Our Team

Welcome to Good Shepherd!  This is a strong and vibrant congregation, filled with people who care about one another and the world around them.  I am passionate about bringing the Word of God to people, whether it be through preaching, through teaching or through day to day conversations.  I am equally passionate about the way we respond to that living Word of Christ in our lives – by caring for our neighbors globally and locally, and by caring for one another.  Yet another passion is getting to know people and learning their stories and helping them make connections with one another, for the stronger our connections are with one another the stronger our connection is with God.  It is my great joy to serve as senior pastor of this faithful congregation!

It is my privilege to call on people who are not able to be in church as often as they used to be. It is a great privilege to call on these people and I often tell them, “When you are no longer able to come to church, I am happy to bring the church to you.” One of the great advantages of growing older is that people have had great experiences and have a meaningful history to share. Good Shepherd cares not only about those who are able to be in worship services but also those who are not. Please let me know if you would like a visit.

I work with 6th-12th graders and their families. In this ministry, I want to help students and their families experience God in real, meaningful and relevant ways. These experiences come in a variety of ways like retreats, confirmation and special events. However regardless of the venue God moves and works in these students. For me working with 6th-12th graders is interesting, fun and maybe sometimes dangerous! I love hearing their stories and the energy they bring. Working with 6th-12th graders is a communal ministry where God does amazing things.

My work with and among the people of Good Shepherd combines two of my passionate interests:  teaching and outreach.  It is my deep conviction that we meet God in the Word and we meet God in our neighbor.  Through study and conversation,  action and service, we deepen our faith.   I have been called to facilitate and develop adult education opportunities including Bible studies, forums on contemporary faith and social issues and the LifeLines program on Sunday morning.  I am also charged with providing opportunities for people of all ages to live out their faith in service and outreach to the neighbor, especially those in need.  

I believe that in the songs, anthems and hymns of worship, the Holy Spirit "intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words" (Romans 8:26). My role as Director of Music at Good Shepherd is to try to create opportunities for the Spirit to sing God's Word directly into our hearts, and to help all of our people—choirs, soloists, instrumentalists, and the folks in the pews—to respond to the gifts of God with heartfelt songs of prayer, thanksgiving, and praise. The songs we offer will be many and diverse, for your heart-music may well differ from that of the person sitting next to you; but in our sharing of songs, we have the chance to also share the journey of faith with each other in ways that are rich, broad, and, yes, "too deep for words."

My name is Megan (it's actually pronounced Mee-gan) Engel and I am the new accompanist at Good Shepherd. I am so excited to be here to serve such a warm and open congregation! My primary duties here include playing organ and piano for the two Sunday morning services and accompanying the adult and children's choirs in rehearsals and worship. My husband and I reside in Northfield and run a small music studio where I teach private piano, organ and voice lessons during the week. My free time is occupied by our one-year-old son and two frisky felines.

My name is Tor Johnson and I’m the Director of Performing Arts. I direct the Chorister Choir (for grades 4 through 7), the Christmas Musicals (for all ages), the Bell Choir (for teens through adults), the Lenten Drama Series (for all ages), the Taiko Drums (for all ages) and I’m also in charge of Outreach Through Performing Arts, which provides volunteer opportunities using performing arts as a tool. I’m always looking for people to participate in performing arts ministry at Good Shepherd. I am also married to Margaret Berg and have three children, Berit, Tryg and Gus.

My responsibilities include finding and training Sunday school teachers for classes age 2 through 6th grade, gathering supplies for all classes and Wednesday evening activities. I enjoy working with children and their parents. I love to see children involved in worship, Sunday school, mission, and fellowship. We are an inter-generational church - we encourage children to be involved in all activities!

Hi! My name is Janet Fystrom, and I work in the front office. If you call Good Shepherd, there’s a good chance that I will answer the phone. I also prepare the newsletter and Sunday bulletin, maintain membership records, recruit and train the office volunteers and manage the church calendar. One of my favorite parts of the job is working with the volunteers; they are the backbone of the church and I truly appreciate the expertise, hospitality and time they give. Stop in the office and say “hi” because I would love to get to know you!

The professional specialty of parish nursing combines nursing care and health ministry. In broad terms, my goals are to serve this faith community by fostering optimal health of body, mind, and spirit. I must admit that the best thing I do is to listen to others. My work involves visiting those who are homebound or ill; together with that, I may offer health counseling and education, referrals or resources for healthcare needs for all ages. The parish nurse works with volunteers, including the Health Ministry team, to bring programs and services to the congregation.

It is a joy to help these children learn to express their worship through music, movement, and drama.  My goal is to facilitate their participation and leadership in the worship service as they grow into the active church community.  I teach voice and music at St. Joseph’s School of Music as well as children’s theater classes with Steppingstone Theatre and Children’s Theatre.  In our spare time, my husband and I enjoy our horses, dogs and ice dancing.

Hi!  I feel very blessed and excited to be working with such incredible people here!  I am married to a wonderful guy and have 3 children and 2 stepsons.  I've owned a bookkeeping business in Mound for almost 12 years.  I am responsible for the bookkeeping and payroll functions, tracking your pledges and offerings, budgeting, administering personnel policies and procedures, and building-related issues.  If you have concerns or questions on any of these areas, come see me.  I work Mon, Tues, Thur and Fri mornings.  I look forward to meeting you!

I love to help people and make their worship experience and events here as comfortable as possible. If something needs fixing, I’m on it! I love my job and couldn’t pick a better place to work. My wife and daughter also worship here. The people of our congregation are the most welcoming and helpful group of people that anyone could ever know. That’s why Good Shepherd is like our home.