Shepherd of the Mountains Lutheran Church (SMLC) is a church of the Evangelical Church in America (ELCA). Regardless of age, race or status in life, members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America welcome you to join this community of faith. If you’re unfamiliar with our church, some of what you learn may surprise you.

The Shepherd of the Mountains congregation began as a Christian fellowship in the early 1990s, gathering in the homes of participating families for prayer and worship. The group grew in numbers as it gathered in various locations around Estes Park, eventually holding worship services on Sunday mornings.

The official chartering of SMLC into the ELCA occurred on May 30,1997, the approximate time the first full-time pastor was called to serve the congregation. With the beginning of the new millennium SMLC welcomed a new pastor who helped lead the congregation into the building phase. The church’s building was dedicated in June of 2008. In 2011 our pastor, Ron Bockhaus, began his ministry at SMLC.

Our congregation is part of a larger church called the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. As a member of the ELCA we understand Christ’s Church to be always changing and reforming. We reach back in history and first trace our roots to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. His good news for the world is still the Gospel we share today.

We also draw upon Martin Luther and sixteenth century Germany where he helped the church redefine its purpose to love God and serve the neighbor. Luther’s focus on God’s word inspired him to keep the Gospel of Jesus Christ central to the church’s life. It continues to inspire the church today as we build up disciples through love and service.

Rocky Mountain Synod

We are also part of a subcategory of the larger church called the Rocky Mountain Synod. “Synod” means “walking together” and that is what we try to do with the other 162 congregations in the Rocky Mountain region covering the states of Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico and a little bit of Texas. As a synod we have described our life together this way:

As the ELCA Rocky Mountain Synod
We are Church: Better Together
From the wilds of Wyoming
Through the Great Salt Lake Valley
Across Colorado’s mountains, Front Range, and Eastern Plains
Throughout the Land of Enchantment
To the El Paso banks of the Rio Grande
We are Church: Better Together

We are passionate about God’s
Love in Jesus Love that is boundless
Love that meets you where you are
Love that anchors you in a messy world
Love that frees you to make the world a better place
Together we are a both/and church in an either/or world
We are Church: Better Together

We grow together
We struggle together
We explore together
We share together
We celebrate together
Being church together allows us to make things happen
That we could never do on our own
As the ELCA Rocky Mountain Synod
We are Church: Better Together

The ELCA is an engaged, active body of people who put faith in God into action — in millions of ways, all over the world. Join us!