Our Shepherd
Love + Pray + Gather + Serve
Pastors are to act like shepherds by caring for the flock, and this care includes teaching.
A pastor is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, pastors are always ordained.
Pastor Derek Cheek
Pastor Derek J. Cheek joined First Lutheran Church of Cape Cod in April of 2023. He was the pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Olean, New York for nineteen years. Prior to that he served congregations in Missouri and Ohio. He holds a BA in theology/Greek from Cedarville University, an MA in literature from Wright State University, an MDiv from Concordia Theological Seminary, and a DMin from Trinity Episcopal School of Ministry. Derek served as a mainframe applications analyst for the US Department of Defense from 1991-94. He is married to Patty, has three adult daughters and a grown step-daughter. Derek enjoys Irish and Scottish culture, and can often be found wearing a kilt at Celtic festivals… and occasionally at church.
Onward Christian Soldiers?: One Pastor’s Journey from Fundamentalism to Discipleship
Author
Onward Christian Soldiers?: One Pastor’s Journey from Fundamentalism to Discipleship
You’ve probably heard someone say, “I go to a Bible believing church.” The implication is pretty clear: if you go somewhere else you’re attending a “Bible doubting” church. Some fundamentalist and evangelical pastors actually say just that from their pulpits. It’s branding genius! It’s also dismissive of most of Christianity. In this book I hope to reclaim words like “moderate” and “progressive” as a style of spirituality that actually reflects Jesus’ teaching. My goal is to present a scriptural basis for the beliefs of the other half of American Protestantism. I hope that those who read this book see that our differences from fundamentalist and evangelical congregations are grounded on an abiding trust in God’s goodness, especially as we see it in Jesus. It’s my desire to establish how discipleship in our communities is driven by the belief that the sacrificial love we see expressed by Jesus for us, should also be expressed by us in our everyday lives. Jesus calls us to follow his way of life, which is reflected in the Beatitudes. That kind of Christianity looks a lot different from what is being taught in most big-box churches across the country.