Senior Pastor at Faith Evangelical Free Church

Description:

Opportunity Profile
for the position of

Senior Pastor, Faith Evangelical Free Church
Grand Forks, North Dakota

December 3, 2007

Overview

Faith Evangelical Free Church (www.faithfree.com) is committed to becoming a community of Christ-like believers; glorifying God by integrating Biblical truth in to their daily lives through the power of the Holy Spirit; resulting in significant impact in the world now and for eternity.

Faith was founded in 1963 and since 1972 she has been led by Pastor Victor (Vic) Luiken. During these 35 years under Pastor Vic's leadership the church has been marked by his unwavering commitment to God's Word and Biblical teaching. The church and surrounding community has grown to love and respect Pastor Vic and are grateful for his faithful service.

Pastor Vic has announced his intention to retire as soon as a suitable successor is identified. It is the desire of Pastor Vic and the leadership of Faith EFC to pass the baton of leadership to God's chosen successor and bless this new leader as Pastor Vic transitions out of his formal leadership role.

During the past year the church has appointed teams to prayerfully and strategically facilitate this succession. There have been town hall meetings, interviews with dozens of congregants and many meetings with the Elders, Staff and the Process team (charged with facilitating the transition process). All of this input has been distilled down and captured and it will serve as the compass in the search for the new Senior Pastor.

While Faith EFC is thankful for her rich history, there is a high degree of readiness to move into a new chapter of even greater ministry impact. Many are praying daily for the new leader that God will bring to build upon the strong foundation that has been laid.

While honoring the past, the church doesn't want to live in the past. Faith EFC is ready to exercise even more of her full redemptive potential under the leadership of their new Senior Pastor.

The new Pastor will first and foremost be passionately pursuing their relationship with Christ. The overflow of this vital relationship will be seen in Christ-like leadership - leadership that is motivated by a desire to serve.

This "Servant Leader" will enter into the life of the congregation with curiosity and sincerity. They will ask great questions, listen and work hard to build open and authentic (real) relationships with the congregants and the community. The sheep will eventually recognize the distinct voice of their new Shepherd because they know him.

As this Shepherd gets to know and understand the Congregation, the Staff and Elders, God will begin to impart a fresh vision for Faith EFC. This vision will be based on an accurate understanding of the church, the community and the culture. The Shepherd will invite the Staff and Elders into the process of refinement and formation of the vision and then work to align ministry initiatives and budget priorities that reflect the agreed upon vision and values.

While leading the congregation towards this preferred future the Senior Pastor, Staff and Elders will also work together to sustain the core convictions of the church. While ministry approaches or programs may change, the commitment to Biblically grounded teaching and God's inerrant Word will never change.

They will demonstrate a unifying Pastoral leadership as they invite congregants into this compelling new vision that builds on the strengths of Faith EFC while going after the opportunities before her.

The Community
Grand Forks, North Dakota consistently ranks as one of the most livable small metropolitan areas in the country, possessing an exceptionally clean, safe and stress-free environment. The public school system is highly rated; it was recently ranked 14th out of 362 school systems for metropolitan areas in the nation, and has consistently been named among the top 100 best communities for music education in America. It is home to the University of North Dakota, a doctoral-granting institution with 13,000 undergraduate and graduate students, which provides for a wide range of activities in culture, music, theater, and sports competition. The economy is stable and growing because of the favorable business climate. The community is ranked in the top 100 best places for doing business in America (30th for small metro areas).

Although the majority of the community comes from Scandinavian heritage, the area is quickly becoming more ethnically diverse because of the educational opportunities offered at UND. There is strong support for the athletic programs at UND (especially Hockey) and strong sense of community in general. Grand Forks / East Grand Forks together provide many amenities and opportunities while maintaining the values of a small metropolitan community.

Grand Forks population 51,000+
East Grand Forks population 8,200+
Regional Trade Area: 100,000

Where is this person now?
Most likely, this person is currently serving as the Senior Pastor of a thriving evangelical church or it is possible that he is serving in a senior level associate role where there are frequent speaking opportunities and the forum to lead significant ministry initiatives.

Qualifications

-Meets the qualifications of an overseer/elder as described in I Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9.

-M DIV from a reputable evangelical seminary (or the equivalent)

-Agreement with the doctrinal beliefs of Faith EFC (see web site)

-Minimum of 5 years of significant leadership in a thriving church (or other successful ministry).

-Experience leading in a multi-staff environment

Inquiry Process

If you believe that you are the kind of Pastor/Shepherd described in this profile, and after prayer you sense that God is leading you towards this opportunity, we encourage you to submit your name for consideration. We will handle all candidate information confidentially and will only check references with your permission. In addition to sending your resume or dossier please provide us with succinct responses to the following questions.

1. Describe your faith-walk with Christ. Tell us how you entered a trusting relationship with Christ and how you are maintaining the vitality of this relationship now. Describe the expressions of ministry that you are currently involved with (in or outside of the church).

2. Why are you interested in serving Faith EFC as its new Senior Pastor? Be specific about describing how your ministry calling and competencies align with this ministry opportunity profile.

3. Please share (in bullet point format) your ministry philosophy and how you would align ministry priorities if you were serving in this role.

4. Why do you believe that the timing might be right for you to transition into this role?

Please submit your resume/dossier and responses to questions (in Word format) to:
Phil Thompson, Search Consultant
People Management Minneapolis
5720 Smetana Drive, Suite 300
Minnetonka, MN 55343
pthompson@peoplemanagement.org
Phone 952-841-7539
Feel free to pass this opportunity profile on to others who may be a good fit.

To Apply: Please refer to the process listed above.

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