INFORMATION FOR LEAD PASTOR SEARCH. COMMUNITY BIBLE CHURCH Brighton, Michigan. July 2015

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1 INFORMATION FOR LEAD PASTOR SEARCH COMMUNITY BIBLE CHURCH Brighton, Michigan July 2015 LEAD PASTOR - The Community Bible Church in Brighton, Michigan is a nondenominational congregation of 600 people in Livingston County in Michigan. We are evangelical in our standing. We are seeking God s choice for a Lead Pastor to lead us to greater spiritual heights and maturity. This position requires a person with proven leadership, communication and interpersonal abilities. It is expected that this man will: 1. Be an accomplished, dynamic preacher who is doctrinally sound. In connection with this, he should have the spiritual gift of teaching, understanding the different educational needs of believers both old and new. 2. Have wisdom in administration, delegating responsibilities to others when appropriate. He would be an encourager in the work, one who leads others, not drives them. Having a heart for the individual believer as well as the whole church family. 3. Be a man of vision, who looks to serve not only within the church, but also in the world around us. One who is not afraid to think in terms of an infinite God. 4. Understand the value of a balanced, dynamic, worship environment. 5. Be personable and approachable, not proud or aloof, a reconciler, not a divider. For more information about our congregation, please visit our website at If you fit the profile detailed on the following pages, and you feel that God is leading you to a church like CBC, please your resume and materials to: search@communitybible.net Or regular mail to: Community Bible Church Attn: Search Committee 7372 Grand River Road Brighton, MI Thank you and God bless you. 1

2 INDEX Lead Pastor Position Description 3 Lead Pastor Gifts and Qualities 5 Church Profile and History 6 A. PURPOSE 6 B. THEOLOGICAL IDENTITY 6 C. STATEMENT OF FAITH 6 D. CORE VALUES 9 E. WORSHIP LIFE 10 F. VISION 10 G. BRIEF HISTORY OF COMMUNITY BIBLE CHURCH 12 H. STAFF AND GOVERNING BOARDS 13 I. MEMBERSHIP 14 J. MINISTRIES 14 K. BUDGET 15 Community Profile - Brighton, Michigan 16 2

3 Community Bible Church Lead Pastor Position Description POSITION: Lead Pastor EFFECTIVE DATE: 2015 PAY STATUS: Salary SALARY LEVEL: To be determined, based upon qualifications BENEFITS: Eleven (11) holidays and four weeks paid vacation annually, health care, housing allowance APPROXIMATE SCHEDULE: Minimum 40 hours-maintaining regular office hours at the church REPORTS TO: Elder board PURPOSE OF POSITION: To provide leadership and oversight to the pastoral staff and office personnel. As a member of the elder board, he will work with the elders to establish the overall vision for CBC, while implementing the Mission of CBC (Worship - praising God through Christ; Discipleship - growing people in Christ; and Evangelism - winning people to Christ). The Lead Pastor is responsible to prepare God s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up (Eph. 4:12) through the teaching of God s Word. QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: Clear testimony of faith in Jesus Christ Biblical training, holding a degree of M.Div. or Th.M degree from an acceptable Seminary Five years lead pastoral experience, ideally with a congregation of at least the size of 300+ attendees Doctrinal Requirements: Agreement with the doctrinal statement of CBC Married man Strong leading of the Lord to pastor CBC Leadership qualities Exemplifies the spiritual gifts of pastor and teacher Meets the standards set forth in I Timothy 3 TASKS AND DUTIES: Pastoral Care Assist, encourage, and train others to perform pastoral care functions Oversee shepherding, counseling, visitation, weddings, baptisms, funerals, etc. Work with the church leadership to define, develop, and implement appropriate visitation and shepherding programs Participate in counseling - premarital, marriage and family Has overall responsibility for pastoral care; follow up on requests (Info. cards) 3

4 Community Bible Church Position Description (cont d) Leadership Be an active member of the elder board Work with the church leadership to establish overall vision and ministry goals Model Biblical principles in his personal life Represent the church when dealing with the public Provide leadership to the pastoral staff Meet weekly with the pastoral staff Participate in evaluating pastoral staff and office personnel Participate in decisions regarding church staff employment Provide guidance and support to leaders of church ministries Oversee and promote worship at CBC Oversee and promote discipleship at CBC Oversee and promote evangelism at CBC Oversee and promote prayer ministry at CBC Preaching/Teaching Preach at Sunday services Coordination of Sunday services Preach and coordinate special services Participate in CBC s teaching ministry (e.g., Bible studies and Christian Education) as appropriate 4

5 Lead Pastor Gifts and Qualities I. Character heart of a servant, possessing the gift of shepherding integrity high value of family reliability lover of people (all ages) approachable, encouraging strong faith in God lifestyle of personal growth habits of spiritual discipline yielded to the direction of the Holy Spirit secure enough to risk failure strong work ethic II. Competence practical and thorough biblical knowledge can teach effectively and teach others how to teach background in education-understanding of how people learn clear communicator preaches to transform recruits to a vision, not a job recognizes people s gifts and encourages people to use their gifts models lifestyle evangelism develops and manages teams strong organizational skills experienced in ministry leadership, proven track record strategic thinker energetic self starter III. Chemistry team player proven relational skills can follow or lead confident enough to challenge or confront able to dream with others great listener IV. Call has a sense of call to this ministry with a passion for ministry to children, youth, and adults with a passion to see persons of all ages grow to maturity in Christ 5

6 A. PURPOSE CHURCH PROFILE AND HISTORY The purpose of Community Bible Church is threefold: Worship, praising God through Christ, Discipleship, growing people in Christ, and Evangelism, winning people to Christ B. THEOLOGICAL IDENTITY To better clarify our identity as a body of believers, we have adopted the following description of our distinctive fellowship: Community Bible Church is evangelical in its standing and is not a charismatic church, in that we do not publicly practice or advocate speaking in tongues, prophesying, etc. As an independent, non-denominational church, we are united by our faith in Christ, God s only Son who died for our sins, and arose. We are committed to Christ, one another and the purpose of The Church. We hold our core values with conviction (as articulated by our Purpose, Statement of Faith, Core Values and Vision). But our perspective, to sum up, is this: In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, love. C. STATEMENT OF FAITH The ministry of Community Bible Church is built on fifteen central doctrines of the Christian faith. Anyone who wants to understand our fellowship must first have a good grasp of what we believe about God, His Word and His kingdom. These beliefs explain our allegiance to the Savior, our dedication to the work of the Kingdom and our stand for absolute truth. 6

7 1. THE HOLY TRINITY The Holy Trinity consists of: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit; three co-equal and co-eternal, the same in substance but distinct in subsistence (Matthew 3:16, 17; II Corinthians 13:14). 2. THE FATHER We believe God the Father is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, eternal and immutable; full of love, justice, goodness, mercy, and truth (Ephesians 4:6; I Corinthians 8:6; I Timothy 2:5). He is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and of all who believe in Christ as their Savior (John 5:17,18, Galatians 4:4-7). 3. THE SON We believe God the Son is our only Savior, full of grace and truth, in whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily. God the Son is Divine and Human (though sinless); born of a virgin; died; was buried, and rose again. He ascended into heaven and is now at the right hand of God the Father awaiting His return to reign (Colossians 1:14-19; John 1:1-3; Acts 4:12; John 1:4; Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 27:57-60; 28:6,7; Acts 1:9; Hebrews 1:3; I Thessalonians 4:16,17). 4. THE HOLY SPIRIT We believe God the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, whom the Father sent into the world to reprove it of sin, righteousness, and judgment; and to testify of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19; John 16:8-14). He indwells all true Christians and through His various ministries He enables the believer to live a godly life (Romans 8:9,10; I Corinthians 6:19; Galatians 5:16-26). 5. THE SCRIPTURES We believe the Scriptures, as originally written, are verbally inspired of God and are therefore completely with out error. They are final in authority in all matters of conduct and doctrine (II Timothy 3:16,17). 6. THE CHURCH We believe the church is the bride of Christ, and it is the body of which Christ is the head (Matthew 16:18; Revelations 19:7,8). It is made up of all who have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior from Pentecost (Acts 2) to the Rapture (Acts 11:15,16; I Corinthians 1:1,2; Ephesians 1:22,23). 7. THE ORDINANCES We believe there are two ordinances; Water Baptism and the Lord s Supper. Water Baptism is for believers in Christ and is by immersion with possible exceptions for health or other special considerations. The Lord s Supper is both symbolic and commemorative (Matthew 28:19; Acts 8:36-39; I Corinthians 11:23-26). 7

8 8. THE DEVIL We believe there is a personal Devil, the Christian s adversary, a created being, who was originally a glorious angel but who sinned, losing his estate and thus became the father of lies (Ezekiel 28:14,15; Isaiah 14:12-15; I Peter 5:8; Revelations 20:10). 9. THE DEPRAVITY OF MAN We believe man through his own choice, at the temptation of the Devil, sinned and thus alienated himself and all the human race from God. Every person is born into this world with a sinful nature and is spiritually dead until the miracle of salvation takes place (Ephesians 2:1-5). The wages of sin is death and man is totally unable to save himself (Genesis 3:1-7; Romans 5:18; Romans 6:23; Titus 3:5). 10. SALVATION We believe salvation is through the substitutionary death of Christ on the cross, the righteous for the unrighteous, without any consideration of works or merit on the part of man (Titus 3:5,6; Ephesians 2:8,9; II Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:13; I Peter 2:34; I Peter 3:18a). People are saved, after realizing their guilt before God, by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, thereby being born again into the family of God (Romans 3:23; Isaiah 53:6; John 1:12; Romans 10:9-13; John 3:3). 11. ASSURANCE We believe that believers in Christ can enjoy the assurance of salvation. Once a person has trusted Christ as Savior, one can never lose their salvation for any reason (I John 5:13; Romans 5:1; I Peter 1:3-5; Galatians 3:13; Romans 3:25; Galatians 4:5-7; II Corinthians 5:18, 19; I Corinthians 1:8; Romans 8:30; II Peter 1:10; John 10:27-29; John 5:24). 12. FUTURE DESTINY We believe there is a literal Hell, a place of torment and anguish, prepared for the Devil and his angels, in which those who do not believe in the Son of God as their personal Savior shall be tormented forever (Matthew 25:41; Luke 16:23-26; Revelation 20:10; Revelation 14:10). We believe there is an eternal Heaven where all the redeemed shall live in perfect peace and bliss forever before the face of God (Revelation 21:3,4; 22:1-5). 13. THE RESURRECTIONS 8

9 We believe there is a resurrection of the dead. The righteous dead shall be raised at the returns (the Rapture, the Second Coming; see doctrine 15) of Christ; but wicked dead shall not be raised until after the millennium and then to face the judgment of the Great White Throne (I Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 20:4-6; 11:15). 14. JUDGMENTS We believe there are judgments for believers: a) Sin judged on the cross (John 3:17,18) b) Works and rewards (II Corinthians 5:10; I Corinthians 3:11-15) We believe there are judgments for unbelievers (Revelation 20:11-15). 15. THE RAPTURE AND SECOND COMING We believe there is an imminent, personal pre-tribulation return of Christ in the air for His saints, which this event is the blessed hope of the church and at which time the righteous dead shall be raised and living saints shall be caught up into the air to be eternally with Christ (I Thessalonians 4:13-18; I Corinthians 15:51-54). We believe there is a personal pre-millennial return of Christ to the earth with His saints in power and glory; judging the nations and setting up His kingdom (Matthew 25:31-34; Revelation 19:11-16). D. CORE VALUES 1. Biblically Based -- We believe the Bible is God s error-free Word and final authority for all matters of faith and practice. We strive to understand it and stand upon it in all aspects of our lives (II Timothy 3:16,17; Mark 12:29,30; John 14:21). 2. Prayer -- We believe in the importance of prayer as provision God gives us for communicating with Him and participating in the work of His kingdom (I John 5:14,15; John 15:7). 3. Biblical, Spirit-Empowered Teaching -- We believe that biblical, Spirit- Empowered teaching is a primary catalyst for changing lives (II Timothy 2:16,17; James 1:25). 4. Christ-like Love -- We believe Christians are to be distinguished by His love, endeavoring to guard the sanctity of every human life and to love one another as Christ loves us (Mark 12:31; John 13:34,35; Exodus 20:13). 5. Growth Groups -- We believe that significant life change happens in the context of Biblically based growth groups (Luke 6:13; II Timothy 2:2; Philippians 4:9). 9

10 6. Every Member a Servant -- We believe that God gifts and prepares every believer for ministry, and expects every believer to serve Him (I Corinthians 12:27; Romans 12:4-6a; Joel 2:28,29; Acts 13:1-2). 7. Unity -- We believe our church should actively seek to bring unity in Christ across racial, denominational and cultural boundaries while remaining Biblically faithful (John 17:20,21). 8. Practical Sanctification -- We believe our church and every believer must strive to understand our times and uncompromisingly endeavor to establish Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior in all aspects of its life (I Chronicles 12:32; I Corinthians 9:19-22; I Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 3:17,23; Proverbs 21:3). 9. Evangelism -- We believe that lost people matter to God, therefore, we believe the responsibility of every Christian is to reach the people God has placed within that Christian s sphere of influence (Luke 5:30-32; Matthew 18:12-14). E. WORSHIP LIFE We believe that worship should be at the heart of every believer s life; therefore, worship at Community Bible Church means to practice the presence of God in everything we do-- not just on Sunday mornings. The goal of our worship service is to provide a time when people can encounter God, a time for lives to be touched and changed as they experience His presence! Our worship style is mainly contemporary with praise and worship songs blended with prayer, scripture readings, testimonies, and the preaching of the Word. A Worship Team leads our singing and praise. F. VISION God has strategically placed Community Bible Church in a fast growing county in Michigan, with over 150,000 lost people virtually on our doorstep. 10

11 God intends for Community Bible Church to reach as many of these individuals and families as possible with the gospel and to subsequently disciple them--so that they themselves can reach and disciple others. God has gifted us with a great Student Ministries Leadership Team, a gym, and facilities that are attractive to young people. We also have a Children s ministry that leaves kids excited. We also have a desire that God will help solidly ground our congregation in the Word and to help them mature significantly in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We have a vision of CBC University (our Adult Bible Study Fellowships) and the Growth Groups continuing to grow in numbers as we serve God by helping others grow in Biblical knowledge and fellowship experience. G. BRIEF HISTORY OF COMMUNITY BIBLE CHURCH If we were to choose some words that would describe the CBC family through the years they might be United, Sacrificial, Trusting, and Visionary. Not only have these words described the past but they still describe our church family today. Unity is a core value of CBC and this value has been threaded through our history. The CBC family has historically seen the gospel and the truth as such a high priority that they have looked past unimportant differences to join with other congregations for the greater impact on our community. The present Community Bible Church family exists as a result of the merger of two churches- Brighton Trinity and Community Bible Church February

12 The new congregation moved to our present location meeting for worship in the space that is currently our nursery. Because the CBC family was trusting God with a great vision they immediately began to build a new sanctuary which was dedicated on April 18, This sanctuary now houses some of our Children s Ministries on Sunday morning and throughout the week. The CBC family didn t stop trusting the Lord or sit back in comfort of a new facility but realized that God had bigger things in store. It was apparent that they were land-locked and if they wished to grow they needed to make room. With that they purchased the surrounding 5 acres in 1995 and made room for more people to park their cars. Spiritual growth and life change was exciting to see at this time and it was time to expand the ministry still further. With sacrifice and trust the CBC family took a step of faith and built the gym and additional classrooms in God has continued to bless the steps of faith and has brought greater growth. With so many lives being changed, the Worship Center had to be moved from upstairs down into the gym in March of The CBC family continued to pray, take steps of faith, and believe God to reach this community with the truth of the Gospel. With that vision in mind, 95 acres of land were purchased at the east end of Beck Road with the hopes of building a CBC campus in the near future. While we wait for God s direction and timing on the 95 acres, lives continue to change and more and more people continue to call CBC their home. In the winter of we moved our offices to the office complex across the street, renovated a warehouse for our youth ministries and remodeled our current campus all of which made more room for people to grow. Future plans 12

13 As we prayed and explored our next move, God helped us to see that the 95 acres parcel was not currently feasible to build on. Doors were opened up to purchase a 2 acre lot right next door to our current facility. Now we are once again praying, planning and adding on to our current facility to make room for more people to grow in their faith. H. STAFF AND GOVERNING BOARDS Jeff Totten Interim Pastor Daniel Munden Worship Pastor Ilene McMann Administrative Assistant Nancy Lantz Administrative Assistant Lynn Hermann Administrative Assistant Julie Danahy Administrative Assistant The Board of Elders is primarily responsible, with the Lead Pastor, for the spiritual welfare of the church. The elders assist in ministering the ordinances of the church and make provision for same. The elders endeavor to live and perform their duties as set forth by the church constitution and as found in the Word of God (Titus 1:6-9; I Timothy 3:1-7). The Elders have two regularly scheduled meetings each month, one for elder business and one for prayer. The Elder Board consists of elected laymen and the Lead Pastor. The Board of Deacons is primarily responsible for the physical welfare of the congregation. The Deacons have the care of the properties of the church, and at all times are ready to render any service possible for the spiritual benefit of the members of the congregation (Acts 6:1-6; I Timothy 3:8-13). The Deacons have one regularly scheduled meeting each month. The Deacon Board consists of elected laymen. 13

14 The government of the church is vested in its membership, and executed through the Elder board. The Elder board is executive of the congregation in its dealing with the staff, affiliated organization, and has supervision over same. 14

15 I. MEMBERSHIP Any person who has trusted Christ as his or her personal Savior, gives assurance to the pastor or elders of their desire to live a consistent Christian life, has been properly baptized, and is willing to abide by the church constitution, shall be recommended for membership. Each person must also attend a membership class. The membership as of July 2015 is 314. The average Sunday attendance since January 2015 is 600. There are two Sunday morning Worship Services. J. MINISTRIES Children s Ministry - activities include: Sunday Morning classes, AWANA program on Wednesday nights, Outreach Ministries such as Sports Camp and a Basketball League. Student Ministry - activities include: Sunday Morning classes, Mid-week program, Mission Trips and Local Outreach Opportunities, Winter Retreat, and a Basketball League. Women s Ministry - activities include: organized Bible Studies, Fellowships, softball league and a Sewing Ministry. Men s Ministry - activities include: Saturday morning breakfasts with devotional and prayer, mentoring, softball league, golf league and other outdoor activities. Welcome Team includes Greeters, Ushers, and Welcome Center Hosts. Prayer Ministry includes Prayer Team and Prayer Meetings. CBC University - provides for discipleship and Bible Study, Growth Groups - provide an intimate Bible Study setting for groups of persons to fellowship mainly in homes every two weeks. 15

16 K. BUDGET We seek to practice good stewardship and uphold the highest standards of integrity as we use the funds entrusted to us by the congregation for ministry and God s glory Actual Budgeted $1,387,000 $1,155,000 16

17 Community Profile - Brighton, Michigan Location: The City of Brighton is located in Livingston County, in south-eastern Michigan, approximately 40 miles from Detroit. The close proximity of Interstate 96 and U.S. Highway 23 make this area a desirable location for persons who wish to commute to employment in the Detroit (and its suburbs), Lansing, Flint, and Ann Arbor job markets. Population: Livingston County is a fast growing Michigan county. The year 2014 estimates for the county is 185,596 residents. The southeast quadrant of Livingston County accounts for 48% of the county population. Current estimates show Hamburg Township as the most populated county township (21,165) with Brighton Township as close second (17,962). The largest cities in the county are Howell (9,587) and Brighton (7,582). Community Bible Church sits between Brighton and Howell on busy Grand River Road. Economy: There exists a diverse base of manufacturing, professional, service, and technical companies in the area. Some of the largest employers are Citizen's Insurance, Ogihara America, McPherson Hospital, and Meijer Inc. Around 43% of its residents work within the county lines. Due to the favorable geographic position of Livingston County and easy expressway access, many resident workers (57%) choose to commute to work outside of the county. Health Care: McPherson Hospital, which is part of the St. Joseph Mercy Health System, is located in the City of Howell. St. Joseph Mercy Health System and the University of Michigan Hospital also operate large outpatient clinics in Howell and Brighton. All of which attract a large number of specialists who provide excellent and up-to-date health care to area residents. Cultural and Recreation: Brighton and the surrounding area abounds in outdoor recreation opportunity. Livingston County has over 50,000 acres of parks, more than 50 lakes, and many miles of bike paths! With several local and civic theater groups in the area, you can also see a live theatrical performance almost every weekend. And, Brighton is home to Mount Brighton, the area s best snow skiing getaway. Climate: Brighton's average temperatures in July can range from the low of 61 F to a high of 83 F. January average temperatures average from a low of 16 F to a high of 30 F. Average seasonal rainfall is 17.48". Average seasonal snow accumulation is 30.9". Cost of Living: The cost of living index for Livingston County is 103 compared to the average U.S. index of 100. The 2015 median home value in Livingston County was $212,500 and the fair market rent for a 2-bedroom apartment is $831 a month. Additional Information can be obtained about our area by visiting the Livingston County Visitor's Bureau Home Page on the Internet at 17