Madison Park Church Anderson, IN Executive Pastor Opportunity Profile January 2018 Madison Park Church of God (madisonparkchurch.org) in Anderson, Indiana is seeking its next Executive Pastor. This is an opportune time for a talented leader to join a congregation and staff that is experiencing new life as it grows in relational discipleship. Under the inspiring leadership of Pastor Paul Strozier, the church is refreshed and energized living out its mission and seeing significant Kingdom impact within its community. Overview Madison Park Church of God is an active congregation (1,500 average attendance) situated in Madison County, Indiana about 30 miles northeast of Indianapolis. As a flagship church for the Church of God, they are only a few miles from the movement s headquarters, which is also located in Anderson. In 2007, Madison Park Church relocated to its new facility, strategically set on a primary stretch of interstate along I-69. The church owns 200 acres at this location and has reserved 70 acres for current and future use. There is a great deal of potential for this additional land as development increases around the church something that will not be lost on the next Executive Pastor. Madison Park is a regional church, drawing primarily from Anderson but also from the surrounding communities throughout the county and region. The church has two Sunday morning services: the 9:00 a.m. service blends more traditional elements of worship, while the 10:30 a.m. service is decidedly contemporary. There is a distinct feel in each service, and both are greatly appreciated by their attenders. Sunday morning is an exciting time at Madison Park. The church is filled with folks that have been part of the church for years and newcomers alike. Under the leadership of Senior Pastor Paul Strozier, a renewed sense of warmth and welcome is present. The art of neighboring is profound at Madison Park, and the desire to invite new people into the community with intentionality is evident through front door valet service, a full service coffee bar, and beautiful open lobby space for people to linger and connect. NL Moore & Associates Opportunity Profile Madison Park Church Executive Pastor January 2018 1
The mission of Madison Park Church of God is Reconciliation: loving people back to God. This is pursued through a core value of Relationship (with God, his family, and the people he misses most), a strategy of Discipleship (surrender, small groups and service), and a vision of Restoration: living as reconciled and restored followers of Jesus Christ. Madison Park Church straddles the line between two distinct economic realities. The community of Anderson is one that is recovering from the challenges of the recession and the now decades-old departure of a major General Motors plant. The city, churches, and nonprofit community have rallied in recent years to meet real and immediate needs in the Anderson community. The churches of Anderson have and will continue to have an opportunity to be in the trenches of ministry as the community continues to fight for a new and better future. The other reality of the Anderson community is the incredible growth and development literally coming up the highway from Hamilton County, just a few miles south of Madison Park. In 2017, the town of Fishers (Indianapolis suburb 20 miles southeast of the church) was voted by Forbes magazine as the number one place to live in America. Business is growing, new homes are being built, and it s only a matter of time before it reaches Madison County. History Ten years ago, as the Great Recession began to impact communities across the country, Anderson was no exception. Many people had to relocate or lost their jobs. Due to the increase in debt from the new church building and the decrease in giving due to the economy, Madison Park was met with a heavy financial burden. After years of making internal cutbacks and trying to meet financial needs by selling off other church properties, the decision was made to restructure the debt. Madison Park is now working a productive plan that allows it to meet its obligations, pay down debt and continue its strong focus on ministry. The Madison Park congregation has been consistent, faithful stewards, continuing to give above budgeted income (8.5% increase in giving over previous year in 2017) and continues to make significant strides in this area. Given the history, however, the financial challenges of the past still linger on the minds of many, shaping how decisions are made and ministry plans executed. There is a need for experienced operational leadership in the trenches of this organization on a daily basis. The church migrated to new financial software in 2017, and it also added a new church reporting software recently. But, because of a lack of clarity in the financial reporting, there is confusion and frustration for budget directors who are eager to move forward in their ministries. With the right leadership and a commitment to best practices, an experienced and skilled Executive Pastor will help bring about a newfound freedom at every level. This is a pivotal moment in the life of Madison Park Church of God. Having experienced several years of very real challenge, there is a tangible sense of anticipation for what the next season of ministry will hold. In September 2015, Pastor Paul Strozier accepted the call to become the next Senior Pastor at Madison Park. After the departure of a beloved, long-tenured pastor who served more than two decades, the lead role at the church remained open for more than two years. Anxious to see what would happen next and how the new pastor would lead, the church was eager for Paul to arrive. It would not be an overstatement to say the church has been thrilled with Paul s leadership. He has exceeded expectations. These past two years have helped the church heal, stretch, deepen and grow in profound ways, and there is an air of excitement and energy as to how God will lead next. Pastor Paul Strozier Pastor Paul is a gifted and relational leader. His powerful preaching connects across all generations, and his commitment to openness and authentic relationship are what is needed for NL Moore & Associates Opportunity Profile Madison Park Church Executive Pastor January 2018 2
this season at Madison Park. Paul s effective and healthy leadership is evident and continues to leave its mark on the staff, the Elder board, and church as a whole. Paul has brought new expectations (honest communication and transparency), a new language (reconciliation and restoration), and new values (connect in relationship) that continue to shape the church in fresh and exciting ways. The staff at Madison Park brings a lot of experience and longevity. The pastors serving on the leadership team are committed to Madison Park, to Pastor Paul s leadership and to moving the vision forward. Changes amongst the reporting structure for pastors and directors occurred in the spring of 2017, setting up a lead team comprised of the Senior Pastor, Executive Pastor, Worship Pastor, Discipleship Pastor, Missions Pastor and Connections Pastor. From this core leadership flow the ministries of Madison Park Church of God. This has proven to be an effective and efficient way to structure the organization. The Opportunity Madison Park is eager to welcome an Executive Pastor who will easily flow into the existing current of ministry, see the good things that are happening and know how to take the organization to the next level. As with almost any Executive Pastor hire, so much depends on a seamless fit to the Senior Pastor. Pastor Paul s testimony of God s faithfulness and grace orients everything about who he is and how he leads. The right Executive Pastor will resonate with Paul s story, his passion and leadership style. The ideal candidate will not only be a natural fit to leading from the second chair but will feel called to it. Madison Park has only recently adopted the title of Executive Pastor. This is a church with much more organizational experience with a Senior Associate that served as a second preaching voice and gave leadership to the staff. The Executive Pastor at this season will serve as a right hand to Paul and will provide leadership and oversight to staff, operations and ministry. This role will look and feel different from the past, and it will be important for continued clarity around the role of the Executive Pastor for the sake of the staff and congregation. No church is without its challenges, and Madison Park is no exception. As Pastor Paul onboarded at the church it became apparent that clear, efficient financial and organizational systems and structures were woefully absent. With Pastor Paul s consistent commitment to transparency, trust is ever increasing but untangling the financial and organizational knots has been and continues to be difficult. Operational expertise is a primary need as Madison Park moves forward. The incoming Executive Pastor will be called upon to consistently provide clear communication, strong business acumen and a tenacity to get to the bottom of system-wide complexities. With these areas addressed, mountains of work will come off Pastor Paul s plate and free him up to live and serve in his areas of God-given giftedness and passion. Madison Park is a complex and busy organization, with ministry always happening on one of the church s three properties. Madison Park s primary location sits on a 200-acre parcel of land near exit 226 along I-69. This facility includes the worship center, a full-time day care, space for youth ministry, small groups, children s ministry, and worship arts, a fully operational kitchen and the church offices. A second property is the Broadway Ministry Center, which houses Dove Harbor (transitional shelter for women and children), the Miriam Project (adoption services) and Linville Counseling Services. Last, there is the former church location in North Anderson, which houses an independent, multicultural congregation and TRC Head Start program, as well as Madison Park s Celebrate Recovery ministry. The Executive Pastor will give oversight and leadership to ensure effective ministry and operations at each facility. It will be critical for the person in this role to see the big picture and how all these moving parts can most effectively and efficiently work together toward the common vision. NL Moore & Associates Opportunity Profile Madison Park Church Executive Pastor January 2018 3
Alignment and efficiency of ministry efforts are needed, and the church will benefit from an Executive Pastor who takes the time to gain an understanding of each ministry and lays down clear and consistent rails for the organization to run on. This will affect and optimize organizational systems across all areas of Madison Park and help take the ministry to new heights. The vision of the church is clear. The people are rallied behind Pastor Paul. The church has a strong desire to impact their community. The next piece of the puzzle is a gifted leader that can optimize Madison Park s resources and link the enthusiasm around the vision to even greater community impact. With this kind of leader joining the Madison Park team, the future continues to look exciting and bright! The Candidate An authentic relationship with Jesus is essential for the next Executive Pastor at Madison Park Church of God. He or she will have a story of God s work in his or her life. There will be a natural humility and continuing desire to learn that flows out of this dependency on Jesus. He or she will be measured in their pace as they seek to listen to others and understand and appreciate the uniqueness of the individuals they serve. A healthy self-awareness of one s own God-given giftedness will bring with it a sense of confidence. The next Executive Pastor will be able to balance a sincere dependency on the Lord with a leadership marked by self-assurance and clarity of call. This leader will not only serve from but be called to the second chair, excited to champion and implement the vision God has given Pastor Paul. There will be a sense of kinship between Pastor Paul and this leader. Between the two of them there will be a safe space to dream and strategize the way God is calling the church forward. This leader will have a growing commitment to Pastor Paul the person as well as the values and style of leadership Pastor Paul brings to his role. The incoming Executive Pastor will have an internal drive to see things accomplished and a strong sense of personal integrity. This will be evident in a resolve to understand situations and move them forward with wisdom and discernment. This leader will find joy in seeing things through to completion and finding strategic answers to challenges they face along the way. As an extension of Paul s leadership and values (authenticity, integrity, practical application of the gospel), the ideal candidate will resonate with and embody them. He or she will enjoy opportunities to connect with staff, lay leaders, community and movement leaders. Engaging others with a sense of warmth and attentiveness will be a natural posture and a passion for developing others and seeing them aligned in their gifts and service to the kingdom will be evident. The next Executive Pastor will be an organizational leader. With a wide lens, this individual is gifted to see effectively across the complex landscape of Madison Park. Able to stay focused on the big picture, the right ideal candidate will drill down into the more tedious but necessary aspects of the work. Not to be underplayed, he or she will bring experience and training in managing a complex financial portfolio. With a $3.7M annual operating budget and a number of different entities working under the umbrella of Madison Park Church of God, the next Executive Pastor will excel at managing multiple projects at a time. Preferred Candidate Qualifications Master s degree strongly preferred; Bachelor s degree with significant relevant work experience may be considered Theologically aligned and in agreement with Madison Park Church of God Significant management experience including supervision, leadership and development of multiple paid staff members NL Moore & Associates Opportunity Profile Madison Park Church Executive Pastor January 2018 4
Significant leadership experience including activating and implementing strategic plans and projects Expertise in financial and organizational management Spiritually mature and emotionally intelligent Exceptional communication skills Significant lay leadership experience if coming from the marketplace Inquiry Process If, after reading this description you have some interest in the Executive Pastor position at Madison Park Church and you feel you meet the qualifications for the role, you are invited to submit the following information for consideration: 1. Your resume or CV (in Word doc format only) 2. Results of any personality or strengths assessments you have taken in the past three years (StrengthsFinders, DiSC, Myers-Briggs, etc) 3. A current headshot photo of yourself, a current photo of your family, a family bio (in Word doc format only) 4. Five references, including: One supervisor or overseer (could be a board member), two or three staff associates, with at least one from someone you have supervised, and one or two personal. NOTE: These references will be contacted later in the process and only with your prior approval. 5. Written responses to the following questions (in Word doc format only). We believe that one can learn only so much from a resume. Your responses will help us to gain a more complete picture of you and your leadership. a. Describe your faith in Jesus Christ. Tell us how you came to personal faith and something about your journey into ministry. How do you spiritually stay refreshed in the midst of ministry demands? b. What is it about the opportunity at Madison Park that attracts you to this position? c. What are two or three of your core strengths? Please share two or three examples of situations where you utilized your core strengths to move forward the church or ministry you were leading. d. What values and experiences guide and shape your philosophy of ministry? e. What are the key factors that you believe should be present in your next church and ministry in order for you to be most effective? Please submit your information to: Jamie Sipsma NL Moore & Associates jamie@nlmoore.com 410-262-8313 NL Moore & Associates Opportunity Profile Madison Park Church Executive Pastor January 2018 5