First grace baptist church
FGBC is thrilled to announce the opening of a new full-time pastoral staff position. The information on this page will help anyone who is interested in applying learn more about First Grace, the community of Sheffield and our aim for this position. If you are interested in applying, please send your cover letter and resume to [email protected] NO LATER than May 15th.
church profile
First Grace Baptist Church (FGBC) of Sheffield, IA is an evangelical church family that values sound biblical teaching, genuine worship and intimate fellowship. Our desire is to make life-long disciples of Jesus, growing together in faith and encouraging one another to love and good works. While the last two years of Covid have been a challenge for many, our church has experienced rapid growth and change as we have welcomed many new faces into fellowship.
FGBC is an incredible story of the faithfulness of God! In the early 2000’s, two small struggling churches (First Baptist Church and Grace Baptist Church) were led by God to unite as one congregation and join the Southern Baptist Convention. Over the following decade, the church grew as souls were saved and lives were transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ. We moved into our new building in 2010 completely debt free. From 2015-2018, we averaged 120 people attending FGBC. In 2019 there was a transitioning of leadership and as the search began for a new lead pastor, attendance dropped into the 80s. However, we have seen God bless and there has been a fresh wind of excitement and expectation over the last 18 months as attendance has grown back to nearly 120 again.
One look at the demographics of First Grace shows you why we are looking for a family pastor! Among our regular attenders (defined as coming 2x/month or more), 65% are families with children ages 0-18. If all the children are here at the same time, we have over 50 from nursery through high school with the majority of them being ages 1-12. The remaining 35% of our attenders are predominately empty-nesters and widows/widowers.
We have also seen God’s faithfulness through the finances of FGBC. Upon announcing the desire to add a family pastor, our giving substantially increased allowing us to allocate funding to support this new staff member. Our 2022 annual budget increased $46,000 from fiscal year 2021 bringing our current budget to $206,000. In addition, we are allocating a significant portion of our income toward local, national, and international missions. For the last two years we have designated 16.5% of our annual budget toward outreach and missions.
Our church body is excited to see what God is doing in our midst. With so many young families, we recognize the need to train and disciple parents as they disciple their children. There is also a need for leadership and development of our children’s and youth ministries. We look forward to see what God will do through the leadership of a family pastor, helping us to build the kingdom of God.
FGBC is an incredible story of the faithfulness of God! In the early 2000’s, two small struggling churches (First Baptist Church and Grace Baptist Church) were led by God to unite as one congregation and join the Southern Baptist Convention. Over the following decade, the church grew as souls were saved and lives were transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ. We moved into our new building in 2010 completely debt free. From 2015-2018, we averaged 120 people attending FGBC. In 2019 there was a transitioning of leadership and as the search began for a new lead pastor, attendance dropped into the 80s. However, we have seen God bless and there has been a fresh wind of excitement and expectation over the last 18 months as attendance has grown back to nearly 120 again.
One look at the demographics of First Grace shows you why we are looking for a family pastor! Among our regular attenders (defined as coming 2x/month or more), 65% are families with children ages 0-18. If all the children are here at the same time, we have over 50 from nursery through high school with the majority of them being ages 1-12. The remaining 35% of our attenders are predominately empty-nesters and widows/widowers.
We have also seen God’s faithfulness through the finances of FGBC. Upon announcing the desire to add a family pastor, our giving substantially increased allowing us to allocate funding to support this new staff member. Our 2022 annual budget increased $46,000 from fiscal year 2021 bringing our current budget to $206,000. In addition, we are allocating a significant portion of our income toward local, national, and international missions. For the last two years we have designated 16.5% of our annual budget toward outreach and missions.
Our church body is excited to see what God is doing in our midst. With so many young families, we recognize the need to train and disciple parents as they disciple their children. There is also a need for leadership and development of our children’s and youth ministries. We look forward to see what God will do through the leadership of a family pastor, helping us to build the kingdom of God.
COMMUNITY PROFILE
The rural community of Sheffield, Iowa is home to 1,100 people. This well-kept small town offers a medical clinic, dentist, pharmacy, veterinary clinic, bank, library, and several main street businesses. Its location on Highway 65 and eight miles east of Interstate 35 makes it easily accessible to other resources, cultural events and amenities in nearby cities.
The West Fork Community School District is comprised of multiple small towns. The junior high and high school facility is located in Sheffield; the preschool and elementary school resides six miles north in Rockwell. The school administration is cordial and has been supportive of a new Youth For Christ program in Sheffield.
Sukup Manufacturing is a family-owned and operated agricultural manufacturer in Sheffield. It is the largest employer in the county and continues to grow. Sukup Manufacturing is a financial supporter of local Christian organizations and generously donated the land where our facility is located.
The West Fork Community School District is comprised of multiple small towns. The junior high and high school facility is located in Sheffield; the preschool and elementary school resides six miles north in Rockwell. The school administration is cordial and has been supportive of a new Youth For Christ program in Sheffield.
Sukup Manufacturing is a family-owned and operated agricultural manufacturer in Sheffield. It is the largest employer in the county and continues to grow. Sukup Manufacturing is a financial supporter of local Christian organizations and generously donated the land where our facility is located.
FAMILY PASTOR PROFILE
First Grace Baptist Church (FGBC) has been working toward the addition of our second full-time pastoral staff position for many months. Conversations have been full of joyful expectation and while there were a variety of ideas, we rejoice in the unity that the Spirit of God has brought to His church during this process.
FGBC is searching for a family pastor who is committed to the inerrancy and authority of the Bible and its sufficiency for everyday life. We desire a man who is being transformed by God’s Word as he disciples our families to be transformed by God’s Word as well. He must be able to bring practical application of the Scriptures in teaching, discipleship and counseling contexts.
Our family pastor must be a man who displays compassion toward the hurting, help for the struggling, admonishment for those who are lagging while being patient with all (1 Thessalonians 5:14). He will diligently build relationships with sheep in the flock while being active in reaching out to new families and evangelizing the lost.
He will put God first, his family second and the church third. The pastoral staff of FGBC is to model faithful leadership in the home that overflows into leadership at the church. As a pastor, he will serve as an elder of FGBC with all the responsibilities, accountability and authority of an elder. As a member of the pastoral staff, he will serve under the direction and supervision of the Lead Pastor.
The prayer of the lead pastor, elders, search team and congregation is that through the addition of this position, we will better fulfill our vision to follow the Biblical call of Jesus Christ to make disciples and share the gospel of saving grace with all people.
FGBC is searching for a family pastor who is committed to the inerrancy and authority of the Bible and its sufficiency for everyday life. We desire a man who is being transformed by God’s Word as he disciples our families to be transformed by God’s Word as well. He must be able to bring practical application of the Scriptures in teaching, discipleship and counseling contexts.
Our family pastor must be a man who displays compassion toward the hurting, help for the struggling, admonishment for those who are lagging while being patient with all (1 Thessalonians 5:14). He will diligently build relationships with sheep in the flock while being active in reaching out to new families and evangelizing the lost.
He will put God first, his family second and the church third. The pastoral staff of FGBC is to model faithful leadership in the home that overflows into leadership at the church. As a pastor, he will serve as an elder of FGBC with all the responsibilities, accountability and authority of an elder. As a member of the pastoral staff, he will serve under the direction and supervision of the Lead Pastor.
The prayer of the lead pastor, elders, search team and congregation is that through the addition of this position, we will better fulfill our vision to follow the Biblical call of Jesus Christ to make disciples and share the gospel of saving grace with all people.
FAMILY PASTOR JOB DESCRIPTION
Qualifications & Requirements: As a pastor/elder, he will meet the qualifications of an elder as set in Titus 1:5-9 and 1 Timothy 3:1-7. He is to be a man of God possessing a love for the Lord, a passion for the gospel, and a desire to make him known among his family, church, neighborhood, and world. Other qualifications include:
Primary Responsibilities: Our desire is that the person filling this position will serve the families of First Grace. This means that he will be heavily involved in the discipleship and growth of parents as they follow Jesus and he will be involved in the ministries that serve the children of First Grace. He will:
- He must be in agreement in the Baptist Faith and Message and have a willingness to abide by the bylaws of First Grace Baptist Church.
- He must be in agreement with and supportive of the philosophy of ministry and vision of FGBC.
- He will serve as an elder of FGBC.
- He must be proven in the area of Biblical knowledge with the ability to both teach and counsel children and adults using the Word of God skillfully and helpfully.
- He must be sociable, possessing the ability to draw others to himself with his love for God and others.
- He will receive direction from his fellow elders in relation to job description, goals, and performance of duties on an annual basis.
Primary Responsibilities: Our desire is that the person filling this position will serve the families of First Grace. This means that he will be heavily involved in the discipleship and growth of parents as they follow Jesus and he will be involved in the ministries that serve the children of First Grace. He will:
- Oversee and lead our small group ministry. This will include leadership recruitment, development, and training, promotion of our groups ministry, and providing general oversight to our small groups.
- Oversee and lead our children’s ministry department (Pre-K through 5th Grade). This will include working with the Children’s Ministry Committee to provide direction in curriculum, programming, and staffing. He will lead and/or train others to lead ministries within our children’s department. He will train and develop teachers and helpers for our children’s ministry. Most importantly, he will work with the parents of First Grace as we seek to partner with them in making disciples of Jesus from the earliest of ages.
- Oversee our youth ministry department (6th-12th Grade). This will include recruiting and training lay youth leaders as we develop our youth ministry. He will provide general oversight for the leaders of this ministry as we seek to cultivate a setting for teens that aids and encourages spiritual growth and involvement in church ministry.
- Other tasks as assigned by the Lead Pastor and/or Elders.
to apply:
Send your cover letter and resume to [email protected].
downloadable documents:
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