Minister Position
Where we are
Located in the center of the beautiful Pacific Northwest, the Tri-cities (Richland/Kennewick/Pasco) is a stable and growing community of over 250,000. The Tri-cities has both an agricultural and professional population and contains 2 college campuses. More local information can be found at: http://tcrchamber.com/about-the-tricities
Who we are
The Richland Church of Christ was founded in the 1940’s by transplants from the Midwest who came to the area to work at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation during WWII. Many stayed after the war and the nucleus of the congregation was formed. The congregation built a new facility in Richland in 1976 where the congregation continues to meet to this day
The average attendance of the congregation ranges from 180 to 200 on any given Sunday. Sunday evening services were replaced with a small group program in 2005 and that program continues with approximately 100 people participating. We meet weekly for a traditional Wednesday evening service. The congregation maintains 2 full time minister positions and a part time administrative position. The work scope of the ministry is divided with the Pulpit minister having responsibility for adult bible studies, and small group programs. The Youth minister is responsible for the teen ministry program, youth activities, Leadership Training for Christ and annual youth rallies.
The congregation has, for the past 10 years, been the sponsoring congregation for a missionary family in Togo, West Africa. That commitment has come to conclusion, however, we will continue to provide partial support for the family as they next move to Rwanda on a new mission effort with a new sponsoring congregation. We have a history of supporting missionaries and are currently supporting work in Bolivia, Guatemala, Jackson, Mississippi, San Francisco as well as Africa.
The congregation is led by 5 elders and 11 deacons. The elders cohesively share responsibilities and the deacons have traditional individual areas of responsibility. Joint meetings are held monthly.
We describe our current situation as desirous of stretching beyond our current service to the Lord.
Where we want to go
We believe that God is calling us to strengthen the faith of our members, within each home, and with our families and our many singles at all stages of life so that they develop a life lasting faith and commitment to Christ. Also, we believe that we need to reach out to the community in our teaching and ministry efforts. We want to become a more outwardly focused church as described in Luke 19:10.
Who we are looking for
As we search for a minister, it is our expectation that he will be founded in sound doctrine, gifted in teaching God’s word effectively, passionate about leading souls to Christ, experienced with guiding various ministries, and prepared to lead the congregation to impact their world for Christ through example. He will challenge the leadership team with insight, and invest in developing relational connections with the Richland body. He will understand the value of family, and provide wise counsel. He will be about discipleship. He will help us learn to share our faith, and invest in relationships.
Our goal in selecting a minister to work with the congregation would be to find a man that has a passion for the Word and for people. He would be highly knowledgeable in the word and would be able to relate and apply it in a pulpit setting as well as at the local gas station. We need a man that exhibits a positive attitude and can teach and speak in a positive manner even when the message needs to be tough. The congregation needs to be encouraged from the pulpit to do God’s will in a way that will be remembered and applied in their lives throughout the week.
The minister is expected to be able to relate to all members of the congregation. This requires that the individual like people and desires to interact with them. He would demonstrate this in his more formal role on Sunday but also throughout the week in visits and even in working with the members on special projects that may arise. We would expect that the minister would challenge the body to service to the community in teaching friends, coworkers, and strangers. He would lead by example and serve as a mentor to the body in demonstrating service to his fellow man.
We would like to hire an individual that has a vision for developing an encouraging worship service that unites the congregation in its worship and honor to God. The minister should take the leadership in setting the standard for content and sequence for a positive, effective worship service. This may include use of PowerPoint in the song service, suggestions to the song leader of songs that will carry the message of the day and overall coordination of the service.
Personal / Family Qualities
We are seeking an individual that has proven good speaking abilities and can hold the attention of the body while delivering his message. We believe that, at times, humor can be effectively used to teach and even admonish the body and we expect that members would want to attend as frequently as possible to worship God and to be encouraged to do more.
It is preferable that the man have formal training that has led to a bachelor’s degree in ministry or personal work and formal training as a minister. We are looking for an individual that is seasoned and passionate for Christ! We are looking for enthusiasm with direction.
The individual would be married with a wife that is supportive of his role as a minister and willing to become a faithful participant in the congregation. We believe that a minister cannot be fully effective if he does not have the support and involvement of his family. We would expect that his children (if he has children) would be believing and faithful if still living at home and of age. We would expect that the individual would set a positive example in his home life for others to emulate.