CHURCH PROFILE FORM. Classical Church Counselor: Pastor Michael Ten Haken/ Pastor of CRC of Pease, Minnesota

Transcription

1 CHURCH PROFILE FORM Church Information : Name: Bethel Christian Reformed Church Location of church [City, State/Province]: rd Street, Princeton, Minnesota Classical Church Counselor: Pastor Michael Ten Haken/ Pastor of CRC of Pease, Minnesota Search Committee Contact : Name: LeRoy Koppendrayer Address: th Street North, Princeton MN Home: (763) Cell: (763) Work: address: lkopp0522@gmail.com Community Setting : Location Function Growth X Rural X Industrial X Growing Small Town College/University Static Metropolitan X Agricultural Declining Suburban Inner City Recreational Military X Small City X Bedroom community

2 Approximate population of community: 10,000

3 Church Profile : We are open to: Male and Female pastors Female pastors only Male pastors only List all staff positions: Youth pastor, Administrative secretary, Outreach Director Position Available: Senior Pastor _ Date of vacancy: February General position description: Lead and equip congregation to reach and enfold surrounding community Full-time or Part-time [F or P]: F Bi-vocational position [Y or N]: N Preferred ministry experience of potential candidate: Experience in church growth and spiritually gifted in reaching the unsaved in the surrounding community Required languages: English Have you completed the Denominational Survey conducted by the Center for Social Research If yes, post link to it here:

4 Church Demographics : Profile of church members and regular attenders: Age: 18% % % % % % % 65+ Occupation: 13% Business 21% Professional 20% Trades 7% Stay-at-home parent 1% Agriculture 33% Retired 2% Student 3% Other Percentage of members and regular attenders belonging to the congregation: Less than 5 years 21% 5-10 years 23% 10 or more years 56% Average Sunday attendance Active adult professing members 126 Racial/Ethnic composition of congregation and surrounding community: Predominantly white Composition of congregation: Mono-Cultural Multi-Cultural Specific Ethnicity (specify: ) List the last three persons in this position: 1. Harv Roosma 2. Calvin Friend 3. Bill Versluys

5 Worship : How are members involved in planning and participation in the liturgy/worship? There are worship planners who meet monthly with the pastor to plan the details of each service. Planning meetings are a time of sharing ideas freely in an effort to keep worship fresh and meaningful. The team discusses and chooses music, readings, and other options that enhance the theme of each service and each season of the church year. Within the worship service itself, there are about twenty-four people involved in praise teams. In addition, once every six weeks, our Ignite youth group praise team leads. Ages of those participating range from junior high to those in their seventies. Occasionally younger children play rhythm instruments or wave scarves during the singing. Members of the congregation also participate in readings, especially during services for special seasons or occasions. Describe the worship services in your church: We design our services to bring people humbly and joyfully into the presence of God. During the time of opening worship, the music begins with songs bringing praise to God and gradually transitions to the vertical relationship of awe and wonder at who God is and what he has done for us. Often we end with a quiet song of adoration, as we stand forgiven. The music is mostly contemporary, with at least one classic hymn each week. The overall style is not as loud as some contemporary services might be. Through song or spoken words, there is confession of sin and assurance of pardon. Each service has a time of pastoral prayer for the people. Preaching is key to the purpose of the service. Bethel Church appreciates expository preaching as it follows a book of the Bible or as it explores a broader theme for a season. A beautiful part of our worship is the fellowship that continues after the service ends. Describe the discipleship practices in your church for all ages of members and attenders: We have typical Sunday school, GEMS and boys club programs. We have a Bible-story based children in worship program for ages 4 years 1st grade. We have a strong youth program (grades 7-12) with foci on service and training in the Word. Our members distinguish themselves as servants as they participate in two community outreach ministries, Coffee break/ Story hour and BAC2ONE (Bethel Art Camp to ONE Savior, see below, important events). There is a mentorship program for young people wishing to make profession of faith and join the church. Those considering to become members go through a class that educates them about the denomination, Christian reformed faith, and how Bethel works. The fellowship committee organizes events and potlucks. Members are encouraged to work on actively reaching out to build relationships with seekers and new members. The council organizes 5 shepherding groups, each led by an elder/ deacon pair. Small groups are currently formed within shepherding groups. These groups include members and visitors. There are additional small group ministries such as book club and men s group. Discipleship also occurs during the greeting and fellowship periods before and after church.

6 Building/Financial : Proposed annual budget: $279,548 (Fiscal year ends July 31) annual budget: $265,697 Percentage of financial obligations met (last complete year reported): Budget 100% Denominational Ministry Shares 33.3% Classical Ministry Shares 100% Amount contributed above budget and ministry shares: $ 5,980 Specify (optional): General, race relations, disaster response, world hunger Facilities: Describe facilities: Sanctuary holds 300. We can accommodate 400 by including overflow seating. Main floor : Fellowship area, sanctuary, offices, two storage rooms, several Sunday school classrooms/ meeting rooms. Small self-serve library. Kitchen with commercial dishwasher. Coat room. 2 men s rooms 2 ladies rooms 1 family restroom. Youth area with small kitchen and men s and women s bathrooms: converted as needed to serve meals after weddings and funerals and occasional special events. See attached schematic. Are your buildings adequate for your ministries? If no, please explain: Yes X _ No Is a building program projected? Yes No X If yes, describe what and when:

7 Does the church own a parsonage? Yes No X Location of office or study: Northeast corner of overall building (ground level, 1 story, two windows), next to administrative office, near sanctuary.

8 Compensation : The salary range we are prepared to offer our new pastor is based on the CRC Minister Compensation Survey for our area: If other, please specify: a. Salary may be negotiated based on experience. The average annual increase for this position over the past three years is: $ or 2% Housing: Housing allowance Parsonage only Either of the above Benefits and expenses: Pension Medical insurance Life insurance Social Security or Canada Pension Travel/mileage Continuing Education funds Continuing Education time allotted Sabbatical policy in place 3-4 Annual vacation (# weeks) Medical Insurance Other (please specify) Reimbursed in salary

9 Church Characteristics : [Check which one(s) are closest to your church s characteristics] Presently, the FOCUS OF OUR CHURCH S MINISTRY is The community The community The community and Current members Current exclusively primarily current members / / participants members participants equally primarily / participants exclusively External X Internal In our church, the WORSHIP SERVICE IS DESIGNED FOR Designed for Emphasis on Unchurched and Emphasis on Designed for unchurched unchurched believers believers believers Unchurched X Churched In our church, the STYLE OF MUSICused in the worship service is Contemporary Mostly Blended Mostly Traditional contemporary traditional Contemporary X Traditional In our church, LEADERSHIP is generally provided by the Predominantly lay Frequently lay Lay leaders and Lay leaders function Predominantly leaders leaders pastoral staff share under the pastoral pastoral staff leadership staff Congregational Pastoral Members X staff Our church seeks to ENCOURAGE SPIRITUAL GROWTH through No specific Ministries for a Ministries for Ministries for Ministries for all ministries few groups selected groups most groups groups Informal X Formal

10 In our church, EVANGELISM STRATEGIES AND METHODS are Predominantly Generally Equal Generally Predominantly unplanned unplanned emphasis planned planned Unplanned X Planned

11 Our church is representative of the ECONOMIC DIVERSITY of our community Strongly Mostly Moderately Mildly Weakly representative representative representative representative representative High X Low representation representation Our church is representative of the ETHNIC DIVERSITY of our community Strongly Mostly Moderately Mildly Weakly representative representative representative representative representative High X Low representation representation Our church s RESPONSE TO COMPASSION, MERCY, AND JUSTICE NEEDS is Commitment to Encouragement of Church-based and Encouragement of Commitment to church-based action church-based action personal action personal action personal action Church-based X Personal Our church s MISSIONAL FOCUS is All local Mostly local Equally local and Mostly All global global global Local X Global

12 Narrative : Do you have a recently articulated mission/vision for ministry? [Y] In what ways does your church participate in ecumenical activities? Guatemala Action Project (partners with Pease CRC), Just for you (ministry for disabled adults, partner with New Life community church in Princeton), BAC2ONE (all-day art based vacation Bible school, we use facility at New Life for child care, many community members help), Crisis pregnancy center, Meals al a car, Princeton/ Milaca food pantries. Reflect on your strengths/gifts as a church: We have a committed group of people who believe prayer is integral to Bethel s spiritual life. Caring, friendly, benevolent, welcoming. Several strong leaders start and run ministries. Reflect on your passions as a church: Reaching and enfolding the lost. Fellowship. We cherish having seekers and new believers in worship and fellowship. Prayer is a very important component of reaching and enfolding the lost. Through prayer aim to uphold and encourage seekers and new believers in their developing relationship with Christ. We hold fast to the Gospel. Christian Education (in church and day school). List specific problems with which your congregation struggles: Friends are hesitant to become members. Difficulty finding elders and deacons. Majority of work is done by minority of people, as usual. Maintaining workers in ministries, giving them a pathway to form those ministries What has been the most interesting and challenging event in the life of your church in the last three years? Success in having seekers attend outreach programs, regularly attend, contribute to worship and join. For example, we made a connection with Transition House (1 block from our building), a halfway house for men who are transitioning from prison back into the community. We hold a Bible study there regularly and prepare a meal for them at our church once a month. We have gained two members from this outreach. Another example is Coffee Break, which meets October April for Bible Study (primary focus), fellowship, encouragement, and prayer. Sixteen individuals now call Bethel home via this ministry. We learn and gain from the perspective and enthusiasm of seekers. It has been challenging to extend grace to those who have not grown up with our traditions.

13 List major goals that this congregation has set for itself or opportunities the congregation anticipates: Community outreach and enfolding seekers into Christian fellowship Reaching and discipling those who are suffering and recovering from addiction Holding to Biblical teaching in order to bring it s preservative and restorative power to our community Utilize the spiritual gifts of a new pastor to lead and encourage us in reaching the unsaved in the surrounding community and ignite us with the spark of his enthusiasm. Describe what being Christians of Reformed accent means to you: Adhering to the creeds and doctrines of this denomination. Everything we do must be prayerfully Christ centered. Describe your understanding of the relationship between the local church and the Christian Reformed denomination: Following the rules of and seeking support from this structure. Partnership with a large family of believers to accomplish big goals such as undertaken by world renew. Identify some of the cultural challenges facing Christians and Christian churches today: Membership (in general) is not important Activities outside the church (such as children s athletics) compete for attention Absence of absolute truth/ Individualized concept of truth Intolerance of those who profess the One and Only God, and one pathway to salvation What have been the three most important events in the history of your church? 1. Formation of a new community outreach based congregation in Two building phases to accommodate growth from surrounding community. 3. Beginning and continuing two key ministries that arose from member calling and that identify Bethel church as a welcoming, caring and serving community. a. Coffee break/ Story hour ministers to women and their children. Several Bible study leaders and helpers with children s programs come from the community. b. BAC2ONE is an art-camp style vacation Bible school (1 week, all day). We give ~190 campers (mostly from the community) an opportunity to select from ~70 classes. Bible teaching and small group fellowship are key elements of the day. Many of the ~140 helpers are from the community.

14 Leadership : How many council members does your church have? 10 What is the length of term for council members? 3 years How often does the full council meet? monthly What subgroups of council exist, how do they function and how often do they meet? Executive subgroup meets as needed. Each ministry is paired with a council member who serves as a shepherd and point of contact

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