Lead Pastor

SJCOC is looking for a Lead Pastor to lead us into the next season of continued growth, rebirth, and transformation of our village (St. Joseph). Our current lead pastor Kyle and his wife, both of whom we love, are having a baby. They have felt God lead them into a new season of ministry, hopefully closer to their families, and pragmatically, that has a lot to do with time of life. We love them and bless them in their next place of ministry. Kyle is actively involved in looking for his replacement. You will be part of a great transition - and welcomed here. 

We don’t fit in a box and hope you don’t either. From a big picture point of view - No Creed But Christ. We hold salvific issues tightly and non-salvific issues with an open hand. We believe the church is the body of Christ and that there is way too much division over issues that aren’t salvific. We believe in the inerrant Word of God. We believe in the active working of the Holy Spirit. We know Christ as our Savior - the only son of God who gave Himself for us. All the rest - those are philosophical discussions that don’t drive us. 

We don’t like labels but because we have to, officially we are SJCOC, St. Joseph Church of Christ. While our history is that of a Church of Christ, we are very much an interdenominational church. This is reflected in both our congregation, and our leadership. In essence, we tend to think of ourselves as the “Saint Joseph Community of Christians.”  Our leadership team comes from a variety of backgrounds: Charismatic, Non-Denominational, Baptist, and Church of Christ (just to name a few). 

SJCOC is a church with a history (over 140 years old). The church actually started as Hickory Grove, developed into St. Joseph Church of Christ, and is now SJCOC. We are a church that recognizes its history while clinging to its Savior. It’s about Jesus. Music, the Old Testament, and the Holy Spirit are all welcome here. 

140 years in and we are incredibly excited that God has blessed us with two years of growth after experiencing many years of decline. We grew during COVID and watched God do miraculous things in our midst. God is not done with SJCOC (saints rejoice!) and the church has seen a total transformation. Growth can be seen in most places - young families, children, Bible study, and growth in numbers. God’s doing a beautiful thing here and we can’t wait for the person He has called to step in and continue helping us grow and reach the lost for Jesus! 

Lives hang in the balance - the lost are our neighbors, our friends, our coworkers, the youth we teach, the grandparents we serve, and even some of our long-time congregants. We are PASSIONATE about reaching the lost - and know it is a MANDATE. We are also committed to discipling our body of believers. 

The staff here is entirely new in the last two years (don’t let that scare you - it’s really good!). As a staff, we’ve realized that there was a shocking lack of Bible knowledge. Our church body is eager to learn - and is even now in the midst of “The Challenge 2022” where many are reading the Bible daily for the first time in their lives. Discipleship and training is huge for our church (down to explaining what the Red Letters in the New Testament mean). Our next Lead Pastor should be excited to help believers on their journey - wherever they are. 

Convictions:

• We are politically agnostic. We’re interested in the Kingdom of God - not the kingdom of man. Politics don’t come up. What Jesus says does. 
• We are not an affirming church. We are a “sinners welcome here” church. Sinners, on the road to a restored, right relationship with God - that’s what we’re about. We do address sin - in all of our lives - and don’t shy away from addressing sin in a believer’s life. We believe that loving others involves addressing sin. 
• We have women in pastoral leadership but not in eldership. We value and esteem women as Christ does. 
• No cessation of the Holy Spirit here - but we also encourage preference in our public gatherings as we prioritize unity in our family. 
• We are about reaching the lost and discipling believers. That’s the long and short of it. 

What We’re Looking For:

• The guy from 1 Timothy 3:1-7 & Titus 1:5-9
• A man passionate about Jesus with a walk that reflects his personal commitment to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  
• A man who knows his relationship with Jesus is where it all comes from. 
• A shepherd who will equip, disciple, train, and love the church. 
• Someone who loves preaching and ministry (no need to administrate - we’ve got that covered). 
• A man who is Biblically solid, who can teach the Bible as the authoritative Word of God to a varied audience, and help people actually apply it in their lives. 
• A Theologically conservative pastor who understands the SJCOC is not gay-affirming, but who is also comfortable with homosexuals, adulterers, porn addicts, thieves, liars, cheats, etc. in the audience (you know - the church). 

We are NOT looking for someone who will sacrifice his family on the altar of ministry. 

We’d Love to See:

• A man with a sense of humor (we have a lot of fun around here). 
• A Master’s Degree in Ministry/Divinity would be great - but not a requirement.
• Someone who knows how to pour out but also how to receive. 
• Someone who is confident in their identity in Christ.
• Someone who will pray for the flock. 
• Someone who loves to be with the flock (dinner, sports, board games) and enjoys preaching, ministry, and doing life with them. 

Interested?

There’s loads more and we’d love to tell you all about it. First, send us an email ([email protected]) that includes:

1. Your Resume
2. What about the job description excites and/or intrigues you? 
3. Why you are looking for a new position
4. A 3 minute video introducing yourself