The Rev. Dr. Roland M. Klauck was installed as Pastor of Good Shepherd in February, 1973, guided Good Shepherd through its early ministry, the building of its present facilities, dedicated in 1980, and the development of its ministry till 2004.

He retired on November 1, 2004, after 32 years of service to the congregation, the New England District, and the community. Our best wishes, prayers, and gratitude for over three decades of leadership and service go with him and his family.

He is a graduate of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri . , where he earned his Master of Divinity degree in 1964. Before coming to New Fairfield, he served as a mission developer in Medina, Ohio, and taught at our Concordia College in Bronxville, New York .

He has pursued graduate studies in the natural sciences, psychology, counseling, and various areas of family ministry at Washington University, St. Louis , at Kent State University , and at the University of Akron in Ohio , as well as at the University of Bridgeport here in Connecticut. He earned his Doctor of Ministry Degree in 1996 from Fuller Theological Seminary , Pasadena, California. His dissertation is titled: "A Training Program for an Assimilation Ministry."

In the early years at Good Shepherd, Pastor Klauck attended Parish Leadership Seminars at Indianapolis, Indiana, and then shared that leadership style with our lay leaders in a series of workshops and retreats. He steadily led Good Shepherd in its Building Program in the late '70's. He has instructed teachers in the Bethel Bible Series, taught Crossways, and trained Stephen Ministers. In recent years he has led the congregation through the evangelism-oriented, district-supported Church Growth program sponsored by the Church Growth Institute of Corunna, Indiana.

An eager teacher, he has taught extended courses and written and led retreats on congregational leadership, in evangelism and assimilation, on spiritual gifts, as well as, for couples and family life enrichment, and for issues relating to death and dying. He has just recently written a devotion, "Anchored in Christ," for the web page of the New England District of the Lutheran Women's Missionary League.

He has served as Chairman of the district's Campus Ministry Committee and as a member of the district's Church Planting Committee. He presently is Circuit Counselor for the Lower Connecticut West Circuit of the New England District, a position he has held for many years. He has served as a Teacher/Mentor for the Theology by Extension Program for the training of Lay Ministers offered by Concordia University of Mequon, Wisconsin. He has received "Peacemaker" training and currently serves as a Synodical Reconciler, and has instructed groups in "Responding to Conflict Confessionally." He has been registered as a member of The American Association of Christian Counselors.

He and his wife Joyce, a Middle School English Language Arts teacher, who earned her Master of Arts Degree in English from Western Connecticut State University and has also earned her Master's Degree in Family Therapy from Southern Connecticut State University , often share in teaching and counseling endeavors. Pastor and Joyce have three grown children: Matthew, Annie, and Sarah.