Olivet Baptist Church
Lansing, Michigan
We are seeking a full-time pastor to lead us into a more faithful expression of our mission statement:
• SEEK to grow deeper with God
• SERVE our community, family & world
• SHARE the good news of Christ
We need to develop an external focus and a culture of evangelism. The old paradigm of attracting and retaining visitors is no longer working in our 21st-century culture. We need a pastor who can model what it looks like to go into the world and make disciples.
Our previous two pastors served for a combined for sixty-two years, and we prefer candidates willing & able to commit for a long tenure.
Requirements & Qualifications
As we are listening to God to lead us to His chosen candidate, we have no specific requirements for formal education or vocational ministry experience, though they are preferred.
Top priorities in our new pastor determined by congregational survey:
• Interpreting the Faith – Communicate a comprehensive understanding of the Bible and Christian theology in terms relevant to persons’ lives.
• Evangelism – Seek to lead persons to make decisions for Christ encouraging their identification with and participation in the local church/community.
• Leadership – Attempt to turn vision into reality and to sustain it in the church.
• Leadership Development – Seek to recognize and call forth the potential of persons as leaders, providing opportunities for their training and growth.
• Education – Provide a teaching ministry that is based on theological, education, and historical foundations.
• Preaching – Support the preaching ministry with time for preparation/reflection on the Word, and commitment to listen for the Word’s power and its implications for individuals, the church, the community and the world.
• Church Growth – Develop and maintain programs and activities for enlarging the membership and/or the church’s vision for ministry.
• Nurturing Fellowship – Create an atmosphere in which persons feel accepted, included, and cared for, and can identify with the group.
Information about Olivet Baptist Church
• Olivet is 102 years old, and has been in our current building on the border of Lansing & Holt since 1991
• 85 members, about 75 in attendance on any given Sunday
• Blended worship style
• Part of the American Baptist Churches of Michigan
• We believe the charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit are still in operation today, and are worth pursuing
• We are governed by an elected coed Pastor’s Council en lieu of an elder or deacon board, which operates by consensus & currently manages pastoral visitation
• Our staff includes our interim pastor, a part-time Ministry Manager, a volunteer worship leader, a pianist, and a custodian.
• A detailed church profile and statement of faith is located on our website at http://www.obclansing.org/who-we-are.html
Compensation: $40-50,000
Contact our Search Committee chair Gary Cunningham at [email protected]