Celebrating 40 years of service to the Lord

Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church had its beginning in 1970 as a mission congregation of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.

The history of the Greenville mission dates back to April 1968 when a group of interested Lutherans conducted a survey of the Greenville area to determine the religious needs and interests of the community. The survey results indicated that a Lutheran church in the town of Greenville was already needed and that the need would continue to grow with anticipated population growth.

On January 4, 1970, eighty-five worshipers gathered at the Greenville Town Hall for the opening service of the new Greenville Lutheran Church.

A corner stone for the new church building was laid on May 9, 1971 with the dedication of the new building on October 17th of the same year. After several years of planning, an addition was added to the existing building and dedicated on March 24, 1985.

In July of 2001 ground was broken in preparation for yet another expansion. A multi-ministry addition of over 26,000 square feet was added to accommodate the growing and changing needs of the congregation and the community. A dedication was celebrated on September 22, 2002.

Our mission

Our mission is to grow as a community of faith where people are welcomed warmly in Christ's name, equipped to grow in Christ faithfully, and sent to serve Christ fruitfully.

Our vision

We believe God has called us to serve though worship, Christian education, and community outreach.

We intend to increase our ministry by offering a variety of dynamic worship services to inspire growth and faith in witness, by providing Christian education opportunities for all ages; including efforts to enrich the Christian focus of our pre-school, and by giving our members diverse opportunities to serve God's people outside of our congregation through evangelism and community events.

Our core values

We are committed to being a Christ-centered church. We confess and teach what we believe to be the central truth of the Bible as proclaimed by Martin Luther and practiced by the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod; we are saved by grace through faith.

We are committed to growing as a community of faith. We seek to build, strengthen, and affirm not only our members' personal relationships with Christ, but also their relationship with all believers.

We are committed to celebrating our shared faith in worship. Our physical surroundings, musical content, and style of service should attract, enlighten, and inspire both members and non-members.

We are committed to being a family church. We will be intentional in providing the nurturing atmosphere of a loving church family. Our efforts will not be limited to upholding traditional families, but becoming a caring and welcoming "family" for all people.

We are committed to being a servant church. We will actively pursue and create opportunities for members in lay ministry and evangelism, not only to serve each other, but also the community-at-large.

We believe

    For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

    We believe in salvation by grace alone, that man is born into sin and can only be saved through faith in God's Son Jesus Christ. No one can be saved by his or her own efforts.

    Though we desire to live a life that pleases God, we are motivated to do this out of love and appreciation for all God has done for us in Christ.

    Lutheran teachings are based on God's inspired word contained in the Bible, as well as the writings and teachings of Martin Luther and other theologians recorded in the Lutheran Confessions, summarized by the Apostle's Creed.

    I believe in the God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

    And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.

    I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.