Lead/Senior Pastor

Pastoral Profile

Biblical Qualifications (I Peter 5:1-4; Titus 1:5-9; I Timothy 3:1-10)

Pastor’s Job Description

The pastor's primary ministry is to, with the support and encouragement of the other Elders, Lead, Teach/Preach and Love ACC so that the Body can fulfill its mission to make disciples who Love Christ, Love people and Serve in Love. (Matthew 28:19-20, Matt. 22:37, Mark10:43)   

Below are some scriptures and job responsibilities that we have put together to help describe our desires and direction for our new Pastor.

Lead 

"Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine" (I Timothy 5:17)

"Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly" (I Peter 5:2)

Serve as an official member of the Board of Elders

Discern, with the board of elders, ministry leaders and members, the active vision of ACC.

Manifest a passion and cast a clear vision and yearly plan to fulfill our purpose.

Mentor elders and emerging leaders who will serve on a ministry team to support ACC’s purpose and vision.

Teaching and Preaching

"…some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of the minis-try, for the edifying of the body of Christ" (Ephesians 4:11-12). "Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine" (I Timothy 5:17)

Guard the church from doctrinal error

Give direction and guidance concerning roles and responsibilities as the scripture teaches us. 

Love (Shepherding) the Flock of God

"Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly" (I Peter 5:2

"Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood" (Acts 20:28).

Compassionate: Love the flock of God as Christ loves the Church. 

Minister to those with spiritual needs

Visit the sick, shut-in and bereaved.

Conduct weddings, funerals, baptisms, baby dedications and other such services.

Personal Attributes and Skills

Age Range and Marital State. 35 and up, mature, preferred married.

Fit for the area: Someone who could be happy in a suburban town of 1500 with a surrounding area of 100,000 plus, near St Cloud, MN, about 1 hour from Minneapolis, MN. Able to work with and guide couples with a Catholic background toward a deeper walk with the Lord and understanding of the Bible.  

Devotion. We desire a Pastor with a consistent prayer life, daily devotional time and a consistent walk with the Lord.

Relational Skills. Loving and caring for all.

Teaching Ability. skilled in Bible study, expository, topical teaching and preaching.

Organizational Skills. Organized and technologically competent.

Evangelism. Believes in the necessity for the church to reach out to unbelievers. The gift of evangelism is not necessary but a heart for the lost is required. 

Ministry Experience and Age

ACC’s pastor should have five or more years of pastoral leadership experience (e.g., service as an associate, youth, or senior pastor). He should be able to list ways in which relational skills, leadership, evangelism, organizational skills, and teaching ability were demonstrated during that time.  

Doctrines and Beliefs

Our Pastor must be in wholehearted agreement with the statement of faith of our

church (see our Constitution), which follows the Doctrine of The Conservative Congregational Christian Conference and be able and willing to join that conference as a pastor.

Formal Education

A Masters Degree in Theology is preferred; a Bachelor’s Degree is required.

Preaching style should be expository, as well as topical. The style should be genuine and relational. The pastor should have a capacity and willingness to weave into sermons how God is working in his own life and ministry on a day-to-day basis. 

Organization Skills

He should be organized, able to delegate, and able to lead with a team mentality.

Small Groups

Small Groups are essential to ACC’S mission. Therefore, the Pastor shall be involved in and work with the ACC Adult CE Ministry team.

Sunday Worship Style

He must be comfortable with a blended worship style of worship that includes hymns as well as contemporary spiritual songs. 

Finances He will at times provide sermons related to giving and stewardship. He is expected to give financially to the church, just as any other member does.  

Visitation

The pastor has a responsibility to shepherd God’s flock (I Pet. 5:2) Part of this responsibility is to visit those who are ill or bereaved as needed. The pastor should build relationships with other members of the body through attendance of social events and visits in homes.

Outreach

The pastor has a responsibility to reach out personally to the community. He should be motivated to reach both unbelievers and believers to build the church body and should work to establish a church-wide focus on relationship-based evangelism.

Counseling

While the pastor should be a shepherd and capable of providing the guidance that a shepherd might bring (e.g. premarital counseling, giving of comfort), long-term psychological or serious marital counseling should be referred to counselors.

Hours per Week in Ministry

The incoming pastor must be energetic and in good health. He must be willing to work diligently and intentionally. A work week of 40-50 hours will be normal.

Study Time

The pastor will spend approximately 30-40% of his working hours in Bible study, ministry preparation and sermon preparation.

Days Off per Week

The Pastor is encouraged to take 2 days off per week. The church will strive to protect this time. Presently the Interim Pastor takes off Friday and Saturday when possible.

Role of Pastor’s Wife

The pastor's wife should be supportive of her husband’s ministry. She should be whole-heartedly in agreement with the church's doctrine, mission, and values. She is expected to be involved in a supportive small group and to be ministering in some way within the body using her gifts.

Attendance at Conferences, Seminars, Workshops and Missions Trips

The Pastor will be an active participant and supporter of the 4 C District and the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference. The pastor should find opportunities to recharge through mentoring relationships and attending a pastoral support group. Attendance of conferences, retreats, seminars, and various other training and educational events is encouraged as time and finances permit.

Compensation and Benefits

The Pastor’s total salary package will be broken down into salary, housing, auto expense, health insurance, and retirement. Presently this is in the 80-90K area.  

 Vacation and Continuing Education

For Pastors with 5 years of previous ministry, three weeks of paid vacation will be allotted, for those with 10 years of ministry four weeks and five weeks after fifteen years of ministry.  Continuing education time will be provided as needed. 

            Church Profile

Please check our website at www.avoncommunitychurch.org for more information and insights about our church. Also check our Facebook page.  

To send your resume use [email protected]

ACC was founded in 1987 with 4 or 5 couples being the primary core. ACC was the first evangelical church in Avon and reaches out to many who are still involved with Catholicism but desire a more biblically based faith. 

ACC avg. attendance (worship center with children before they leave for children’s church) over the last 5 years  2019 224  2020-2021 Covid  2022 163  2023 175  2024 188 

Under the former Pastor, the church grew steadily for 10 years until he resigned in July 0f 2018. In September of 2019 the church called Alvin Helms as their pastor. Under his direction the church dealt with the Covid crisis of 2020-2021 and then began to grow steadily. Pastor Alvin accepted a call to his home state of Washington in July of 2024. Following this, in August ACC called Rev. Leigh Harrison of IPM ministries to be their interim pastor. Leigh and his wife Mary were well known to the church as they had previously served as Interim from August 2018 to August 2019.  Presently the church has an excellent sense of unity and purpose. Our giving tends to exceed our budget and our attendance is steady and growing. ACC is a member of the Conservative Christian Congregational Conference, holding a conservative and evangelical Bible believing theology.

Church Staff   At present, we have a ½ time children’s minister, a pt music director, a full time interim pastor, a ¾ time office manager and a part time custodian. We are presently planning to bring on a ft Associate Minister of Youth & Loving Others Ministry.   

Church Facilities/Property

ACC’s initial facility was built in 2002, a CE wing added in 2011 and a new worship center built to accommodate 350 in 2012.  All facilities are fully paid for. 

Worship Center The worship center holds 350 plus occupants. It is well maintained with padded chairs and carpet. We have an excellent sound system with 90” TV's providing slides for worship and teaching.  

Fellowship Hall  Our Fellowship Hall adjoins our worship center and is used for midlevel meetings, dinner and social occasions. We also have an excellent family center which seats 100 and is used for youth gatherings, special dinners and outreach.

So who are we now? The Community Church of Avon.  What is our purpose?   

We are "Making Disciples" who love Christ, love others and serve in love.  

Love Christ......Ministries

Worship Ministry team: This team directs our Praise, Prayer, Presentation and Proclamation ministries. Our praise team insures that our opportunities to worship FSHS are regular and fruitful. From September to May we lead a weekly worship service on Sunday mornings from 10:30-11:45am. Our worship music is passionate with blended contemporary and classical songs and messages that are biblical, relevant and inspiring.The proclamation team insures that the good news is shared every Sunday and we share in communion monthly. Our Presentation team guides us with announcement's, offerings and prayer each week.our Media and Sound teams help us to look and sound good from live to recorded every week.  

Outreach ministry team: leads events and trains people to share their faith. This team insures we have special outreach events on a regular basis each year. 

*Connections Ministry team is always connecting seekers to our worship and then to our membership class where they learn how to love others.  

Love Others..... Ministries 

C.E. groups team: This team directs our adult group ministries for Bible study and personal growth.  There are presently 7-8 small group Bible studies and prayer groups that are an extension of our church. We also have active Sunday morning adult study groups during the school year with 4-6 adult classes.

Property and Facility Team: These players insure that our property from the kitchen to Worship Center is cared for and insures that all things are working.

Missions team. We are sold on the need to support Global missions and are actively involved with an Orphanage in Tanzania, a ministry in the Dominican Republic, a Mission outreach in Minneapolis to Muslims, and Bible Translation throughout the world. 

*Membership team: Gives direction to new attenders about our church and introduces them to the joy of family membership.  

Serve in Love.....Ministries 

Leadership training team: This team provides training and equipping for leaders so they can use their gifts for serving the church.

*SHAPE team: Identifies spiritual gifts of members and connects to their area of ministry in Loving Jesus and Loving others.  

 *transition teams keep us moving

COMMUNITY PROFILE

Avon is an inviting growing community with lovely homes and tree-lined streets, nestled in the beautiful Avon Hills surrounded by Lakes and farm fields. The city has a population of approximately 2,000 with 8,000 people within a 5-mile radius. There are three lakes: Upper, Middle and Lower Spunk Lakes in the community, along with 3 restaurants, a coffee shop, a “to-go” pizza shop with delivery, a fast-food restaurant, 2 gas station convenience stores, 2 bars, a dollar store, a liquidation store, wrestling club, and 2 banks. Avon has several parks, ball fields, a public elementary school and Montessori Preschool.

The City of Albany is conveniently only 5 miles away with a nationally ranked 18-hole golf course, library, brand new early childhood education center, public middle and high school featuring a recreation center, indoor track, auditorium and many recent additions and updates for a modern learning environment for all students.   

 Located along I-94 in Central Minnesota, Avon is only 75 minutes from the Twin Cities and 15 minutes from the St. Cloud Metro featuring a vibrant downtown, diverse dining options, shopping centers, and entertainment venues. Nature enthusiasts can explore the scenic Mississippi River, local parks, nearby lakes, ski resort, perfect for outdoor activities like boating, hiking, and fishing. St. Cloud is also home to various cultural and recreational attractions, including the Paramount Center for the Arts, Munsinger and Clemens Gardens, and numerous golf courses. Quality healthcare, multiple secondary educational institutions, and a growing business community creates a dynamic and welcoming place to accommodate everyone’s hobbies and needs.

Avon boasts the best of both worlds: small town living and community life with easy access to big city convenience and pleasure. Avon is well known for its recreational delights. Summer includes fishing, boating, kayaking, canoeing, public beach swimming area, and the paved 65-mile long Wobegon Trail. This popular trail is used for biking, walking and rollerblading in summer and snowmobiling and cross-country skiing in winter. It is used by outdoor enthusiasts statewide with its unique Trail Head Park, which includes an amphitheater and lookout tower.

Avon has several beautiful housing developments, Avon Estates is located west of town on County Road 54, this development includes patio homes, walk outs, lookouts, an assisted living facility and an apartment building. This neighborhood is in a quiet area with lots of wildlife. The other development is north of town and known as Waters Edge. It has views of Lower Spunk Lake and wonderful views of rolling hills.

Racial Makeup of Avon:

98% - White, 1% - Hispanic, 1% - Other

Churches in Avon: 

Avon Community Church, Christian: 320-356-900 - 

St. Benedict’s Church, Catholic: 320-356-7121 - 

Sonrise Lutheran Church, Lutheran: 320-356-9220