ministry for all ages located on beautiful Lake Ossipee in Freedom, New Hampshire.
The Rev. Nathan Pipho serves as Bishop of the New England Synod.
We Are Church
We believe that God made us new in Christ and that we are called to believe and to live our faith. We are reconciled to God and each other through Jesus, who defines, shapes and guides us as a faith community.
We Are Lutheran
As Lutherans, we center our lives together on the good news of Jesus Christ — crucified and risen for the sake of the world. Our Lutheran identity means being part of a wider, global Christian family.
We Are Church for the World
The gospel doesn’t stay inside the church — it sends us out. Freed by Christ from sin, death and even ourselves, we are called to serve our neighbors with compassion, courage and a hunger for justice.
(From the ELCA webpage: https://www.elca.org/about-the-elca/who-we-are)