A Lutheran Congregation in the Heart of Kenwood
Across the street from Kenwood Towne Centre, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church has stood in the same stretch of Sycamore Township since 1953, when a small group of believers planted a church in what was then a rural corner of Hamilton County. Three-quarters of a century later, the congregation at 7701 Kenwood Road draws people from across greater Cincinnati, and its pastors speak openly about what drew them to a community now woven into the fabric of one of the region's busiest retail corridors. Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. Lorne Hlad leads a staff of three clergy and ministry directors, all working under a single mission the congregation reclarified in 2024: Connecting People to True Abundance in Christ.
Good Shepherd is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). That identity shapes both its sacramental life and its openness. Communion is celebrated at every service each week, and the invitation to the table is wide. Baptism is offered to infants and adults alike, and new members are received every few months. The church's motto - "True Abundance" - threads through everything from the worship bulletin to the language of its recent building campaign.
Three Services, One Liturgical Shape
Worship is the front door of the congregation, and the church keeps that door open three times each weekend. On Saturday evening at 5 pm and on Sunday morning at 11 am, the service is traditional: Lutheran hymns sung to organ and piano, with the Adult Choir and Handbell Choirs adding their voices during the program year. On Sunday morning at 9 am, the service takes a contemporary turn, led by a worship band and supported by a front screen that walks the room through liturgy and song.
All three services follow a similar liturgical order - songs, readings, sermon, prayers, offering, communion and sending - so a visitor who attends the contemporary service one weekend and the traditional service the next will recognize the shape of worship even as the music changes. The 9 am and 11 am Sunday services are live streamed each week, and special services during Holy Week and Christmas are also broadcast.
Children are present in every service. Each week a Children's Message draws kids forward for a short lesson of their own. Children's bulletins with activities and bags of quiet toys sit on a rack just outside the worship space, and a "Prayground" with comfortable seating, games and books offers a way for parents and caregivers to stay connected to the service while little ones play nearby. Free drop-in childcare in the staffed nursery is available on Sundays for children five and under.
Holy Communion is open to everyone. Grape juice and gluten-free wafers are available for those who need them. Large print bulletins are offered at all services, and assistive listening devices can be requested from an usher.
A Rhythm of Gather, Grow, Go
Underneath everything Good Shepherd does is a simple rhythm of life: Gather for Worship, Grow in Groups, and Go in Service. Worship gathers the community to give praise and experience grace. Groups are where faith deepens through relationships. Service is where the congregation takes that grace into the wider world.
The core values that drive that rhythm are written on the church's heart. Every One, Every Day affirms that all people are created in God's image and that the community flourishes when acceptance, grace and dignity are extended to every human life. Rooted in Relationship says that authentic relationships are the heart of Christian community. Intergenerational Impact calls the church to equip disciples across every stage of life. Guided by Grace anchors everything in the conviction that salvation is a gift. Relevant and Reforming commits the congregation to a Lutheran tradition of regularly adapting its methods to serve a changing world.
Kids, Students and Families
Family ministry is one of the church's most visible commitments, and Pastor Alex Hoops serves as the Associate Pastor over Student and Family Ministries. The programs stretch from preschool through high school and are designed to walk with young people and their parents at every stage.
Kids Connect gathers children from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade on Sunday mornings at 10 am, September through May, for engaging Bible-focused activities. Club 456 invites fourth through sixth graders into a younger youth group that explores faith through service, friendship and fun. Confirmation is a two-year program for seventh and eighth graders that walks students through the shared Lutheran faith, culminating in the public Rite of Confirmation each fall. The Flock serves high school students in grades nine through twelve with connection, service and conversations about faith.
Vacation Bible School fills one week each June with songs, crafts and games for preschoolers through sixth graders, and the church also offers a summer camp and family camp option for time away together. Children's Ministry Leader Amber Holdt coordinates much of this work with her team of volunteers.
Parents have a place of their own. Parent Connect meets on Sunday mornings at 10 am in Room 101, and the congregation hosts occasional events like MomCo, a moms' group that meets for picnics, playdates and fellowship throughout the year.
Groups and Classes for Every Stage of Life
Small groups are the backbone of the Grow in Groups rhythm. Connect Groups gather around shared interests or seasons of life - examples named by the church include the 55+ Club for seniors, Literature in Our Lives book club, Justice Seekers for those drawn to social justice, and MomCo for mothers. Seasonal Journeys meet for shorter stretches of study, including a Lenten Journey Group that walks through the weeks leading to Easter. Student Groups mirror the youth programs: Club 456, Confirmation and The Flock.
Classes and studies provide more focused learning. Topics range from books of the Bible to faith-based parenting, and a periodic Discovering Your Spiritual Gifts workshop helps members identify how their gifts fit into the church's ministry. Groups and classes are organized and registered through the congregation's online member portal, Realm.
A Congregation That Serves Its City
Service is where the third part of the rhythm - Go in Service - comes to life. Good Shepherd partners with a range of local and global organizations, including Habitat for Humanity, the Haitian Timoun Foundation, Lutheran World Hunger and Matthew 25: Ministries. The church runs regular service days with Habitat for Humanity, where volunteers of all skill levels help build affordable homes in the Cincinnati area; no experience is necessary and tools and training are provided.
Through the Good Shepherd Serves program, the congregation packs personal hygiene kits for distribution through local pantries, including the Taft Elementary and Shepherd's Pantries that the church supports, and gathers school supplies each summer for Matthew 25: Ministries' annual backpack giveaway. Members also walk and run in the city's Hunger Walk and 5K Run each Memorial Day and visit students at Taft Elementary several times a year.
Care ministry is a quieter side of the same commitment. Stephen Ministers and Prayer Ministry teams walk alongside members during illness, grief and other difficult seasons. Educational events, such as a recent Understanding Alzheimer's and Dementia session, equip the congregation to support neighbors facing common challenges.
Inside the building, ministry teams welcome visitors, prepare communion, run soundboards, sing in choirs, maintain the property through Monday Morning Work Crew and the Botanical Bunch gardening group, and serve as Kids Connect leaders and Vacation Bible School volunteers. There is a role for nearly every skill and schedule.
Baptism and Membership
Baptism is a regular and joyful event at Good Shepherd. The sacrament is offered throughout the year on dedicated Baptism Weekends held at every worship service, and parents of infants or adults preparing for baptism meet with a pastor to talk through Lutheran theology and the logistics of the service. Sponsors (the Lutheran equivalent of godparents) promise to walk alongside the baptized as practicing Christians; they need not be Lutheran, need not be of any particular gender, and need not be members of Good Shepherd.
Membership follows a similar rhythm. Discover Good Shepherd classes are offered several times a year and include lunch and childcare. After attending, those ready to join are welcomed on New Member Weekends held roughly three times annually, and new members can be received remotely if they are unable to attend in person. Confirmation students become confirmed members at the annual Rite of Confirmation each fall.
The Bold Together Renovation
For nearly seventy-five years, the congregation has used the same Kenwood Road campus, and the building is now in the middle of its largest renovation in generations. The Bold Together campaign is a three-year generosity initiative that has already drawn more than $4 million in pledges toward renewing and reimagining the campus to support the church's mission.
The project focuses on five areas: enhanced visibility and improved first impressions; welcoming and expanded gathering spaces; secure and dedicated spaces for children and the preschool; offices and a conference area relocated next to a new music suite; and improved accessibility along with updated kitchen and restroom facilities. Renderings shared with the congregation include a new entry lobby, a café with an indoor play area and a dedicated preschool entrance, a fellowship hall reimagined as a gathering space, and a new music suite near the offices.
Construction is scheduled to begin in early 2027. Until December 20, 2026, the church continues to host outside groups and events in its building; after that date, room reservations pause for the duration of the project. Members gathered for an All-Community Worship Service and Congregational Meeting on November 1 to vote on the financing plan.
Good Shepherd Preschool
Sharing the Kenwood Road campus is Good Shepherd Preschool, a licensed early-childhood program directed by Michele Lamberson with Lorie Zeisler serving as assistant director. The preschool draws on more than forty years of early-childhood experience and is woven into the life of the congregation, with its own dedicated entrance planned as part of the Bold Together renovation.
Music in Kenwood
Music is a quietly distinguishing thread at Good Shepherd. The Sunday 9 am and 11 am services feature the Adult Choir and Handbell Choirs during the program year. Lissa Ray directs the Handbell Ministry and is a founding member of the Cincinnati Collaborative Ringing Project. Ken Holdt, who also teaches at nearby Sycamore High School, leads worship and music overall, with Worship and Music Associates Olivia Barnaclo and Keith Humphrey rounding out the team.
The church hosts the Music in Kenwood concert series, which has featured the Cincinnati Camerata Choir and other ensembles. The series ties the congregation's musical life to the wider Cincinnati arts community.
Visiting Good Shepherd
The church sits at 7701 Kenwood Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45236, in the Kenwood area of Sycamore Township, directly across from Kenwood Towne Centre. Parking is available in the main lot, with overflow parking on Sundays in a connected lot owned by the Trio's restaurant next door. Several Metro Route 4 bus stops are a short walk from the front door.
Visitors are welcome at any of the three weekend services. Those who prefer to worship from home can join the 9 am or 11 am Sunday services through the live stream, and recent services are available on demand on the church's YouTube channel. Sermons are also distributed as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and SoundCloud.
The church office is open Monday through Thursday from 9 am to 3 pm and can be reached at (513) 891-1700 or office@goodshepherd.com. Giving is available online through the church's Realm portal, and the congregation publishes a quarterly magazine, The Shepherd's Horn, along with an annual report and seasonal Ministry Guide. A weekly email newsletter shares announcements and stories of hope from the community.