Rev. Dr. Richard Lafferty began serving as the rector of Good Shepherd Anglican Church in 2023. Previously, he served churches in Las Vegas, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. His ministry experience also includes serving as a youth pastor in the Chicago area and church planter.

 

He was born in a small town in northern Ohio and lived there until moving on from college.

 

Rev. Lafferty has a passion for helping people understand the teachings of Jesus and the whole Bible as well as getting them connected with one another and serving throughout the community. He firmly believes that the good news of Jesus Christ can and will forever change a person’s heart and life. His desire is to see the spiritual landscape of our city and the regions beyond spiritually shaped by the promises Jesus offers.

 

Rev. Lafferty began a personal relationship with Jesus Christ when he was twenty years old after a friend shared the gospel with him. He immediately sensed a call to ministry. After a few years of attending a church in his hometown he surrendered to God's call and left for ministerial training in Missouri.

 

He has been involved in the greater church’s mission serving as a bishop from 1992 - 2013. He an is the former president of Northpoint College in Bradford, MA and a lifetime honorary trustee. Dr. Lafferty has also taught for Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary as a visiting instructor, the  graduate school for Global University, Alliance Seminary, and Evangel University.

 

His education includes undergraduate degrees in electronic engineering from North Central State College in Ohio and Biblical Studies from Central Bible College in Springfield, MO. Seminary studies were done at Winebrenner Theological Seminary in Findlay, Ohio. He further earned an M.A. in Biblical Literature from Evangel University in Springfield, MO and an M.A.R. in Theology from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. His doctoral degree in theological leadership was earned from Regent University in Virginia.

 

Rev. Lafferty and his wife Ellen, a native of the Mansfield, Ohio area, were married in 1977. They have one child, a son Joel (married to Christy) who serves in ordained ministry in northern New Jersey.