SWEETSER WESLEYAN CHURCH IS SEARCHING FOR A FULL-TIME SENIOR PASTOR

ABOUT SWEETSER WESLEYAN CHURCH

Sweetser Wesleyan Church (SWC) exists to make more and better disciples of Jesus Christ by being generous, forgiving, and devoted to the Lord. We recite this mission weekly. Since August 2024, during the leadership of an interim pastor, we completed a churchwide assessment and invited congregational input on our church’s current reality to help determine our next pastor.

SWC is at an exciting and critical season of its life. We are a motivated and committed body of believers that wants to share warm fellowship with one another and with our wider community so that more may know the Lord and experience his Holy Spirit. We desire positive change in our church and fresh encouragement for the laity to be active in ministry and mission.


KEY FACTS:

• Located in Sweetser, Indiana, in the heart of farm country
• Nestled within the Oak Hill School district (and neighbor to the elementary school)
• Membership includes various ages, educational backgrounds, and professions (connections to various industries including Indiana Wesleyan University)
• Average Sunday morning attendance (since August 2024): 45
• Maintained and recently renovated facilities include sanctuary, foyer, Christian education wing, and fellowship hall 
• Key ministries include Sunday worship (including children’s ministry), fellowship gatherings, Wellsprings of Freedom, regular outreach events, weekly youth ministry
• SWC proudly hosts and supports Sonshine Preschool (23 students enrolled) which meets in the church Monday – Thursday AM (August – May)
• Minimal debt

LAY LEADERSHIP:

• SWC has two highly committed leadership teams: a local board of administration (LBA) made up of seven members and a ministry leadership team (MLT) made up of six members (no overlap between the teams). The LBA gives oversight, governance, and support to the pastor, financial affairs, and facilities. The MLT envisions and executes the ministries of the church. The pastor serves as leader and Chair of both groups (with a Vice-Chair of the LBA)

SENIOR PASTOR JOB DESCRIPTION

Personal Characteristics:
The next senior pastor will be a person who is:

• Secure in their leadership whose personal identity in the Lord is marked by humility and accountability
• Positive and encouraging with a desire to relate both to the churched and unchurched
• Warm, compassionate, and personable to all ages
• Spiritually vibrant and whose love for the Lord is infectious

Leadership Abilities:
The next senior pastor must be able to:

• Identify, communicate, and rally a body of believers toward a compelling vision
• Lead through and with others rather than as an isolated individual or around others

Pastoral Responsibilities:
The next senior pastor is expected to:

• Define a clear vision for how we can best reach our community
• Develop, implement, and participate in a plan to grow the church numerically
• Preach biblical messages that spur personal Bible study and prayer lives
• Administer the sacraments of the Lord’s Supper and baptism, visit the members, offer pastoral counsel, perform weddings and funerals
• Establish and foster relationships with local institutions and leaders
• Be ordained in The Wesleyan Church (or in the process of ordination or willing to transfer credentials)

COMPENSATION
The following is dependent upon qualifications, including experience and education. A final compensation package will be provided before or alongside any offer of employment.

• Salary and housing (or housing allowance) will combine to be a living wage, comparable to public school teachers in our area
• Retirement contribution
• Vacation (up to 4 weeks/year, depending on experience)
• Professional development funds (budget dependent) and time (up to 5 weekdays and 1 Sunday)
• Sabbatical leave of 3 months after completion of 7 years of service in Senior Pastor role
• At least partial reimbursement of Health Insurance or Share Program costs dependent upon need

HOW TO APPLY
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Please email the following to SWC’s LBA Vice-Chair, Ryan Small ([email protected])

• Resume or CV
• Cover letter briefly touching on the following:

• Personal and professional narrative (for initial acquaintance), including alignment with The Wesleyan Church and its doctrine
• Testimony and/or call to ministry
• Reason for interest in the Senior Pastor position

Follow-up communication with applicants of interest will request personal, pastoral, and professional references and weblinks to examples of preaching or teaching. If you do not yet have such preaching examples, we encourage you to develop and record materials.

We look forward to welcoming a new pastor into our church family who will help us grow in faith and serve our Lord by loving the community and witnessing in word and deed. Thank you for considering this opportunity to join our faithful and welcoming congregation.

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