PASTOR-CHURCH PROFILE elmhurstcrc.org
CONTENTS INTRODUCTION...1 CHURCH POSITION DESCRIPTION...2 OUR CHURCH TODAY...5 CHURCH MEMBERSHIP DATA...6 CHURCH FINANCIAL DATA...7 CHURCH COMMUNITY/NEIGHBORS...8 CHURCH ORGANIZATIONAL CHART...9
Dear Prospective Pastor, For more than 60 years, Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church (ECRC) has been a congregation of believers intent on growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. From our humble beginning in Bellwood, Illinois to the beautiful facility we have today, our mission to serve Jesus Christ has remained the same. The following pages provide some basic facts about ECRC, including our mission and vision. In the process of compiling this document, we found it a challenge to describe ECRC with words on paper. We have tried our best, but you would have a better sense of the heart of our congregation if you worshiped with us during our annual satellite worship service with the prisoners of the Louisiana State Penitentiary; or if you attended the annual Christmas programs for our Little Lambs ministry when our sanctuary is filled with community members for four consecutive nights. As with any organization, the tone at ECRC has been set from the top. ECRC has been blessed with long-serving pastors who have made ECRC their home. Each has walked closely with the Lord and served us with distinction. Their vision and leadership, coupled with a dedicated staff and supportive lay leadership, has enabled ECRC to grow and thrive. When Rev. Bert DeJong retired in 2011 after ably leading us for 27 years, Rev. Peter Semeyn accepted our call to be Lead Pastor. During his tenure he worked closely with our Associate Pastor, Rev. Gregg DeMey, to shepherd ECRC. In May 2017, after six years serving as our Lead Pastor and 43 years of ministry, Rev. Semeyn retired from full-time Christian ministry. In order to fill the position, our Senior Leadership Team (SLT) appointed a search committee to find a new Lead Pastor. After much prayer and many discussions, the search committee unanimously recommended that Pastor DeMey be appointed Lead Pastor. This recommendation was supported by our Elders and approved by the SLT. We are thrilled that the congregation has warmly embraced Pastor Gregg in his new role. Our committee has now been tasked with finding an Associate Pastor to lead the discipleship ministries of ECRC. We think this an excellent opportunity for a pastor who desires to serve God s kingdom through the local Church. We are praying for God to bring His choice to our Church and that He will make His choice clear to us. We invite you to prayerfully consider if God is calling you to be our new Associate Pastor and join our community of faith. ECRC Search Committee 1
CHURCH POSITION DESCRIPTION ANNOUNCEMENT Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church, a congregation of approximately 1,500 people, has begun a search for an Associate Pastor to help the congregation live into its vision of being God s source of shining light and living water in the western suburbs of Chicago, by drawing people to know Jesus, becoming like Jesus, and serving as Jesus. The congregation has identified five activities by which it carries out its vision: WORSHIP: A Vision for Celebrative Worship CONNECT: A Vision for Fellowship GROW: A Vision for Discipleship SERVE: A Vison for Ministry SHARE: A Vision for Outreach Our core values are: Children, Excellence, Generosity, Attraction. RESPONSIBILITIES 1. The Associate Pastor shall be responsible for building the discipleship culture of the congregation (children, youth, and adults), one characterized by a lifelong commitment to following Jesus. The fulfillment of this responsibility will include establishing the direction of the discipleship ministry, teaching, developing curriculum, encouraging volunteers and staff involved with discipleship, and providing oversight for discipleship ministries. 2. The Associate Pastor will serve on the preaching team and he will be expected to preach 20-25 times each year. Sermon themes will be developed in collaboration with the Lead Pastor. 3. The Associate Pastor shall share responsibility with the Elders for the pastoral care of the congregation. More specifically, the Associate Pastor, along with the Director of Care, will coordinate care for individual members experiencing crises, as well as other spiritual needs. The Associate Pastor will share responsibility with the Lead Pastor for weddings, funerals, and the public presence of the congregation in the community and in the denomination. 4. The Associate Pastor shall attend Senior Leadership Team meetings. 2
CHURCH POSITION DESCRIPTION PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCIES The Associate Pastor shall be: 1. A proven leader able to cast and communicate vision, develop and implement strategies, courageously measure the effectiveness of those strategies, and adjust strategies in a manner consistent with biblical values. 2. An inspiring, authentic, biblical, relational preacher who crafts expository sermons for new and maturing Christians that speak to both the head and the heart of listeners. 3. Passionate about and gifted to nurture the faith of congregants, both young and old in the faith, and in a variety of contexts (from the lectern to the café). 4. A skilled team builder, as well as recruiter, equipper, and encourager of both staff members and volunteers. PERSONAL QUALIFICATIONS The Associate Pastor shall be: 1. A gifted communicator who can clearly and persuasively speak to individuals, both Christians and non-christians, as well to groups of all sizes and who can create and sustain nurturing relationships with people. 2. A leader who effectively employs his leadership style in our ministry context for the advancement of the kingdom. 3. Characterized by a hunger and ability to learn, as well as an ability to share God s truth with powerful teaching. 4. A godly person who is humble, emotionally healthy, comfortable in his own skin, whose enduring and contagious faith is nourished by spiritual disciplines. 5. A culturally astute individual, like the men of Issachar, who understands the times (I Chronicles 12:32), and is especially in tune with how to position the church to engage younger generations. 3
CHURCH POSITION DESCRIPTION EXPECTATIONS The Associate Pastor shall: 1. Be able to give testimony to his love for the Lord and his call to pastoral ministry. 2. Be ordained or be ordainable as a Pastor by the Christian Reformed Church in North America. (Ordained individuals from other historically Reformed denominations will also be considered.) 3. Support the vision and core values of Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church. SUPERVISORY RELATIONSHIPS The Associate Pastor reports to the Lead Pastor. The Associate Pastor supervises all staff members involved in discipleship ministries. This group currently includes the Student Ministries Coordinator, Coffee Break Co-Directors, Children s Ministries Coordinator, Special Needs Coordinator, and Director of Discipleship. SALARY/BENEFITS Salary commensurate with experience Housing Allowance Health & Life Insurance Professional Development Allowance 4
OUR CHURCH TODAY ECRC TODAY Today s Elmhurst CRC is made up of families and individuals from a broad spectrum of ages, professions, vocations and backgrounds. The majority of the congregation resides in the surrounding suburbs of DuPage County, located about 20 miles west of downtown Chicago. The current membership of Elmhurst CRC is comprised of approximately 1,500 individuals, representing about 600 families and an ever increasing number of children. The membership of Elmhurst CRC is a unique blend of multi-generational families with deep roots in the CRC and the Elmhurst community, balanced by a growing number of new members drawn from diverse backgrounds and different walks of life and faith. The impact of our weekday ministries, such as Little Lambs, Coffee Break and MOPS, on local families has provided us an ongoing source of new members being added to our ranks. Sunday worship at Elmhurst CRC consists of two worship services that present the same pastoral message within different contexts. The first is a blended service featuring choral music and hymns accompanied by organ and piano. At the second service, congregants participate in a contemporary worship experience led by our praise team. Our contemporary worship service tends to attract more new members from our outreach ministries. Equally important as our Sunday worship and study experiences are the vibrant weekday ministries that meet the needs of children and families throughout our community. The Little Lambs Ministry has been serving children in the Elmhurst area for over 30 years, teaching biblical truths to over 250 children each year. Coffee Break, a weekday Bible study, ministers to women from various denominations and walks of life, sharing the love of Christ and opening the Bible to some for the first time. Other ministries include our Men s Bible Study, Cadets, Gems, Youth Ministries, Hannah s Heart, Family Outreach, to name a few. In 2008, we gave praise to God for the completion of our new facility. This building has been a blessing in itself, providing opportunities for expanding weekday ministries and ample space for Sunday worship services for adults and children, as well as nursery rooms for infants and toddlers. Our facility also has enabled us to reach out in a practical way to our Elmhurst neighbors. For example, we provide office space and a concert auditorium for the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra. By gathering many into our sanctuary who might otherwise never come, we are thus fulfilling our intention to be a beacon in our community that welcomes people into the fellowship of believers. 5
CHURCH MEMBERSHIP DATA PROFILE OF CHURCH MEMBERS AGE GROUPS NUMBER IN AGE GROUP 511 233 171 205 226 120 71 38 0-19 years old 20-29 years old 30-39 years old 40-49 years old 50-59 years old 60-69 years old 70-79 years old 80+ years old ATTENDANCE 900 LENGTH OF MEMBERSHIP (PROFESSING MEMBERS) 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 First service Second service Average 0-10 years (393) 10-20 years (290) 20-30 years (119) 30-40 years (85) 40-50 years (62) 50+ years (32) EMPLOYMENT STATUS Employed full time (47.2%) Employed part time (20.5) Student (2.8%) Full-time homemaker (16.8%) Retired (11.1%) Unemployed at this time (1.6%) 6
CHURCH FINANCIAL DATA PROFILE OF 2017 BUDGET INCOME EXPENSES Elmhurst Ministries Fund $3,075,000 Operations ($749,727) Ministry fees/receipts $63,356 Covenant Education Plan ($650,000) Ministries ($1,043,424) Deaconal causes ($25,100) Operations Fees/Receipts $47,500 Ministry shares ($140,000) Debt service ($437,800) Misc Income $1,750 Capital Maintenance Fund ($137,000) TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS $5.5M $4.9M $3.5M $5.2M $3.8M $3.6M $3.4M $3.2M $4.4M $5.5M $4.2M 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Forward in Faith Capital Campaign Further in Faith Capital Campaign Light & Water Capital Campaign 7
CHURCH COMMUNITY/NEIGHBORS Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church (ECRC) is situated in Elmhurst, Illinois (population: 46,387) and draws its membership from Elmhurst and a number of surrounding communities. Centrally located in the Chicagoland area with direct commuter train and highway access to downtown Chicago, Elmhurst includes a vibrant downtown, an award winning library, a new regional hospital and a college campus, all of which bring people from all over the Chicagoland area to the city every day. Many young families choose to live in Elmhurst for its highly ranked public schools. The congregation of ECRC moved to its current facility, with a worship center capacity of 825, in 2008 (shaded yellow area). Our church facility has high visibility from Roosevelt Road, a major east-west thoroughfare, and is in an area of Elmhurst that has experienced significant development in the last 10 years. OUR NEIGHBORS INCLUDE: 1) Artis Senior Living Community the lot to the immediate east of the church property is currently under construction and will house a new memory care center. 2) Elmhurst Memorial Hospital A newly constructed, state-of-the-art regional hospital opened in the summer of 2011 and is located east of the church property and Artis Senior Living Community. for over 1,000 preschool - grade 12 students and is located just north of Park Place. ECRC has a strong connection with Timothy Christian, with 132 families sending 267 children to Timothy for the 2016-2017 school year. 5) Faith Christian Reformed Church is a sister church within the CRCNA and located approximately ½ mile northwest of ECRC. 3) Park Place Retirement Community a Providence Life Services Retirement Community, including independent living, assisted living and nursing care, opened in 2011 and is located immediately north of the church property. A number of residents worship at ECRC and are part of weekday ministries. 4) Timothy Christian School Timothy provides Christian day school education The remaining surrounding area is residential, with a mix of high-rise and mid-rise condos and apartment communities, as well as single family homes. 8
CHURCH ORGANIZATIONAL CHART CONGREGATION DEACONS Issues of Benevolence & Mercy SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM (SLT) ELDERS Issues of Doctrine, Life & Care LEAD PASTOR Gregg DeMey EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS Jack Lanenga OPERATIONAL SERVICES ASSOCIATE PASTOR DIRECTOR OF OUTREACH DIRECTOR OF WORSHIP DIRECTOR OF CARE & COMMUNITY DIRECTOR OF DISCIPLESHIP 9