Pastor

Little River Congregational Church in Little River, KS is currently praying and seeking the Lord for a full-time Pastor whose teaching and life reflects his love for God, His Word, His people and His mission.

We are located in rural central Kansas, in a small town of about 500 people. We are a Bible believing Church with a history of almost 150 years (in November).

Our current Pastor is retiring after 30 years in faithful service to our body and we pray God will bless him in this new chapter of his life. The following traits seem to keep surfacing when we discuss what we would like in a Spirit-filled, Bible-based preacher and teacher.

A man:

• who meets the biblical requirements for pastors: consistent spiritual and moral character and lifestyle, consistent with the Biblical leadership qualifications of an overseer described in 1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9, and 1 Peter: 5:1-4, Romans 10:15, and Luke 4:18
• who will help us celebrate the joys of being a Christian through fellowship, faith, worship and prayer;
• who teaches from Scripture and not worldly cultural dictates, and will boldly tell and explain to us what God actually says and how we should apply His truth in our lives;
• who will help us maintain and build upon what we have; being open to a new vision to grow the flock, both spiritually and in numbers;
• who will lead in reaching both the un-reached and un-churched in our community, as we have room to expand, and believe God’s Kingdom celebrates the return of the lost;
• who exposes our sin, wrong attitudes and actions, motivated by Christ’s love and care for us, even if it leaves us feeling uncomfortable or convicted at times on the important subjects to bring us closer to God and His wisdom;
• who can communicate with, understand, and enjoy young people.

The Role:

Pastor 

Reports To: The Church Board

Position Status: Full-Time 

Date Needed: Beginning of July, 2026

Purpose:  

The Pastor is responsible to God and the Church to proclaim the Good News of the gospel, for using everything at his disposal (including his gifts and talents) in spiritual leadership, and for leading in pastoral care ministries to help meet the needs of the congregants and our community.

Responsibilities: 

• Provide spiritual leadership for our Church Body as a whole and serve as the spiritual adviser of the Church and its ministries as a whole.  
• Study regularly to enable himself to plan and conduct Bible based worship services and studies.  
• Prepare for and conduct worship services; lead the church in proclaiming the gospel to the church and community.  
• Visit our congregants that are sick or discouraged, visit shut-ins and elderly (and others as needed), and lead the Church in participating in these activities as well.
• Conduct premarital, vocational, family, bereavement, counseling sessions, etc., as requested. Recommend other professional help when necessary.  
• Be willing to perform wedding ceremonies and conduct funeral services when needed or as requested.  
• Work alongside the different committees in performing assigned responsibilities. Be available for and lead in training as needed.  
• Serve as a representative of the church in civic matters.  
• To lead the Church to understand, embrace, and accomplish its mission of making disciples both locally and globally (according to Jesus’ mandate in Matt. 28:19-20), and train the congregants in ways to do so. 
• We would prefer someone with a musical background to assist in our weekly worship services.

About Little River Congregational Church:

As a rural farming community in central Kansas we feel we have several unique aspects not everyone can offer. The community has a low crime rate and almost no violence. The cost of living is low and there is excellent support for community activities. There is a real sense of dignity, belonging and cooperation among the churches and in the community at large. We have an excellent local school district with top-ranked sports programs and many dedicated Christian teachers. Additionally, there are private schools in nearby towns and several homeschooling families within our community. To sum it up, as one of our members once put it - “If we can just get them to come here, we can convince them to stay.” We feel this is an excellent place to live, work, raise a family and serve God.

Pastoral Compensation and Benefits:

The Pastoral Support section of the Little River Congregational Church’s 2026 budget plans for ~$80,000 in total compensation and benefits, which is composed of items such as, but not limited to:

• salary and household expense
• the value of a parsonage and utilities
• Social Security
• benefits such as Health Insurance, Life and Disability insurance
• a Retirement annuity
• reimbursable expense for travel, educational and professional items

This package is negotiable based on candidate qualification and preferences.

The Little River Congregational Church was established in 1876 and will be celebrating God’s faithfulness for 150 years in November, 2026. It has a membership roll of about 100, with about 40-50 in Sunday service attendance. We have an established church youth program that serves many families outside of our church and a Friendship Fund available to anyone with a sudden need. Once a month, on the first Sunday of the month, we gather for breakfast and the service is held in our fellowship hall in a more relaxed way, strengthening our fellowship.