Pastoral Opening: First Baptist Church of Windom, MN
WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR:
We are prayerfully seeking a solo pastor position to shepherd our congregation and to equip both the leaders and congregation. We envision our next pastor to excel in teaching, shepherding, preaching, and leading with a seasoned maturity to love and work with many who are older in our congregation and to equip those who are younger for leadership roles. It is essential that our next pastor share our fresh vision and lead toward its fulfillment as we encourage each other and those in our community to pursue Christ.
HOW WE SEE OUSELVES
We envision ourselves as an encouraging community that nourishes spiritual growth for every believer rooted from the truths of Scripture. We see this growth continually being cultivated through expectant prayer and a lifestyle of worship as we pursue an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ together. This can only be realized through the Holy Spirit working in us using the unique gifts God has graciously given to each of us to teach and encourage each other to enthusiastically live out the Gospel. As we build one another’s faith, we determine to walk in obedience to discover the opportunities God gives us to boldly share the Gospel to encourage others to pursue Jesus Christ.
AFFILIATION
First Baptist is affiliated with Venture Network (formerly Conservative Baptist Association of America) with seminaries in Denver (Denver Seminary) and Portland (Western Seminary). The Venture Network also includes the Venture Church Network, WorldVenture (International Missions), and Missions Door (Home Missions).
HOW TO APPLY:
Please email the following materials to our Search Team chair, Mark Hockel, [email protected]
Intro Letter (briefly covering your testimony of faith, ministry calling, and general fit for this opening)
HEAD PASTOR JOB DESCRIPTION
CHARACTER
A. Experiences a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.
B. Models a Christ-centered marriage and family life.
C. Spends consistent time in prayer and personal Bible study.
D. Prays regularly concerning the church’s overall work and direction.
E. Meets the qualifications of elders (1 Timothy 3, Titus 1)
F. Models a servant attitude in leadership (humility, teachability, discipline and accountability)
G. Works well with others (a team-player)
H. Displays initiative and follow-through, a self-starter.
RESPONSIBILITIES
I. Provide the primary leadership to the church body to develop and fulfill the vision and mission of the church in accordance with its values.
1. Lead the deacon board in proactive strategic thinking and planning that is relevant to our local culture.
2. Provide leadership to and supervision of other paid ministry staff and the church secretary.
3. Appoint, with the approval of the Deacon Board, an individual to serve as Worship Coordinator.
4. Lead continuing development and implementation of church vision and mission through leadership of regular “hub” meetings. (Meetings with all committee leaders, or other representatives of the church’s committees.)
J. Preach and teach the Word of God
1. Shows disciplined and accurate Scriptural interpretation.
2. Prepares and delivers biblically based sermons that align with the vision and mission of the church.
3. Delivers sermons that include personal application and are balanced to encourage unbelievers to know Christ and believers to grow spiritually and to share the truth of Christ with others.
K. Shepherd the Congregation
1. Connect relationally with congregants.
2. To be in office and available to meet with congregants at least 12 hours each week.
3. Provide counsel when appropriate
4. Perform weddings, funerals, child dedication, and baptism for church members
5. Administer the Lord’s Supper
6. Lead the deacon board in shepherding church members
7. Stay in touch with those who need care and mercy, knowing when to be in the right place at the right time during a critical need.
L. Lead ongoing development of church leaders, specifically men
M. Attend regular deacon meetings and serve as a non-voting member of the board
N. Pursue personal development and encouragement through annual attendance to off-campus workshops, conferences, and seminars.
ACCOUNTABILITY
O. Operate in submission to the Deacon Board’s collective authority.
P. Report monthly on his responsibilities and ongoing ministry.
Q. Undergo an initial 90-day, then annual evaluation by the board.
WHO WE ARE:
First Baptist Church of Windom, MN, uniquely stands as a warm and welcoming congregation of over 100 active attenders, firmly committed to the authority of Scripture. We seek to “major on the majors” keeping Jesus Christ central in everything we teach and preach with the purpose of seeing our people live out the Gospel. We recently engaged in the process of determining our preferred vision for the future supported by our intrinsic values to be “A Community Encouraging People to Pursue Christ”. Our desire is to partner with a Pastor who shares our vision and can help lead us to meet the challenge of a changing world with the unchanging Gospel of Jesus Christ.
WHERE WE ARE:
The town of Windom (pop. 4,800) is located in the beautiful farmland of Southwest Minnesota. It is situated along a major 4-lane connection route linking Minneapolis with Omaha and Sioux Falls. Our community is the County Seat of Cottonwood County and has a population of 4,800 with over 30,000 people living within 30 minutes of our town. Windom serves as a market source for the smaller communities in the county and is conveniently located a reasonable distance from larger cities. The nearest Walmart is located 30 miles away in Worthington (pop. 13K). Windom is an hour away from Mankato (pop. 45K) and 90 miles from Sioux Falls, SD (pop. over 200K). Within 1.5 hours, there are 3 universities, 5 technical colleges, and 3 private colleges. Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport is 2.2 hours away, and Sioux Falls has a Regional Airport.
Although a mostly small, rural farming community, Windom is host to several parks. The downtown features a city square with shopping, a movie theater, and green space. There is a good variety of restaurants and fast food. We are within 5 miles of 3 recreational lakes and 45 minutes from recreational communities of Lake Okoboji. Our town is an administrative and transportation center in which families are primarily supported through careers in agriculture, small business, manufacturing, healthcare, and education with Toro being the largest employer. An elementary school was built in 2020 next to the modern 6th-12th-grade facility. Finally, Windom can be described as a safe and desirable community offering affordable housing, great schools for families, where the teachers care. Like most Minnesotans, people are helpful, friendly, but not overbearing. The spiritual pulse of the Windom community can be described as open and not antagonistic to Christianity, and churches cooperate with one another.