The Rev. Alissa Oleson has served as pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church since September 2016. A native of the Midwest, Pastor Alissa studied Biology & Religion at Capital University in Columbus, OH and has an M.Div from Harvard Divinity School and a M.A.M. from Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. Her ministry experience is a bit eclectic (but she likes eclectic!) from her time as an assistant education coordinator at a community center in Delaware, to being a program director in the woods of North Carolina at a small Lutheran camp, to Campus Ministry in the Boston area, and time at Hebrew SeniorLife as part of Jewish Clinical Pastoral Education. Helping people connect their stories to their neighbors’ stories and to God’s story is what she loves most about being a pastor. She likes wandering Wollaston Beach, being involved with the Quincy Interfaith Network, playing board games, visiting breweries and mediocre stand-up comedy.
“I want to be a pastor with a community who loves. And this community loves. They get that everyone has wounds and scars. They also get that we are better for sharing our lives with each other, gathered around God’s grace.”