Good Shepherd Evangelical Lutheran Church (Manistee, MI) - Pastor - LancasterSearch

Good Shepherd Evangelical Lutheran Church (Manistee, MI) -  Pastor 

 

The Big Picture

Good Shepherd Evangelical Lutheran Church (gslcman.org) is seeking to call a strong orthodox Lutheran Pastor to help guide and lead our congregation in living out our Confession of Faith.

 

The Church

The church was established through the merging of the 3 churches Into Good Shepherd – 1969 This brought several small congregations together for the betterment of our church family. There was a move from the ELCA to the NALC in 2011. This was voted on and supported by the majority of the congregation. In 2020 our beloved Pastor went to be with the Lord.  We grieved our loss. Our interim pastor has helped lead us out of our sense of loss.

The active congregation is primarily older, but there are a few young families.  In this post-covid environment, we are discovering a new normal as confirmation, youth group, and other pre-covid groups returned.  Good Shepherd Lutheran Church worship services are liturgical.  We offer a Saturday evening service with casual dress and contemporary music, but the framework of the service is still liturgical. Our Sunday morning service uses the ELW hymnal with full vestments and organ music with choir.  Holy Communion is offered at all regular worship services each week.

 

The Community

Natural beauty.  It’s northern Michigan’s claim to fame, and it flourishes in Manistee County.  There are no big cities or suburban sprawl in our section of the Pure Michigan Mitten. Enjoy our 25 miles of sandy Lake Michigan shoreline, three Lake Michigan harbors, inland lakes, 270 miles of rivers and four-season fisheries. Visit our charming, historic towns and marvel at our fertile farms and lush orchards, and our thousands of acres of Manistee National Forest. There are opportunities year-round to explore our county by foot, bicycle, motorcycle and auto, x-country ski, snowshoe, ATV, snowmobile, boat, kayak and canoe, as roads, trails, rivers and lakes crisscross throughout the county.  

Requirements

The Qualifications

1.    A true and personal faith in God through the Lord Jesus Christ.  

2.    Belief in the infallibility and authority of the Holy Scriptures.  

3.    Subscription to the Ecumenical Creeds and Confessions of the Lutheran Church (NALC) as faithful witnesses to the truth of Scripture.  

4.    A Master of Divinity or its equivalent. 

5.    Committed to participating in and developing a discipleship community, and actively living as a disciple of Jesus Christ.  

6.    Committed to living a faithful and Godly life in accordance with the Holy Scriptures and conducting oneself in such a manner as to not bring reproach upon themselves, their family, or the Church.  

7.    Self-motivated and able to work independently and with accountability toward directed goals of the congregation.  

Benefits

The expectation of this minister is to nurture the middle school and high school teenagers in the areas of worship, fellowship, outreach and discipleship. The minister is required to assess the needs of the youth, set the vision, plan and execute curriculum and events, preach and teach the word of God, and review the ministry progress with the board, the youth ministry team, and the parents. It is expected that the minister will be a team player and a communicator; it is not expected that the youth minister will do everything him/herself, but he/she must be able to work with the youth ministry deacon, the adult and youth volunteers and delegate responsibilities. It is expected that the youth minister may spend time with the youth outside the church in more casual or fun settings. Outside of the heart of a shepherd, organizational skills are very important for the position. It is expected that in the interview process, the prospective youth minister provides a self-evaluation on his/her strengths and weaknesses as a youth minister and team player. There is a part-time pastor’s assistant who supports the Mandarin ministry pastor, the English ministry pastor (open position), the children minister, and the youth minister. Founded in 1981, Wilmington Community Evangelical Church (WCEC) is a bi-cultural and bilingual (Mandarin Chinese and English) church committed to building up the kingdom of God in Northern Delaware and the surrounding Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Average Sunday attendance is around 250 of which ~40-60 people attend the English Sunday service, with the remainder attending the Mandarin Sunday service. A typical English Sunday service includes youth, parents of the youth, college students, young professionals, and adults. The church currently has a Mandarin ministry pastor and a full time children’s minister. The average attendance of the weekly youth ministry Friday night activity is between 40 and 60. The church is currently in the process of searching for an English ministry pastor who is expected to be a close coworker with the youth minister. Knowledge of Chinese Culture and Mandarin Chinese is an advantage but not a qualification for the candidate. The vision of the church is “Mission and Planting 宣教與拓植”. Two churches have been planted: One in West Chester, PA [West Chester Chinese Evangelical Church 威徹斯特主恩堂] and another in Bear, DE [New Castle Chinese Evangelical Church 新城主恩堂/Gospel Christ for All Nations] in 2000 and 2007, respectively, with steady growth witnessed in both. The mission of the English Ministry is “Empowering people to serve God in a cross-cultural community through transformed living”. General Qualifications Evangelical faith Education: Bible college graduate or Master’s of Divinity Shepherding experience preferred Spiritual Qualifications Living a life of faith in Jesus Christ Demonstrating a passion for shepherding students Ministry Qualifications A vision for youth ministry Able to recruit and if needed train adult volunteers in youth ministry Able to communicate with youth and parents General Responsibilities Preach and teach Conduct ordinances, e.g., baptism, Holy Communion, etc. Conduct visitation and counseling Collaborate with youth ministry leaders of nearby churches for joint youth ministries Specific Responsibilities -Plan and lead the development of a comprehensive youth ministry in accordance with the long range ministry vision. -Set annual ministry goals and develop plans to achieve such goals -Organize and/or lead weekly Sunday School classes for youths -Recruit and train a ministry team of youth leaders (Student Ministry Team) -Organize an adult youth ministry leadership team (and train if needed) -Organize and/or lead weekly youth ministry events on Friday nights, or additional days as required -Organize special Youth Ministry events, e.g., youth-parent seminars, youth retreat, 30-hrs Famine, Gospel Jam, etc. -Involvement with in-campus ministries in local high schools -Develop and oversee the annual budget for youth ministries Participate in ministry meetings, such as monthly meetings of the church Elder and Deacon Board, and the English Ministry Team -Share responsibility preaching in the Sunday Morning Worship Service