Senior Pastor at Evangelical Free Church of Hershey

Description:

Opportunity Profile
for the position of

Senior Pastor, Evangelical Free Church of Hershey
Hershey, Pennsylvania


January, 2008

Overview:
The mission of the Evangelical Free Church of Hershey (EFCH) is "Pointing people to Jesus Christ so that together we become more and more like Him." It is the desire of the church to become a congregation that truly pleases the Lord Jesus Christ; fulfilling the purpose He has given us as a congregation. In order to continually do greater things for the Kingdom of Christ, the church recognizes its need to be stretched.

As part of this "stretching" EFCH (www.hersheyfree.com) is searching for a new senior pastor. Dave Martin, the only senior pastor the church has known, has led with an unwavering commitment to God's Word for the past 35 years. This has become an important part of the spiritual DNA for the church. Pastor Dave is sensing God's leading to transition out of the Senior Pastor role.

The elders and a transition team of EFCH are working in partnership with the Eastern District Superintendent, Steve Musser, to prepare for the leadership transition. They plan to find Pastor Dave's successor within a time frame that allows for a period of orientation.

The Evangelical Free Church of Hershey is a congregation that has enjoyed a rich history of deeply rooted Bible teaching, inspiring worship, strong missions focus, and church planting throughout the region. The church has impacted many lives and experienced a long period of exponential growth as attendees were drawn near to Christ and transformed by the Word.

In the last decade, challenges, which created a loss of momentum in a historically growth-oriented church, have occurred. There have been two capital campaigns and several ministry initiatives that were only warmly received by the congregation. The inability to successfully carry out these initiatives resulted in a general sense of confusion. This has led to a trickling attendance decline. Despite the decline, the regular attendance is approximately 2575 (adults, youth & children). However, there is a spirit of expectancy as the church prepares for this new chapter to unfold.

The Opportunity:
While EFCH has a rich history, it does not want to live in the past. There is prayerful hope that God will use this transition to bring a fresh vision and a renewed commitment to its mission. The leaders in the church have confidence that a solid foundation exists upon which a new pastor will be blessed to build.

The new Senior Pastor will strategically invest in the life of the church and discern, with the help of others, the distinct identity and future focus. He will be eager to learn about EFCH and the surrounding area by studying the results of the recent organizational consulting data, and by meeting with staff, elders, and key stakeholders. He will be able to align staff and ministries under a unifying vision for the church. He will bring keen insight and have proven experience in developing appropriate organizational structures, clarifying leadership roles, and establishing values-driven resource allocation.

He will also mentor and develop staff and lay leaders. The new Pastor will view himself as the spiritual shepherd of the staff and be an example of servant leadership that they can emulate.

In addition to being a strategic leader, the new Pastor will be an excellent expository preacher/teacher who can bridge the truth with real-life application. He will maintain the distinctive of EFCH as a teaching church and will challenge both the head and the heart through transformational teaching of God's Word.

The new Pastor that God brings to EFCH will clarify its vision and distinctive role in God's Kingdom. He will be committed to carrying out the Great Commission and Great Commandment both locally and internationally.

Church Facts:
The church has a 23-acre site with 88,400 sq. ft. of ministry space, including an 1100 seat worship center. In addition, the church owns a 100-acre site a few miles from the church that it hopes to use for sports ministry, community outreach, and a possible future second campus.

Currently there are 33 full-time and 12 part-time staff with 12 pastors and an annual budget of $3,568,225.00 which includes a mission's budget of $1,016,581.00. Current total attendance (adults, youth, and children) averages 2575. The high average attendance took place in 1999 and was 3184.

The Hershey Area:
Hershey, Pennsylvania,(population 12,771) is located in a moderately populated geographic area of south central Pennsylvania. The greater Hershey area enjoys a unique balance of scenic, agricultural landscape and small-town living blended with a close proximity to the major metropolitan areas of Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York City, and Baltimore.

Many residents and visitors enjoy camping, hunting, and fishing in Pennsylvania's numerous state parks and woodlands as well as skiing in the nearby Pocono Mountains. Others avidly follow their favorite high school, college and professional minor league sports teams in the area throughout the year. Farmers markets, auctions, seasonal festivals, and community activities abound.

Hershey is well known for the chocolate company that bears its name, and for its amusement park enjoyed by thousands every year. The generous legacy of its founder continues to this day through the Milton Hershey School for disadvantaged children. The ever-expanding Hershey Medical Center is renowned for its research and treatment in cardiology, oncology, and other advanced fields. The affairs of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania are governed in the nearby state capital of Harrisburg.

The people of the EFCH have a variety of K-12 schooling options, depending on the actual town in which they reside and on personal preferences. Hershey is located within the tri-county area of Dauphin, Lebanon, and Lancaster, each having several school districts. Additionally, a variety of Christian (and other) private schools are available within the area, and some choose to home school. For college education, the Penn State system is highly prevalent throughout the region. There are also a number of smaller, private institutions in the area.

Where is this person now?
Most likely, this person is currently serving as the Senior Pastor of a large, thriving evangelical church. It is also possible that he is serving in a senior level associate role where there are frequent speaking opportunities and the forum to lead significant ministry initiatives.

Qualifications:
-Meets the qualifications of an overseer/elder as described in I Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9.

-M DIV or an equivalent degree from a reputable evangelical seminary or an advanced degree with demonstrated evangelical biblical scholarship.

-Ordained to the ministry. If not ordained by the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA), the candidate must be willing to pursue ordination in the EFCA and be able to meet all the standards for ordination by that body.

-Agrees with the doctrinal beliefs of EFCH (see web site).

-Minimum of 10 years of progressively advancing leadership experience. Currently serving in a thriving church or other successful ministry.

Inquiry Process:
If you believe that you are the kind of strategic Pastor/Shepherd described in this profile, and after prayer you sense that God is leading you towards this opportunity, we encourage you to submit your name for consideration. We will handle all candidate information confidentially and will only check references with your permission. In addition to sending your resume or dossier please provide us with succinct responses to the following questions.

1. Describe your faith-walk with Christ. Tell us how you entered a trusting relationship with Christ and how you are maintaining the vitality of this relationship now. Describe the expressions of ministry that you are currently involved with (in or outside of the church).

2. Why are you interested in serving Hershey EFC as its new Senior Pastor? Be specific about describing how your ministry calling and competencies align with this ministry opportunity profile.

3. Please share (in bullet point format) your ministry philosophy and how you would align ministry priorities if you were serving in this role.

4. Why do you believe that the timing is right for you to transition into this role?

Please submit your resume/dossier and responses to questions (in word format) to:
Phil Thompson, Search Consultant
People Management Minneapolis
5720 Smetana Drive, Suite 300
Minnetonka, MN 55343
pthompson@peoplemanagement.org
Phone 952-841-7539
Feel free to pass this opportunity profile on to others who may be a good fit.

To Apply: See contact info in description above

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