History of our Congregation

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Noosa started in 1985. Until then Noosa Lutherans formed part of the Gympie parish which included a congregation in Cooroy. Neil Berlin, a Lutheran lay mission worker, did some groundwork in the Noosa area in the early 1980s and found that there was support for the establishment of a Christian school in the area. In 1985 the former Noosa drive-in theatre on Eumundi Road in Noosaville came up for sale and was purchased by the Lutheran Church as the centre for a church and a school. A new Cooroy-Noosa Lutheran parish was formed and the drive-in kiosk converted to a preaching place. Good Shepherd Lutheran Primary School opened in 1986, added a classroom block and shared the existing facilities with the congregation. In 1991 the congregation built the current church on the campus. Meanwhile the school was growing and became a P – 12 college in 1992. Pastor Keith Stiller served as the first pastor to the Noosa and Cooroy congregations. He was succeeded in due course by Pastor Chris Bartholomaeus, Pastor Mark Nitschke, and currently Pastor Mark Hansen.

In 2021, Good Shepherd added on to the current facilities a new worship and ministry centre. This consists of a new Chapel for worship, offices, kitchen, a fellowship terrace and multipurpose room. We are excited to see how God will use these facilities to help us grow in our faith and to encourage others to know God’s love and grace. These facilities are made available by a generous gift from the Holtz estate and in partnership with Good Shepherd Lutheran College

Our Organisation

The Good Shepherd Lutheran congregation in Noosa belongs to the Lutheran Church of Australia (LCA). It is also part of the regional organisation known as the Lutheran Church of Australia, Queensland District (LCAQD). It financially supports both the national and regional entities of the Church and accepts and co-operates with their initiatives in areas like missions, education and welfare. Good Shepherd also has considerable local autonomy, calling its own pastors, electing its own officers, establishing its own committees, setting its own budget and establishing its own program. The congregation works under a constitution. The Church Council has oversight of the work of the congregation, which includes a chair, treasurer and indexary. Various committees are formed to provide for areas of purpose including; worship, fellowship, discipleship, evangelism and ministry (pastoral care).

Our Pastor

Pastor Mark Hansen originally comes from Audubon, Iowa USA. He studied Audio Engineering in Minneapolis, MN before becoming involved with Lutheran Youth Encounter. While on Lutheran Youth Encounter, Mark met his wife Anne who is from Adelaide, SA. Together, they have 3 children, Jonah, Christian & Emma.

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Mark studied at Luther Seminary in Adelaide and was ordained in the Lutheran Church of Australia in 2000. Pastor Mark has served the Wodonga Lutheran Parish (2000-2005), Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Hampstead SA (2005-2009), St Peter's Lutheran Church, Loxton SA (2009-2016) and currently Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Noosa (2017- Present).