1101 Fells Church Road Rostraver, PA Phone: Website:

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1 1101 Fells Church Road Rostraver, PA Phone: Website:

2 Table of Contents History... 3 Present & Future... 4 Mission... 4 Worship at GAC... 4 Our Target... 5 Purpose and Vision... 5 Current Ministries and Discipleship... 5 Evangelism & Community Outreach... 5 Resources: Property/Facilities, Personnel & Financial... 6 Current Leadership Strategies: Areas to Preserve, Improve, Avoid... 8 Roadblocks / Conflicts... 8 Internal Roles and Relationships... 8 Congregation Visitor Assessment... 9 Congregation Member Assessment... 9 Demographics - Community Demographics Gospel Alliance Church Detailed SWOT Evaluation (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities or Threats) Defining Pastoral Candidate Talents, Personality, & Qualities Pastoral Expectations Compensation Page 2

3 History Late 1980s Church Plant Beginning with 24 members, Gospel Alliance Church first met in Rego s Restaurant in Charleroi, PA with Pastor Joe Toomey First Building Purchase The first building at 423 Washington Avenue, Charleroi, PA was purchased for $55,000. The building and renovation cost were quickly paid off by the faithful giving of those attending. Over the next seven years, the church s membership grew to 80 individuals Purchase of Larger Worship Center The building located at 636 McKean Avenue, Charleroi, PA was purchased for $90,000. Again, the mortgage and renovations were quickly paid in full through regular giving New Hire: Youth Pastor & Worship Leader Pastor Richard Grubbs 2002 New Hire: Assistant Pastor of Youth & Worship Pastor Alan A. Petke joined the church as Assistant Pastor of Youth & Worship in the fall of Pastor Toomey Resigned Pastor Toomey resigned from Gospel Alliance Church to take a position with the Western Pa. District of the C&MA. Pastor George McNeel became the interim pastor Senior Pastor Hired In March 2006, Pastor Bradley R. Sickler became the Senior Pastor of Gospel Alliance Church. Barb Volle was also hired as part-time secretary Land Purchase in Rostraver, Pa. 7.2 acres located at 1011 Fells Church Road in Belle Vernon, PA, was purchased for $450,000 in cash received entirely through the regular offering to the church. Later that fall, the church conducted a capital campaign in which the membership pledged $1,069,985 over the subsequent 3 years. Through June 30, 2011 (2½ years into the campaign), $908, had been received First Service in New Building The week before our first service at the new building Pastor George McNeel went onto Glory, his funeral service was the first public service in the new building. On September 21, 2012, the first services were held at the new location on Fells Church Road with the formal dedication service the following week on September New Hire: Part-Time Pastor of Adult Ministries Pastor Richard Pukl was hired as a volunteer part-time Pastor of Adult Ministries on July 8, Bonnie Ellsworth was hired as church secretary in July of 2013, to replace Barb Volle who left the position (and country!) for the mission field with her husband New Hire: Full Time Pastor of Worship Arts Pastor Jordan Buchmann was hired as Pastor of Worship Arts in March of Part-time Pastor Becomes Full Time Pastor Rich transitioned to the role of full-time Administrative Pastor on May 21, New Hire: Part-time Director of Children s Ministries In September of 2015, the church added a Director of Children s Ministries by hiring Jill Stein. Page 3

4 2017 New Hire: Additional Assistant Jen Ackinclose was hired in April of 2017 as data input secretary Senior Pastor Resigned In March of 2018, Pastor Brad Sickler resigned from Gospel Alliance Church to take a position with the Western Pennsylvania District of the C&MA. Present & Future Our history and timeline place markers indicate growth! They evidence how God has blessed Gospel Alliance Church at its new location and the necessity of hiring additional staff. Not unlike the physical place markers, there is much to be said of the prayerful seeking of the church leaders and congregation for God s direction at every step and new phase. Annual elders retreats included prayerful reflection and strategy for the future. Church opportunities, obstacles, strengths and weakness were discussed with a one, three, five and ten year look at the future. Our primary focus will continue to be outward, reaching those who are lost in an effort to fulfill our mission statement: To know Christ, and make Him known. Mission We Strive: To Know Christ and Make Him Known How we re going to make this happen is by being A family involved in weekly WORSHIP, GROWTH, and SERVICE, while daily living out a life of PRAYER and OUTREACH. Worship at GAC Gospel Alliance Church is located in Rostraver, Pennsylvania. Members generally live within thirty minutes of the church. Gospel Alliance is a place where people come together to pursue God. We strive to be a place where one can build relationships, experience the presence and power of God in worship, be equipped by practical, life-changing teaching from God s Word, and compassionately reach out to those that need Jesus, just like us. Any Given Sunday, our worship service times are 8:00 a.m., 9:30 a.m., and 11:00 a.m. We frequently call them the first, second and third service. Greeters will welcome you as you enter. We are happy to see familiar faces and always happy to see newcomers as well. Gospel Alliance Church is a friendly church that cares about people. Don t be surprised if someone greets you and tries to get to know you a bit. Folks are comfortable to wear what s comfortable for them! Some people wear jeans and a T-shirt, while others will wear a dress-shirt and tie. We want attendees to be comfortable just being themselves. If you have children with you, you will need to register them at the Children s Information Desk for them to participate in the Children s activities. Registering your child allows them to go upstairs to join their class. Our order of service is not identical from week to week, but there are certain elements that remain constant. We will give announcements and welcome all to our church. We always include prayer, Scripture reading, and music in our services. The music is contemporary in style using guitars, drums, and the keyboard. We take an offering each week and offer time for people to come forward for prayer if they would like. There is a biblical message each week typically given by our Lead Pastor. The duration of the service is typically just over an hour. The style of preaching is mainly topical and expository (both verse by verse & narrative). Topics of messages during the last year include: Parables, Rest, I Love My Church (Mission Statement Growing, Page 4

5 Worshipping, Serving, Praying, Outward Living), GRACE, Mission 119 Themed to the week we are in as a church, Christmas Hosea, & Friend of God Life of Abraham. Between services, everyone is welcomed through the Common Ground Cafe where coffee, tea, lemonade and assorted snacks are available. A week in a Gospel Alliance Church member s life is not only attending a Sunday service, but also what is referred to as Family Night on Wednesday evenings. Children and youth participate in their age group ministry, while parents participate in a Bible study. In addition to Sunday and Wednesday programs, there are many other weekly ministries, allowing members opportunity to attend, and to serve separately. A year in a Gospel Alliance Church member s life will include discipleship thru small groups, annual community outreaches and training. Children s Ministry volunteers may only serve once they have completed clearances, attended initial training, and continue ongoing annual awareness/abuse training. Our Target Our primary focus is family-based. Focusing on families that live in our church s community and surrounding areas. The central target remains the un-churched. Those who are unaware of the importance of having a truthful, pure, personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The outer rings of our target undoubtedly include our outward focus on missions locally, nationally, and internationally. Purpose and Vision Our mission and target clearly define our purpose. To attract un-churched people of any age and cultivate any curiosity they have towards God. Therefore our vision broadly is to grow God s kingdom by ministering to those in and outside of our church, as well as serving God in our community near and far. The next part of our vision is Phase II to the physical building, which will be a 600 seat Sanctuary on the front of the existing structure. Current Ministries and Discipleship Current ministries are active and well attended. Within the last year, approximately 231 adults were involved in our Growth Groups: Men s & Women s Groups, Sunday & Wednesday, mid-week groups, prayer groups. Apart from the groups, there is one on one discipleship occurring. A summarization of each ministry is provided in each of the yearly annual reports provided at the end of this document. To help equip our church members for ministry, we have hosted seminars and speakers. We also offer teacher training, elder ministry training, and shadowing experiences. Sunday School classes have focused in on evangelism & Living In Christ Training. In the past 15 years, our church knows of 10 people who have been sent into full-time ministry. Evangelism & Community Outreach We strive to be relational in outreach. We have purposefully steered away from event evangelism. Our aim is to see outreach become woven into the very fabric and DNA of Gospel Alliance Church. We want to intentionally connect with our community, share Jesus message, and point people to the Savior. We desire that everyone respond to the invitation and privilege to be stewards of the gospel [outreach] not just a leader or a team. Evangelism working in our church is evidenced by tangible conversions. We know of 44 conversions in the last two years. 20 of those people are now attending our church. Internally, we know a significant percent of students involved on Wednesday Night Youth Group are un-churched. Some of our Adult Growth Groups also have a significant percent of participation of unchurched people. Our summer VBS reached 37 un-churched families, which includes 59 children attending VBS. Page 5

6 Externally, we have seen our community involvement & influence grow significantly as well as our reputation as a church. Several ministries have contributed to this influence including: Bag Brigade, Military Ministry, Encouragement Team, Community VBS, Mantle House, New Life Resource Center, etc. Resources: Property/Facilities, Personnel & Financial Property and Facility Dates of Construction: September 2012 Size of property: 7.2 acres Seating capacity for worship: 350 Number of off-street parking spaces: 135 Are the facilities adequate for present ministry? X Yes No For how many years into the future? Having three services our facility is comfortable to 600 total per Sunday Worship What is the general condition of the property/facilities? Five years old with no significant problems Describe the visibility and accessibility of your property. We are located on Route 51 South coming from Pittsburgh and about 8 miles from route 70. The church is very visible and accessible from Route 51 and Fells Church Road. Does the church have a parsonage? Yes _X_No Personnel: Current Pastoral Staff Associate Pastor of Outreach & Youth: Pastor Alan Petke The Associate Pastor of Outreach & Youth assumes the primary lead role of both GAC s Outreach & Student Ministries. Develop a well-balanced, team led, biblical based environment and vision for Student Ministry with practical every-day instruction and programming geared toward spiritual growth and lifechange for students. Create, develop, and implement a purposeful strategy for Outreach and an environment for missional Outreach within the fabric of GAC while looking for opportunities for Missions Exposure. Creative Arts Pastor: Pastor Jordan Buchmann The role of the Creative Arts Pastor is to assist the Sr. Pastor by providing leadership and direction to the teams and volunteers in the various focus areas of the Creative Arts Ministry including oversee Music Arts, Technical Arts, and Children s Arts. The Creative Arts Pastor is a practitioner and champion of excellence who creatively engages hearts and minds with a life-changing message of Jesus Christ. Administrative & Adult Discipleship Pastor: Pastor Rich Pukl The role of the Administrative & Adult Discipleship Pastor assumes the lead role over GAC s daily administrative needs & adult ministries. This encompasses assisting the Senior Pastor in the development, implementation, and administration of ministry objectives in the day-to-day operations of the church as well as oversight of Adult Ministry. Children s Ministry Director: Jill Stein (Part time) The role of the Children s Ministry Director is to assume the primary leadership role over GAC s AWESOME ADVENTURES Children s Ministry. This role involves strategic planning with church staff and Awesome Adventures Ministry Coordinators; leading Awesome Adventures through necessary changes to enable the church as a whole to continue to grow; recruiting and developing leaders, teachers, and Page 6

7 staff; and provide support to Awesome Adventure Coordinators to enable them to successfully complete their ministry. Administrative Assistant: Bonnie Ellsworth The Administrative Assistant is heavily involved in the clerical, tracking, and back-end details of ministry activities. Data Input Assistant: Jen Ackinclose The Data Input Assistant is heavily involved in the financial record keeping at GAC as well as assisting the Administrative Assistant in her areas of responsibility. Custodian: Joanne Moore To clean our building so ministry can happen in a clean environment for the glory of God. Financial: Investment of Resources, General Fund, & Giving A church survey reveals and reinforces our priority to families. As seen on the chart, programs within the church that require personnel and volunteer involvement are usually larger, and therefore required additional financial resources. (Prioritized 1=most important to 11=least important) Investment of Resources Financial Personnel Youth 2 2 Children 1 1 Worship Service 3 3 Small Groups 4 4 Music 6 4 Women s Ministry 5 6 Men s Ministry 7 7 Prayer Meeting 9 7 Singles Senior Adults 8 9 Sports Ministries General Fund We have been truly blessed in that our General Fund s expense has never exceeded the income. The church s original loan was in the amount of $1,485,878 in Since that time every mortgage payment has been made on time and most of the time additional principal is paid each month. As of April 2018, the mortgage balance was approximately $831,497. The table below provides a summary of giving over the past 4 years. Year General Fund $368,562 $432,388 $436,815 $429,755 Mortgage Payments & $95,405 $314,235 $77,792 $99,520 Principal Great Commission Fund $26,051 $29,609 $26,014 $21,927 Page 7

8 Current Leadership Strategies: Areas to Preserve, Improve, Avoid Preserve The centrality of God s word - To be uncompromising and unapologetically stay true to the Word of God, while striving to put on display those truths as followers of Christ. Welcoming & Friendly Atmosphere To be an inviting, warm church families where others can come, belong, and grow in their relationship with Jesus. Presenting the Gracious Gift of the Gospel stewarding the gospel well to seekers. Improve Communication - clarifying pathways and improved collaboration between ministries. Discipleship improvement of intentionality, availability, and advertisement of discipleship. Outreach understanding the reality that if we re not intentional about being outward focused, we will naturally drift inward focused, leadership strives to stay on target to our mission To Know Christ and Make Him Known by continually looking at and improving our vision & outreach goals. Avoid Lack of Unity We desire to avoid conflict, division, unclear vision & direction. Being Friendly But Lack Spiritual Depth as friendly as we attempt to be to the visitor, we desire to be known not only as inviting and friendly but a church family who calls others into a deeper walk with Jesus. The Same People Doing All the Work we strive to continue to invite others into the privilege of serving our Savior; investing and sharing the responsibility of the gospel & spiritual maturity together; and championing God s mission because together we can, through the power of the Holy Spirit in us and through us, accomplish more together than we could ever accomplish on our own. Roadblocks / Conflicts Some roadblocks are the healthy and natural tug-of-war that occurs with new changes. All are normal issues and conflicts as a result of our drive forward. These can come as common enemies of the church such as resistance to change, division, and opposing leadership and their vision. In the last five years, some of those types of healthy conflicts have occurred. Communication, between the staff, ministry leaders, and congregation is a struggle that has come up more than once. Other uncomfortable situations were the handling of a former bookkeeper, and trying to make a bylaw change that was not discussed or explained enough to the congregation. We will need more parking to complete Phase II, for the ease of parishioners, and to meet the local township requirements for the size and use of the building. Internal Roles and Relationships Elders & Elder Board Per our current bylaws, the maximum number of lay elders is nine: three to be elected each year for a term of three years on a rotation system. In 2017, one new elder was added. The year before in 2016, two new board members were added. Notable is the elder training our church has introduced to expand our elder ministry. In 2018, we now have 9 voting elders and 11 lay elders to purpose our vision and meet the needs of the growing congregation. Senior and Associate Pastors are voting board members. Page 8

9 What percentage of time do the Elder Board and/or the Governing Board spend on: 30% Financial Considerations 10% Building & Property Considerations 30% Spiritual Considerations 30% Vision, Missions, Planning Finance Committee Two years ago GAC formed a finance committee to review the monthly financial reports and the financial health of the church. The Finance Committee ensures a healthy budget is set and presented to the Elder Board for review and approval. Additionally, they review the business side of the church: obtaining proposals for large purchases, determining if requests are affordable, and presenting to the Elder Board for approval. This does not include approval of ministry coordinator s normal, ministry-necessary purchases. Ministry coordinators are responsible for staying within their set budget. Historically, our ministries stay within or under budget. Pastors The Elders set the policy, and the Staff implements the policies. Spiritual matters are discussed opening with the goal of resolution and when needed reconciliation. Congregation Visitor Assessment Reasons Visitors Stay: The children s ministry and the location of the church are the primary reason visitors are attracted to the church. Gospel Alliance Church is located between an interstate and a main Mon Valley/South Hills throughway. Our church is very visible to the public traveling north/south from Pittsburgh to Morgantown WV, and the greater Mon Valley area. A comfortable church atmosphere enables people to return feeling at ease. Reasons Visitors/Regular Attendees Leave: Visitors and regular attendees tend to stop coming due to non-church family commitments. A common excuse is that family life is too busy to attend church. Children are involved in school and sports activities. Lastly, of no reflection on our church, families simply relocate out of the area. Congregation Member Assessment Degree of the congregation adopting our mission statement No Impact Guides Decisions Members serve and join many weekly ministries Attending Sunday Worship Regularly Yearly Missions Trips, regionally and international Connections/Candles Lit Salvation influenced by our church. Each saved soul is celebrated during Sunday worship with a lit candle. These salvations birthed out of the faithful stewarding, visitor invites, and sharing the gospel by church members. Page 9

10 Church leaders are open to embrace change NO YES Change is difficult for many individuals regardless of their age or background. Within the leadership of the church we have experienced a lot of change over the past 7 years. We have been in the new church building for five years and spent about two years preparing for the move from Charleroi to Rostraver. Significant changes that have occurred since the move include a change in the worship music style, moving to 3 services, adding a check-in system, ministry elder training, budget practices, and much more. Church members are open to embrace change NO YES For some individuals it has been more challenging while for others they have adapted and flourished. There have been some families leave because they prefer a smaller church setting, but there are also families who prefer a larger church with more going on join us. It is important to the congregation that they trust the church leadership and are feel that the leaders are approachable. Demographics - Community Ethnic percentage 96.12% White, 2.15% African American 0.08% Native American 0.41% Asian 0.25% from other races 0.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.91% of the population Median age 46.4 Median income $25,980 Marital Status Percentage Married 26% Single/Never Married 38% Divorced 19% Widowed 17% Local Churches Near Gospel Alliance Church (5-mile radius) Journey By Grace St. Sebatian Catholic Church Fells Church United Methodist The Bible Chapel Belle Vernon Christian Center Mary Mother of the Church Catholic St. Anne Catholic Church Church Grace United Methodist Calvary Bible Chapel Local Evangelical Churches Distinctive Characteristics Strong Preaching, Charismatic, Contemporary Worship Page 10

11 Demographics Gospel Alliance Church Church Data: Families Giving to General * Fund Families Giving to GCF Worship Attendance Membership Conversions Baptisms *Estimate Your average worship attendance 2 years ago was 435. From that average, how many of your worshippers live within: 8 miles 40% 8-12 miles 30% 12+ or more miles 30% Detailed SWOT Evaluation (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities or Threats) Strengths Gospel Alliance Church has recently relocated and built a fantastic facility that is located in a central location with high visibility and on a main road. In the past few years there have been testimonies shared by active members and attendees about the friendliness and welcoming atmosphere that is implemented on a weekly basis. These members often credit this first impression as their rationale for returning for future visits. The church is also credited with having a wide range of ages including young families with multi-generational families who attend regularly. This is key to growing the church and being able to accommodate a wider spectrum of visitors who come seeking a steady church for their family. Weaknesses Gospel Alliance Church has faced some of the common difficulties that churches experience when a church transitions from a small to a mid-sized church. The church s goal of reaching families with the gospel led to the creation of Family Night with an AWANA program that has grown significantly. As it has grown, it has encountered limitations due to space and the ability to find enough volunteers. Communication and discipleship are other areas where the church has struggled. Implementation of a small group ministry that does not detract from Family Night could help the church address some of the current weaknesses. Church leadership will have to be proactive in its efforts to clear paths for the church to improve its effectiveness going forward. Opportunities There is a definite opportunity at Gospel Alliance Church to cultivate connections within the church that lead to deeper relationships. Most growth groups at the church are in the form of formal classroom Bible studies on Sunday morning or Wednesday evening. These studies do not always allow for intimate relationships that can help spur spiritual growth and maturity. Home small groups or oneon-one discipleship models might be utilized to create connections while encouraging growth. Growing our impact on those inside and outside of the church is another area of opportunity. Leadership s role will be to find ways to empower people in the church to make more of an impact for God. Page 11

12 Threats There are many threats (inside and outside the church) that would deter Gospel Alliance Church from accomplishing its mission. Inside the church, the biggest danger is losing focus in the mission of spreading the gospel. Division, complacency, burnout, lack of maturity, or public sin of leaders could potentially distract us from the goal. Outside the church, there are many threats that could derail the mission. As the culture continues to become more secular, many protections that were provided by the right to religious freedom may be lost. Defining Pastoral Candidate Talents, Personality, & Qualities Our church seeks the following: Natural Talents Providing Leadership Vision Communicating the word of God Personal Study and Research Top Personality Characteristics Passionate- In Christ, to make disciples, and reach the lost Leader- to cast vision and carry it out Communicator- Connects well with people and can share ideas clearly Qualities We believe a balanced Paul and Barnabas style relationship is need for our church. Like Paul, qualities that are uncompromising in Biblical truth as the church faces issues of the day, inclusive of all walks of life, willingness to confront church issues and respond to them. Like Barnabas, qualities that utilize every aspect of encouragement. Motivates a desire to obey God, uplifts the broken-hearted, and restores the joy of salvation in the church, bringing revival. Revitalizes those weary of doing good and are possibly facing burnout. Pastoral Expectations Experience We feel our next senior pastor should have between years of experience and have pastored a church of at least people. Prioritizing Time and Energy A church survey reveals how we want our pastor to spend his time and energy. It reveals the Elder Board and the congregation are consistent in the importance of our Senior Pastor following the leading of the Holy Spirit through prayer in order to prepare and deliver sermons that will change our congregation to grow in their walk with the Lord. They also agree that spiritual growth is important in the areas of discipleship and shepherding the flock. Page 12

13 (Prioritized 1=most important to 9=least important) Congregation Elders Preaching 1 1 Prayer and Bible Study 2 2 Administration 8 7 Lay-leadership development 7 6 Shepherding 3 3 Counseling 5 8 Disciple-making 4 4 Evangelism 6 5 World missions 8 9 Measuring a Good Work Week A good pastoral work week would include regular daily personal prayer along with leadership team prayer, sermon preparation, visitation, counseling, staff and leadership meetings. We would like our pastor to be visible and approachable, limited to the extent of His duties and responsibilities to the church body. Last but not least, a good work week will have work-life balance based on the following criteria: Is the pastor growing? At the end of the week does He feel burned out on a consistent basis, or fulfilled? Does he feel he is being used by God or used by his congregation? Is his family suffering because of a work week that is consistently overbearing? Is he able to have margins in place for his personal life? Compensation The senior pastor will be compensated commensurate with his experience and educational attainment. An opportunity will be provided for a successful candidate to discuss salary and benefits with the elder board. A housing allowance will be provided in accordance with IRS regulations. Mileage is compensated at a standard rate in accordance with the federal reimbursement rate. Paid vacation will be provided in accordance with the C&MA vacation policy. Page 13

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