About Us
Divine Shepherd is a small, friendly, family-oriented congregation located in the pleasant village of Bolingbrook in southwest suburban Chicago. We have been baptizing sinners, preaching the Gospel, feeding God's people Christ's true body and blood, teaching young and old, strengthening faith, gathering together for food, fun, and fellowship, and serving this community since our founding in 1977. Click here to learn more about our history.
We invite you to worship, belong, and serve with us. To worship, because faithfully hearing Christ's Word proclaimed is God's will for us. To belong, because God has made us a family of forgiven brothers and sisters in Christ who love and care for one another. To serve, because faith in Jesus Christ is always active in love.
While receiving Christ's gifts in Word and Sacrament is at the center of everything we do here at Divine Shepherd (check out our Worship and Education pages), you will also find a variety of fellowship activities here:
- coffee and refreshments each Sunday
- church picnics, soup and salad dinners, and special feasts
- family activities, games, and outings
- youth events, service projects, and conferences
- get-togethers for men, women, singles, couples, and seniors
- a spring Bake-a-thon and autumn Oktoberfest
- much more!
Why Jesus?
Why Jesus? Because apart from Jesus--the Bread of life--our hunger for God's righteousness can never be satisfied.
Why Jesus? Because apart from Jesus--the Light of the world--we are lost in the darkness of sin and its consequences.
Why Jesus? Because apart from Jesus--the Door of the sheep--we are have no entry into the green pastures of God's kingdom.
Why Jesus? Because apart from Jesus--the Good Shepherd of the sheep--we who have gone astray cannot return to God's flock.
Why Jesus? Because apart from Jesus--the Resurrection and the Life--we are dead in our trespasses and sins.
Why Jesus? Because apart from Jesus--the Way, the Truth, and the Life--we have no access to God the Father.
Why Jesus? Because apart from Jesus--the Vine--we are dead branches and cannot bear good fruit.
We believe from Holy Scripture and confess with all Christendom that Jesus is true God, begotten of the Father from all eternity, and also true man, born of the virgin Mary. The name Jesus reminds us why He came: "You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). The title Christ reminds us that He is God's Anointed One--the Seed of the woman who crushed the serpent's head, the Seed of Abraham in whom all the nations of the earth are blessed, the Prophet greater than Moses to whom we listen, and the Son of David who reigns over His spiritual Israel.
Our world has plenty of moral leaders and motivational speakers, but only one Savior. Jesus Christ took the world's sin upon Himself, suffered and died on the cross to pay the penalty for that sin, and rose again that we might share in His new life. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).
Why Jesus?
Because only in Him is there forgiveness of sins, life, and eternal salvation!
Why Church?
Why Church? Because every Christian is part of a family.
We live in a world of broken and strained relationships. Yet, there is one relationship that never fails--God's relationship with us in Jesus Christ! God the Father adopted us as His beloved sons and daughters in Holy Baptism (Galatians 3:26-27) and therein placed us into a family of believers called "the household of God" (Ephesians 2:19). As a family, we gather together with our heavenly Father regularly. And as brothers and sisters in Christ, we are privileged to "love one another" (Romans 12:10), "comfort one another" (2 Corinthians 13:11), "serve one another" (Galatians 5:13), and "encourage one another and build one another up" (1 Thessalonians 5:11).
Why Church? Because every Christian needs a home.
Earthly homes provide shelter and protection. But God has built a better house for all of His children through the death and resurrection of His Son. Paul describes this house as "the Church of the living God" (1 Timothy 3:15), in which we come into God's presence to receive His blessings and offer back to Him our prayers, praise, and thanksgiving. "How awesome is this place" (Genesis 28:17), for here God provides shelter and protection from the devil, the world, and our own sinful desires. No wonder the psalmist exclaims: "O LORD, I love the habitation of Your house and the place where Your glory dwells" (Psalm 26:8).
Why Church? Because every Christian hungers for Christ.
If we go without food or water for any length of time, our body becomes weak and weary. The same is true of our soul without spiritual nourishment. Here in His Church, God feeds and nourishes us with His holy Word and forgives and strengthens us with Christ's body and blood that we might "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18). Is there a hunger in your heart, a thirst in your soul? Then hear anew the words of Jesus: "I am the Bread of life; whoever comes to Me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in Me shall never thirst" (John 6:35).
Why Church?
Because this is God's house and your home!
Why Divine Shepherd?
Why Divine Shepherd? Because Jesus Christ is here for you.
Yes, you read that correctly. Jesus Christ is here for you to forgive, comfort, and strengthen you in the one true faith. As the Word made flesh, Jesus is the sum and substance of the written Word (the Holy Scriptures) and the visible Word (the Sacraments). And so, wherever God's Word is proclaimed in its truth and purity, there is Jesus. And wherever the Sacraments are administered according to the Gospel, there is Jesus. But don't take our word on that. Take Christ's word: "The one who hears you hears Me" (Luke 10:16). And again: "Where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I among them" (Matthew 18:20).
Why Divine Shepherd? Because we are here for you.
We are your brothers and sisters in Christ, ready to meet you where you are and welcome you into our family. Like you, we are real people with real dreams, real hopes, real trials, real temptations, real struggles, and real sins. With the psalmist we have learned to confess: "My help comes from the LORD" (Psalm 121:2). That help comes to us through His life-giving Word--proclaimed in God's house, read in our homes, and spoken to one another. Here at Divine Shepherd you will find a pastor and congregation--a family of Christians--who are here for you. Why? Because "the love of Christ compels us" (2 Corinthians 5:14). "We love because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19).
Why Divine Shepherd?
Because here at Divine Shepherd you will find Christ in our midst, forgiveness and strength in His Word, and companionship in our members. Welcome home!
