Pastor and Staff

Pastor Kristen Larsen-Schmidt

Hello! It is my deep privilege and joy to serve as pastor to the lively community of Good Shepherd Lutheran and to also be a conduit for healing and love to all I encounter. My driving passion is building up community while making plenty of space for questioners, kids and youth, and anyone who lives on the edges.  

A little about my background: I grew up as a pastor’s kid in Beach, ND and Fergus Falls, MN. I attended Luther College, spent a year in Lutheran Volunteer Corp in Chicago, attended Luther Seminary, and was ordained in 2002. I have served several medium and large congregations in the Red River Valley of Minnesota and Eastern North Dakota and also served as a hospice chaplain for several years. I am beginning my time at Good Shepherd in June of 2025. I am married to Brian, an elementary school teacher, and we are parents to two young adults, Gracia and Micah, and also count our dog Pippa and two cats, Chester and Lily as part of our family.  We were drawn to Good Shepherd because of this community’s clear commitment to love like Jesus—with total inclusivity, compassion, and a hunger for justice and advocacy. Brian and I were drawn to Decorah because of its beauty, quirkiness, down-to-earth intellectual engagement, and gorgeous trails. We love running, hiking, biking, gardening, good music, art and theater. We feel very pleased to have landed in this sweet spot here in the Driftless.

In general, my plan is to be in the church office from 9-4 on Monday and Tuesday and 9-12 on Thursdays. Wednesdays I will be in and out of the office with visits and nursing home services. Thursday afternoon is slated for study and writing whenever possible. Friday will be my day off. Pastor Kristen welcomes visits. To ensure that she is available, it is helpful to email or call ahead and make an appointment.  Pastor Kristen’s phone:  563-202-0780. Good Shepherd office phone: (563) 382-3963. Pastor Kristen’s email:  pastorkristen@goodshepherddecorah.org.   

Brooke Joyce, Music Director

Brooke Joyce is Good Shepherd’s Music Director, planning and preparing music for worship services, as well as playing organ and piano. Born and raised in East Lansing, Michigan, Brooke earned degrees in music composition from Lawrence University, the Cleveland Institute of Music, and Princeton University. He is the Composer in Residence at Luther College and a faculty member of the International Music Festival of the Adriatic. Prior to moving to Decorah, he served Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist and UCC congregations in Ohio and Virginia. He and his wife, Jennifer Self, are the parents of two sons: Keegan, who made his Good Shepherd debut as baby Jesus in 2010, and Kyle, baptized June 21, 2015.

Contact Brooke: brooke.joyce@luther.edu

Gabby Bizal, Community Engagement Coordinator

Hello! My name is Gabby and I am your Community Engagement Coordinator! In this role, I will be responsible for communications work and our Children, Youth, Family, and Young Adult ministries! I feel extremely excited to serve in a role that has been a dream of mine since I was young. I was drawn to Good Shepherd because of the radical and inclusive love and care you all provide to each person you encounter.
A little bit about me: I grew up in Bloomington, MN, a suburb of Minneapolis, with my parents, two younger brothers, and a very loving dog named Sadie. I come from a very large family (I have 26 cousins on my mom’s side) whom I am very close with and try to see as often as possible. I graduated from Luther in May of 2025 with my Bachelors in Social Work, which I am eager to apply to my work at Good Shepherd. As a lifelong Episcopalian, the duality of a lifelong faith and a background in social work makes me keenly aware of the injustices faced by many around the world. As I work with children and youth, my goal is to continue to instill a drive for communal care and responsibility into every lesson, activity, and conversation. Decorah is a place that has felt like home since I first stepped foot on Luther’s campus in the fall of 2020, and I am looking forward to continuing to put down roots in this community. I am a big fan of being outside, dancing, reading, art, and live music. My hours at Good Shepherd will be 9-4 Monday through Thursday. I have so enjoyed getting to know each of you, and I am excited to continue to meet more of you. Please feel free to stop by, introduce
yourself, and share with me your story. I look forward to continuing our work together! You can reach me
by calling the church at (563) 382-3963 or by emailing me at gabby@goodshepherddecorah.org.

 

Tristan Occhipinti, Office & Building Manager

Tristan has lived in Decorah since 2015; his husband is a professor of math at Luther College. He has worked at Good Shepherd since 2023, and unequivocally states that serving the Good Shepherd community is a source of great joy in his life. Good Shepherd does so much for its members and for all those in need!

When not at Good Shepherd, Tristan spends his time running two YouTube channels with his husband, listening to heavy metal and Scandinavian folk music (sometimes at the same time), and playing board games with friends.

Contact Tristan:  
563-382-3963
tristan@goodshepherddecorah.org

Tristan works in the office from 9 AM to 12 PM Monday-Friday.

Mike Sammons, Custodian

Mike left Muscatine, Iowa at 18 to join the Army and see the world and ended up in Kansas for 3 years. The Army wasn’t for him but Kansas held his first greenhouse job and a stint as a farm hand at a buffalo farm on the flint hills. Family brought Mike back to Iowa where he has had several diverse and overlapping roles including general manager of an exotic animal farm/retired tree farm, retail greenhouse sales, property manager for a local service provider, grower for a mushroom farm, farmers market farmer on rented land and co-op produce clerk. Mike met Rachael in Iowa City and they now have twin two-year-old daughters, Althea and Eleanor. Mike earned a degree in Renewable energy from Kirkwood Community College, which led to a job as a wind turbine technician and a consulting position with an experimental solar/hydrogen project. “Jack of all trades and master of none” has become more of a goal rather than just a motto for Mike, but the one constant has been a deep connection to the land and growing food for people. Mike is serving as board member, Caretaker, and Special Projects Director at Rerooted Connections, a local nonprofit specializing in permaculture education.

Erik Berg, Security

Erik is a member of Good Shepherd.  His contact information is in the Good Shepherd online directory.