Welcome to The Good Shepherd Institute of Pastoral Theology and Sacred Music for the Church. Our Institute was founded in the year 2000 to serve as a place dedicated to the recovery of the classic care of souls and the integration of theology into the pastoral life of the church. One of the first images of Jesus in the early church depicted Him as the Good Shepherd taking care of His sheep. Jesus the Good Shepherd cares for His sheep as they journey together as His body, the church. He cares for them as they gather around His presence in worship, where, through the Gospel and the Sacraments, He offers them the gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation. This recovery of the classic care of souls is marking a renaissance in our churches as God’s people tire of current therapeutic, social science, and executive models of pastoral care. They yearn to hear the clear voice of the Good Shepherd in biblical preaching, historic liturgies, substantive catechesis, and hymns that confess the faith. They long to hear from Jesus Christ, the Chief Pastor, who speaks and acts through the pastoral office to create a church that is both His kingdom and His new creation. Devotion to these habits and practices—biblical preaching, historic liturgies, and substantive catechesis—will sustain good ministry over time.

The goals of The Good Shepherd Institute reflect the work of the Concordia Theological Seminary faculty to form a curriculum around the pastoral acts of Baptism, preaching, and the Lord’s Supper. This curriculum forms pastors by teaching them how theology and practice are inseparable. Since 2000, our Institute has held a conference every November close to All Saints' Day, on themes related to pastoral theology and sacred music for the church. These conferences offer opportunities for pastors, musicians, other church workers, and lay people to gather on our beautiful campus to converse about topics such as the theology and music of the Divine Service, the use of psalms in the church, and our Lutheran hymnody. The papers from each conference are published in a handsome volume that has become a resource, not only for our seminary classrooms, but also for pastors and musicians as they serve the church where God has called them. Both the conference and the publication of the journals are first steps in achieving our goal to serve the parishes of our church with an opportunity to converse about these vital themes and solid materials to assist that conversation.

The Good Shepherd Institute Web site is intended to share these resources with a broader audience. We hope that it will provide materials that are beneficial to the life of our church as we journey together to the heavenly Jerusalem.

Rev. Dr. Arthur A. Just, Jr.	Rev. Kantor Richard C. Resch
Co-Directors, The Good Shepherd Institute