Walnut Hills Baptist Church Profile in search of a new Senior Pastor
1 I. Mission/ Vision Both the Mission Statement and the Core Values and Beliefs have been voted on and approved by the congregation. Mission statement: To share the Good News of redemption through Jesus Christ with every person; to grow in Christian discipleship; and to minister to all in need in the name of our Lord. Core Values and Beliefs: (including, but not limited to) 1. There is only one living and true God, and He exists eternally in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 2. Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. He is God s only Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. 3. The Holy Spirit reveals God in Christ to us, leads us to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, is the power of God within believers that enables them to live for Christ, and leads believers in making wise choices. 4. The Bible is the inspired and authoritative word of God. 5. Man was created by God in His own image. By his free choice, man ushered sin into the world. Therefore, all people inherit a nature and environment inclined toward sin. 6. The mission of Christ to the world was to redeem sinful mankind. This was accomplished through His reconciling death on the cross for the sins of the world. 7. Mankind s salvation is by God s grace, alone, through faith in Jesus Christ. 8. Christ was resurrected from the grave and is alive today with the Father in heaven. 9. A person, who is saved, by faith, will follow Jesus in believer s baptism by immersion to show his or her identification with, and in obedience to Christ. 10. The church is the Body of Christ and is commissioned by God to witness to His love throughout the world. 11. All believers should actively unite with a local church for worship, service, fellowship and support of one another. II. History Walnut Hills Baptist Church (WHBC) was born from a request by a student at William & Mary College in the early 1960 s. The first meeting was held in an old schoolhouse in April, 1963, near the present site with 18 charter members in attendance. WHBC was constituted as a church in September, 1964 with 98 members.
2 The church quickly outgrew its facilities and moved to a permanent building on Jamestown Road in 1969 with Rev. Jerry Haywood as Pastor. Additional construction added a new sanctuary and church offices which were dedicated in November, 1987. Jerry (then Dr. Haywood) retired in 2004 after 35 years of service. More renovations continued under the new Senior Pastor, Dr. Tony Neal who began his pastorate in August, 2006. Dr. Neal brought the church through Pursuing Missional Faithfulness a visioning process that took several years and is still active in the church s programs today. Dr. Neal retired in April, 2015. In August, 2015, as a response to Dr. Neal s retirement, the church initiated listening sessions with over 60% of the regular attendees to gauge the hearts and minds of the congregation. The congregation has voted to bring Dr. Bruce Powers on staff as a part time interim pastor. III. Constitution and Governance The WHBC Constitution and Bylaws (revised April 2010) lay out the guidelines for church operation. These stipulate that the church have two governing bodies the Church Council and the Trustees. The Church Council is responsible for coordinating program plans for organizations, committees, and supporting ministries; and for preparing and maintaining an up to date Church Operating Procedures Manual. It leads in developing the goals and objectives for both near term and long term planning, and provides guidance in the allocation of resources. The members of the Council are: the Senior Pastor; Church Moderator; Chairpersons of the Deacons, Personnel Committee, Stewardship/Finance Committee, Buildings and Grounds Committee; Trustees; Director of Missions and Evangelism Council and three at large members. The at large members are selected by the Nominating Committee and elected to three years terms. The trustees are church members who are authorized to act for, and on behalf of, the church in its financial responsibilities and transactions, as provided by law and by the specific action of the church membership. There are currently three trustees. As to denominational affiliation, the constitution states that our anchor affiliation is with the Baptist General Association of Virginia (BGAV). However, we are also affiliated with the following associations: the Baptist World Alliance (BWA), the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF), the Peninsula Baptist Association (PBA), and the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). There are different options for stewardship which allow members to choose which specific organizations benefit from their giving.
3 Walnut Hills is organized into a number of positions and committees. Rather than expound upon each of these individually, we provide a comprehensive list of the organizational structure at Walnut Hills: (During Listening Sessions, members agreed that decision making at Walnut Hills was good and prayerfully considered) Church Officers: (nominated by the Nominating Committee, and voted upon by the members of the congregation) a. Church Clerk b. Financial Secretary c. Associational Representative d. Church Moderator e. IT Manager Administrative Committees: a. Nominating Committee b. Building and Grounds Committee c. Stewardship/ Finance Committee d. Personnel Committee e. Memorial Committee f. Publicity Committee g. Tellers Committee h. Endowment Fund Trustees Church Program Organizations: a. Audio/Visual Team b. Women on Mission c. Baptist Men d. Bible Study/Sunday School e. Church Music Team f. Discipleship Development Team g. Learning Center h. Library/Media Center i. Mission and Evangelism Council Worship Support Committees: a. Baptismal Committee b. Communion Committee c. Flower Committee d. Music Committee e. Ushers Committee Education Committees: a. Learning Center Committee b. Library/Media Committee
4 c. Nursery/Preschool Coordinating Committee d. Vacation Bible School Committee Ministry Committees: a. Children s Ministries Committee b. Inreach Ministries Committee c. Mission Benevolence Committee d. Outreach Committee e. Senior Adult Ministries Committee f. Student Ministries Committee g. Youth Ministries Committee Fellowship Committees: a. Hospitality Committee IV. Pastoral Staff and Support Administrative and support staff currently lead church activities under the direction of the Senior Pastor: Senior Pastor Associate Pastor (Youth and children) Associate Pastor (Music and worship) Associate Pastor (Education/ Bible Study) Current Interim Pastor mainly Sunday morning and Wednesday activities Office Manager Treasurer Deacon Body (of female and male members) dedicated to servant ministries V. Weekly Worship and Worship Style Sunday services include Children s Sunday School, Youth Bible Study and Adult Bible Study starting at 9:15am, and worship at 10:30am. There are 8 Adult Bible Study classes of varying ages and concentrations. The Sunday worship service is a traditional style. The music is hymn based, led by the Minister of Music, sung by an adult choir (45 members), and accompanied by piano and organ. Children s worship is offered during this time. Communion is presented during Sunday worship once a month, led by the pastor and the deacon team.
5 Communion is also presented to those unable to attend the service by the ministerial staff upon request. In addition, Walnut Hills provides a Wednesday night service at 5:30 pm., which includes a short devotional led by the Senior Pastor, following a meal shared by guests and members of the congregation. Another powerful display of worship are prayer groups, which consist both of members and non members, and which meet at varying times during the week. VI. Facilities The sanctuary and auxiliary buildings are situated on 6.2 acres on Jamestown Road, with total of 24, 363 square feet. The main building contains the sanctuary, Hospitality Center, offices, classrooms, and choir rehearsal room. The second building contains the Learning Center, younger classes, and youth activities. The sanctuary is 11,000 square feet and can accommodate 425 worshipers. The Hospitality Center contains a full kitchen, and seats 196. VII. Congregation Currently, Walnut Hills has 404 members on the roll. We accept members upon their profession of Jesus as Savior, by transfer of letter, or by statement and baptism by immersion in a Christian church. Average Sunday attendance hovers around 210, with participation in Sunday School and Bible Study about 112. Our Wednesday Service usually has around 86 members participating.. In terms of finances, the 2015 annual budget is $700,657. In 2014, giving by the congregation was able to meet 94% of the operating budget, and the 2015 YTD contributions make up 90% of the operating budget. However, Walnut Hills has a mortgage of $522,000 through Towne Bank, at a 5% interest rate. The Endowment Trust of Walnut Hills Baptist Church exists to receive and manage gifts, bequests, and other transfers that are intended to support its ministries on perpetuity. These consist of the General Endowment Fund and the Capital Asset Fund. VIII. Ministries of the Church Some of our mission commitments include:
6 Free for all large amount of clothing, kitchen, small furniture given to needy in community J 1 Visa programs help provide food and integration into community to summer workers Homeless ministry provide meals, and overnight stay during 1 week in colder months WMU or WOM Women's ministries to church and community Stop Hunger Now buy and package thousands of meals to be shipped where needed Mission trips e.g. to Standing Rock Indian Reservation in North Dakota each year; yearly youth mission trips Weekly Youth Group, Children s Choir, Middle and High School Retreats Baptist College Ministry at William & Mary meals, support, and Bible study Men and Women's Bible Studies several studies meet each week at the church ACE team adult Christian education team especially active during Advent and Lent Vacation Bible School each summer reaching about 100 children Inreach preparing, serving meals when there is a need in the church family 50+ Luncheons lunches & activities once a month during school year calendar for senior adults From His Hands prepare food once a month for homeless Team KID Wednesday after school missions and discipleship program Girls in Action meeting twice a month Supports Avalon a community based organization for survivors of domestic abuse IX. Walnut Hills Baptist Church Learning Center One of the biggest ministries at Walnut Hills is our Learning Center which was started in March, 1991 by the Baptist Young Women Day Circle and Need Center group, a women s weekly Bible study, to provide a Christ centered affordable preschool education for their children and the community. The Center provides part time preschool ministry for ages 2 ½ 5, operating four classes at varying times, five days a week from 9:15 2:00. Enrollment varies from 35 55 children per year; current enrollment is 40. Tuition and registration fees for the program cover staff salaries (8 part time employees), equipment, and supplies. Walnut Hills Baptist Church provides the building, utilities, and upkeep at no additional cost to families. The Learning Center operates under religious exemption from licensure and annually provides documentation of approved inspections of the facility and other information to the Department of Social Services as required by law.
7 X. Williamsburg James City County The community surrounding Walnut Hills Baptist Church boasts a superb public school system, several tourist attractions, and an active community. It is located on the Virginia Peninsula on the I 64 corridor, midway between Richmond and Norfolk/Virginia Beach. Williamsburg is home to Colonial Williamsburg, the world s largest outdoor living museum, known worldwide for the preservation and interpretation of the founding history of the United States. The city is home to The College of William and Mary, the second oldest college in the United States, and offers over 40 undergraduate programs and over 40 graduate and professional programs. With a highly competitive selection rate (33.2% annually), the College enrolls approximately 8,200 students from all over the world. The school system includes 10,998 students with 830 instructional staff and 600 support staff between 9 elementary, 3 middle, and 3 high schools all fully accredited according to Virginia State standards. A fourth middle school has been approved with an opening planned for Fall 2018. Williamsburg itself has a population of 15,064 in 2015,a 17.2% increase from the prior Census. Along with bordering localities James City County and upper York County the Greater Williamsburg area s population is approximately 94,026. Greater Williamsburg has been one of the fastest growing regions of Virginia over the last three decades. Racial composition includes: 75.9% white, 15.3% African American, 7.2% Latino, 5.3% Asian, and 0.3% American Indian. The per capita personal income was $53,571, and the percentage of persons below the poverty level was 19.5% in 2013, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Economic Analysis. Latest figures show a 6.6% city unemployment rate,compared to a national average of 5.3%.
8