Shepherd Reformed Baptist Church — Church Directory

Quick Facts

Pastor — the shepherd God holds accountable Luke Schmeltzer

Founded Unknown

Denomination Reformed Baptist

Service Times See website

Men's Ministry No

Kids Ministry No

Website www.shepherdrbc.com/

Pastor Credentials M.Div., Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary (2025)

10-Point Theological Scorecard

Christology

Is Jesus the only way? (John 14:6)

Strong

Scripture

Inerrancy affirmed? Final authority?

Strong

Men's Discipleship

Intentional formation for men?

Church plant — verify with church

Caution

Soteriology

Faith alone? How is salvation presented?

Strong

Gender / Biblical Design

Biblical manhood and womanhood by God's design — patriarchal, complementarian, egalitarian, or affirming gender ideology?

Complementarian/patriarchal — male elders only per RB practice

Complementarian — male elders/pastors only per 1689

Strong

Leadership Structure

Male elders/pastors? Accountability?

Strong

Preaching Style

Expository or topical/therapeutic?

Strong

Mission Clarity

Great Commission central?

Strong

Cultural Alignment

DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?

Strong

Accountability Structure

Denominational home, elder plurality, or external network — is the pastor answerable to anyone?

Adopted 1689 London Baptist Confession explicitly

Strong

Assessment

Shepherd Reformed Baptist Church is a 1689-confessional church plant in Joliet IL led by Pastor Luke Schmeltzer (M.Div. Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary 2025). Listed on Founders, Theocast, and CBA directories. Strong digital presence (FB, YouTube, IG, Twitter). Recommended for men in southwest Chicagoland seeking confessional Reformed Baptist preaching from a young trained pastor.

#reformed-baptist#1689#joliet#shorewood#illinois

MOOP Engagement Tracker

How this church was personally verified by the MOOP directory team:

✓ Researched church website

Sources & Evidence

Enrichment Notes

Pastor M.Div. credential and 1689 affirmation verified directly on shepherdrbc.com; cross-listed on Founders Ministries and CBA directories.

These are the URLs consulted to arrive at this church's scoring. Score-note claims are synthesized from homepage content, denominational directories, and public statements of faith at the time of review. Church websites change frequently; we're progressively adding Internet Archive snapshots to prevent link rot.

[1] Live source shepherdrbc.com
[2] Live source church.founders.org/church/shepherd-reformed-baptist-church/
[3] Live source reformedwiki.com/reformed-churches/illinois

Transparency note: MOOP ratings are researcher judgments about publicly available theological and ecclesial evidence. They are not infallible. If a church's public posture has changed since our review, or if we've mis-read evidence, tell us — we publish corrections.