Job Overview

Iglesia Biblica Latinoamericana (IBL) Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church

1406 Gregg Street, Columbia, SC

We are in search of a pastor, one who has answered the call to joyfully preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, care for his flock and reach out to the surrounding community. The pastoral candidate must be bi-lingual, already in the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church or willing to transfer. We trust the following self-study will provide an overview of our church. Interested candidates should email a resume to Stan Baston, search committee chair, at [email protected].

OUR PURPOSE

Our mission is to be a light for the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the surrounding community for all peoples with a particular focus on the surrounding Hispanic communities.

OUR LOCATION

We are located in Columbia, the capital city of South Carolina. The city's boundaries include interstates I20, I26, and I77. The University of South Carolina is centralized in the city along with several other colleges. The city has a very large number of Hispanic residents.

OUR HISTORY

We were started as an outreach ministry for the Hispanic community in 1989. After worshipping by sharing with several Columbia area churches, we dedicated our own church building in 2000. The church is located at 1406 Gregg Street.

OUR FUTURE

The members and friends of IBL are diligently praying that God will direct us to the man He has already called to serve our congregation. We believe that our focus should be on spreading the Good News of salvation through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the honor and glory.

Self-study of IBL

Who are we? We are a group of individuals from various cultures who come together as a church to glorify God and try to live accordingly to His will for His kingdom. We are a faithful congregation who has always known that God's plan for our church exceeds our expectations.

Does the church have a focus (mission or purpose) statement? If so, is everyone going in the same direction? Or are there various factions in the church with different ideas?

I believe that even though our mission statement is not in writing this church has always had a vision for the lost and our work as a believing church. Our focus is to live our lives to the glory of God so others can see and come to forgiveness, repentance, and acceptance and salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. Our purpose is to show all people, Hispanic and non-Hispanic, the love, care, and forgiveness at their reach through our Lord.

What makes us different from other churches? Language, or are we preaching the truth? I want our church to focus on preaching the Word!

2) Who will we be (your vision)?

A church with a heart like Jesus, who loves and attracts people unconditionally and shares with them the Gospel for the salvation from their sins through Jesus Christ.

A faithful church with a jealous love for the lost and a passion for sharing salvation to all through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

We want Biblical teaching, spirited worship/singing with a strong sense of community, evangelism outreach, personal Gospel sharing, a candidate to train, teach, and empower.

In summary, we are a loving family of believers who welcome all who wish to worship with us. We have never lost the vision of reaching the lost and believe we are a church where you can see God working through new membership, people's lives, and people wanting to keep growing. We have strong meaningful ministries for children, women's Bible studies and young adults. This is a church that takes prayer seriously and has experience the powerful hand of our Lord in many ways.

The church has had several interim pastors since 2011 contributing to a lack of having consistent centralized leadership. As a result, not all members are involved due to a lack of commitment to God's work, there is lack of training for leaders, teachers, volunteers, etc., little follow up, scriptural classes/training for new believers. English speaking children have not stayed once they reached adulthood. Our building is in need of repair.

Questions for the pastor candidate:

What is your approach to outreach and evangelism?

Can you tell us about your last time doing outreach?

When was the last time you personally evangelized?

What are your "must haves" in a church?

Job Description

Iglesia Biblica Latinoamericana – Church Planter

Overview of the Mission Catawba Presbytery established the mission in 1989. In 2000, the presbytery provided a building for the congregation to use for meetings. There are seventeen communicant members. A normal week of worship at IBL consists of gathering for worship on Sunday mornings, a Sunday evening fellowship meal and Bible Study, and a mid-week prayer meeting. The normal Sunday attendance is between thirty and forty people. The people that come include families with infants and teenagers to widows in their 90s. The people that come represent a variety of nations. On any given Sunday there are people originally from Colombia, Cuba, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, the United States, Venezuela, and other Latin American countries.

Job Description

The Catawba Presbytery of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church seeks to call a man to lead our Hispanic mission congregation, the Iglesia Biblica Latinoamericana (IBL). The primary responsibility is to shepherd the existing core group and to reach the growing Hispanic community in Columbia, SC. The goal is to see the IBL mission become a particularized church with. Currently, this mission is the only Reformed Spanish language ministry in the greater Columbia area.

Duties

Preaching & Teaching

• Lead and preach during weekly Spanish language Sunday morning worship
• Intentionally disciple and train the elder candidates of the church plant
• Work with church members to develop a comprehensive Christian education program
• Lead regular prayer meetings with church members

Pastoral Care

• Provide personal spiritual care and encouragement for church members through the various seasons of their lives

Evangelism and Discipleship

• Engage in personal outreach and evangelism
• Train members in community engagement and evangelism
• Work with members to develop opportunities for community outreach
• Work to include non-Spanish speaking visitors into the life of the church
• Establish relationships with other ministries and organizations that serve the Hispanic community in Columbia

Leadership & Administration

• Serve as the moderator of the provisional session
• Serve as the primary liaison between the presbytery and the church plant
• Oversee administrative details related to the church plant (building, website, office, denominational paperwork, etc.)

Gifts and Competencies

• Must be proficient in both English and Spanish
• Must be able to preach clear, expository, Christ-centered sermons
• Must have gifts in discipleship and training
• Must be able to teach
• Must demonstrate a proficiency in written communication
• Must be able to enlist, coordinate, and lead volunteer efforts to accomplish large and small projects well
• Must exhibit an eagerness and ability to share the gospel with non-Christians
• Must be comfortable working as part of a team
• Must have history of handling interpersonal conflicts according to biblical principles

Graces

• Must be a man of God, showing clear evidence of a true devotion to the Lord and a passion for the cause of Christ
• Must be a man characterized by humility. He must be teachable and able to receive feedback in a godly way
• Must be able to relate to people from a range of socio-economic backgrounds
• Must be able to relate to people from different countries and cultures
• Must be characterized by love – a genuine love for his own wife (if married), a devoted fatherly love for his children (if a father), a sincere love for Christ's sheep, and a burden for the lost
• Must be a devoted student of God's Word and the work of pastoring God's people
• Must be committed to reading books and articles which will help him grow in knowledge and hone his gifts
• Must have gifts of hospitality – able to lead and encourage the congregation in this ministry.

Qualifications

Master of Divinity Degree

Must be licensed or ordained in the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, or eligible for ordination in Catawba Presbytery

Compensation The compensation package will fulfill the presbytery's compensation requirements for a full-time minister, including salary, health insurance, and retirement.