About Us

The story and dream of Shepherd's Heart Ministries

Dream big

We know what it feels like to want to help people and not be able to provide the proper funding, marketing, and volunteer base.

If you’re like us, you’ve dreamed of new ways of connecting people with Christ. You’ve likely wondered if there was an organization or grant that helped you achieve your dream to serve others. We know you want to see people's lives changed for the better and it’s wrong that busyness, resources, logistics, and other pursuits get in the way.

Live the dream

At Shepherd's Heart Ministries, we get it.

We've served passionately on church boards and staffs and felt the frustration of wanting to do even more but not having the time or resources to implement a new vision – let alone one that hasn't been done before. For the past 5 years, we’ve partnered with local churches to dream big, overcome logistical hurdles, and see the fruit of new ministry initiatives.

In 2015, Doug and Daniel Hartzheim began sensing the need to form a nonprofit that would partner with local churches to provide innovative ministries that no single church would be able to pursue for one reason or another. Some of the ideas were bold and outside the norm while others required greater funding and time than a single church could take on.

Drawing upon decades of relationships with individuals and churches in the Bozeman area, the Hartzheims took action and formed Shepherd's Heart Ministries in 2016 as a faith-based, 501(c)(3) charitable organization (EIN 81-3376395).

Help others dream

To date, Shepherd's Heart has hosted over 140 evangelistic & discipleship events with a missional approach, serving over 3,300 hot meals, and helped start up 3 new nonprofits: The Table Community Church, Glocal, and 406 United. And we're just getting started.

Since 2019, SHM has been fully staffed by volunteers, and since 2020, SHM has had no rent or utilities, ensuring that every dollar goes to charitable activity.

We are committed to helping churches join together to make a greater impact in our region and beyond so the dreams God gives you can become a life-giving reality for many people.

Partner with us through tax-deductible donations so we can reach more people with the hope of Christ.

Funds used for charitable activity

Events

Hot meals served

New nonprofits seeded

The flame inside

Mission

Shepherd's Heart Ministries exists to communicate and demonstrate the saving and redemptive message of God’s love through innovative ministries.

Vision

We will accomplish our mission in partnership with local churches primarily through motivational, food-based events.

Values

We value Building Relationships that Build, Teaching the Word of God, Demonstrating the Love of God, and Supporting the Local Church.

Our Convictions

The cornerstone of our beliefs are in the death, burial, and resurrection of our LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ, as recorded in the Bible. We believe the Bible is divinely inspired by God, and is God’s revelation of Himself to man. We believe that in it are the principles by which we are to live, and the measure for our faith and doctrine.

We believe in the primary call upon our life to be loving people, and loving God just as we put one foot in front of the other. Left foot, right foot – loving people, loving God. We recognize that the organized church can only be so effective with it’s large number of weekly responsibilities and tight budgets, and there are some who will never be regular “Sunday” church attenders. So we intentionally reach out to anyone who desires to pursue the God of the Trinity in different fashions, venues, and contexts, and we thereby strengthen and support the churches of our communities.

We exist to build the Kingdom of God by the building of integrity and purpose in the individual person. We do this by facilitating relationships, teaching the Word of God, demonstrating the Love of God, and all the while supporting the local church. Our efforts are successful as we support the local church bodies around our communities, building Christ followers one at a time through a host of missional activities.

Build Relationships

We were made for relationship. Relationship with God and man. We cannot build relationships while making no effort to engage with others.

The second greatest commandment is described by Jesus as, “loving your neighbor as yourself.” To love someone that intimately, you have to get to know them. We take the position that we can’t love each other deeply if we don’t take the time to get to know each other.

So we make an effort to spend time with each other around a table, perhaps in a campground, or in our homes. Eating together is foundational to this value of building relationships.

We really do need each other. We need to get to know each other. To understand each other, and ultimately show love to each other.

We see Shepherd’s Heart as a facilitator for relationship building, and eating together is our core model. We are one spoke in the wheel of development that comes as a part of Kingdom building. Our slogan for After Hours says we are helping men to develop in integrity and purpose. Because we employ the teaching of the word, and eating around a table as we get to know each other, we are able to be a part of growing people up into a deeper faith-walk.

We see the value of many connecting circles where men and women can interact with each other around the centerpiece of growth – fellowship and learning.

Teach the Word of God

There is no substitute for the word of God.

John 6:63 says, “the Spirit gives life, the flesh counts for nothing, my Words are spirit, and they are life.” The Spirit of God lives and breathes through God’s word. Yet the word seems to have been forgotten, and at best put on the shelf.

Our messages are often topical and use scripture wherein lies the very breath of life. So the teaching of the word and our focus on its life-changing transformative power is the baseline motivation of our gatherings.

Demonstrate the Love of God

The book of James says, “So you see, faith by itself isn't enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless” (James 2:17).

From the first documented moments of the apostolic church in the book of Acts, after which the apostles and disciples had received the power of the Holy Spirit to be witnesses, the Church found herself ministering to the local physical needs of people in need.

We see this in the widows’ bread line in Acts 6 which was such a large ministry it necessitated the appointment of seven wise and capable men to administrate it (the Church’s first deacons).

And finally, Jesus himself said the famous words, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples” (John 13:35).

So love in action, a demonstration of the Love of God through humble, common, acts of kindness to the poor in our communities, is core to our mission.

Support the local church

After Hours, Words for Wives, joint events, campouts, and a myriad of other activities – Christ is at the center as we build up everyday people as they explore a relationship with Jesus Christ.

With the involvement of local pastors and leaders, we interact and create a space for those that may not yet see themselves as churchgoers or disciples. We value the local church and its place in our communities.

Shepherd’s Heart leadership is actively involved with different churches around the valley. We recognize that some folks will never be regular weekend church attenders, but enjoy other events where they can explore the life of Jesus and his relevance. We respect the personal choice of anyone who has not found a comfort zone in a local church to this point, yet avails themselves of an open discussion about God at work in the lives of those around them.

Together, we nurture each other along the spectrum of faith. We are able to do this both inside and outside of the local church as we know it.

Board of Directors

Doug Hartzheim

Daniel Hartzheim

Cody Whittington

Director Bob Schwahn of Shepherd's Heart Ministries

Ministries