Our History
Back in 2002 the congregations of Our Saviour's Knox and Good Shepherd Ringwood started looking at how they could begin a shared ministry.
By the end of 2003 the pastors of Ringwood and Knox had moved on, one to retirement and the other to take up a call at another congregation. This provided the opportunity to call a pastor who would serve both congregations, together with a lay worker.
The two congregations formally became the Ringwood-Knox Parish in 2005.
Thankfully the formation of the parish didn’t affect the unique identities of either congregation. The styles of worship, leadership and artistic expression are different at Knox and at Ringwood (each reflecting their history and traditions) and these are celebrated. But whatever our differences, there is a great sense of shared faith, and both congregations work to show the love of God to our suburban Melbourne neighbours.
Our common mission is to worship God, to care for each other and others, and to live and share the gospel in our daily lives.
Our Neighbourhoods
Good Shepherd Ringwood is located in the City of Maroondah in Melbourne’s outer east. Maroondah likes to claim that it blends the best of city and country lifestyles and facilities, and most of us agree that it’s a great place to live! Maroondah has a population of around 110,000 and is home to 5,000 organisations that employ 27,000 people.
The construction of the train line from Hawthorn to Lilydale (through Ringwood) in 1882 paved the way for Ringwood’s growth. Our church is walking distance to Ringwood train station and approximately 28 kilometres from Melbourne’s CBD. The first Lutheran church services began in Ringwood in 1952 - in German, for the German immigrants. Ringwood congregation still has a significant number of people with German heritage but services have been in English since 1958.
Our Saviour’s Lutheran 'House of the Church', Knox, is located in the neighbouring City of Knox. While many members live there, others live in the surrounding area. In particular, many are ‘hills people’ from the Dandenongs. 'Hills people' can be a bit ‘alternative’ and tend to challenge the norm. These members have influenced the character of the Knox congregation and for that we are grateful! People of all faiths are welcome and the church is called the 'House of the Church' because the church is the people, rather than the building.
Our common mission is to worship God, to care for each other and others, and to live and share the gospel in our daily lives.
