Job OverviewWe are seeking a passionate and dedicated Pastor to lead and nurture our rural Eastern Iowa Church. This vital role involves providing spiritual guidance, delivering biblical sermons, and fostering a welcoming environment where individuals can grow in their faith journey. The Pastor will serve as a spiritual leader, mentor, and counselor, ensuring that the church’s mission and values are reflected in all aspects of ministry. This paid position offers an opportunity to make a meaningful impact on individuals and the broader community through compassionate leadership and active engagement.
Responsibilities
- Deliver engaging sermons
- Provide Christian counseling, offering support during times of personal crisis, grief, or life transitions
- Lead and coordinate worship services, including music selection, prayer sessions, and communion
- Offer bereavement support and facilitate hospice care visits to comfort families facing loss
- Organize community outreach programs, seminars, and educational classes that promote spiritual growth and community involvement
- Mentor church members and foster leadership development within the congregation
- Plan and execute church events such as retreats, workshops, and outreach initiatives to strengthen community bonds
Requirements
- Agree with and adhere to Lafayette Christian Church Statement of Faith (see below)
- Proven experience in Christian ministry with strong teaching abilities and public speaking skills
- Demonstrated leadership qualities with excellent communication skills for engaging diverse audiences
- Ability to deliver biblical sermons that resonate with various age groups
- Skilled in conflict management and crisis management to handle sensitive situations effectively
- Experience in event planning, mentoring, and conflict resolution within a faith-based setting
- Strong writing skills for preparing sermons, newsletters, reports, and educational materials
Join us in this rewarding role where your leadership will inspire faith, foster community spirit, and bring hope to those in need. We are committed to supporting your growth as a spiritual leader while making a positive difference in the lives of others.
ARTICLE III. STATEMENT OF FAITH
SECTION 1. THE WORD OF GOD
We believe that the Bible provides God’s authoritative written revelation to mankind in both the Old and New Testaments. It is the complete and revealed Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original writings. We believe that it is wholly sufficient as Divine revelation, and it alone has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct. (Ps 12:6, 19:7-11; Isa 40:8; Matt 5:18; 1 Thess 2:13; 2 Tim 3:15-17; 2 Pet 1:21; Heb 1:1-3, 4:12).
SECTION 2. GOD
We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one in essence, nature, attributes, and glory, worthy of precisely the same homage, confidence, and obedience. These three are one God being co-equal, co-eternal, and co-existing, and perform distinct but harmonious functions in creation, redemption, and providence (Deut 6:4; Matt 3:16-17, 28:1920; 2 Cor 13:14).
A. God The Father. We believe in God, The Father, an infinite personal spirit, perfect in holiness, justice, wisdom, power, and love. We believe that He is unchangeable in His being, all glorious in His nature, and absolutely sovereign over all things. He is the Creator, Sustainer of all things, and the spiritual Father of believers. (Isa 6:1-6, 64:8; Ps 104, 115:3, 145:5; John 4:23-24; 1 John 4:16; Rev 4:11).
B. God The Son. We believe in Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, God's only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, and teachings. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and personal visible return to earth. (John 1:1-14; Acts 1:11; Phil 2:5-11; 1 Cor 15:3-4; Heb 1:1-10; 4:14).
C. God The Holy Spirit. We believe in the Holy Spirit who came from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He opens the hearts and minds of people to turn them from sin and believe in the Son to be born again and to apply the benefits of Christ’s work in regeneration and sanctification. We believe that every believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit at salvation, and He sovereignly bestows spiritual gift(s), helps, teaches, and guides them (John 3:3-7, 16:8-14; Rom 8:9-11, 16, 26; 1 Cor 2:12-14, 3:16, 12:13; Eph 1:13-14).
SECTION 3. HUMANITY AND SIN
We believe that God created Adam and Eve in His image, without sin and in perfect fellowship but they sinned when tempted by Satan. Their sin separated them from God and brought suffering and death upon themselves, their descendants, and the whole creation. In union with Adam, human beings are sinners by nature and by choice, alienated from God and under His wrath. Only through God’s saving work in Jesus Christ can we be rescued, reconciled and renewed. (Gen 1:27, 2:7, 3:6-24; Rom 3:10-23, 5:19).
SECTION 4. SALVATION
We believe that Jesus Christ, as our representative and substitute, shed His blood on the cross as the perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins. We believe that Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. His atoning death and victorious resurrection constitute the only ground for salvation. The death of Christ is full payment for our sins and satisfies the just requirement of God. Believers are adopted into God’s family through faith and will persevere in faith and good works unto the end. This good news of salvation is freely offered to all and requires faith in Christ, which is enabled by the Holy Spirit, making reconciliation possible for mankind. (John 3:16; Rom 6:23; 1 Cor 15:3-4; Gal 4:5-7; Eph 2:8-9; Titus 3:5; Phil 1:6; 1 Pet 1:5, 3:18; Rev 22:17).
SECTION 5. THE CHURCH
We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head, composed of people who have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and have put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The universal church is manifest in local churches, whose membership consists of a company of baptized believers in Jesus Christ, who are governed by His laws. We believe the local church is associated for worship, preaching and teaching, prayer, the ordinances, fellowship, and the evangelism of a lost world. We believe in the autonomy and independence of the local church, although cooperation with other churches, associations, or organizations may prove beneficial. (Matt 16:18; Acts 2:42-47; Eph 4:1-16; 1 Cor 16:1).
SECTION 6. ORDINANCES
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has mandated two ordinances to the church to be observed until the return of Christ: baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper which visibly and tangibly express the Gospel. Though they are not the means of salvation, when celebrated by the church in genuine faith, these ordinances confirm and nourish the believer. We believe by baptism a believer publicly declares his forgiveness of sin, union with Christ, and new life in Christ. Baptism is only for those who profess faith in Christ. In the Lord's Supper, the believer is dramatically reminded of the sacrifice of Christ for our sin. We believe that the Lord’s Supper should be observed by all believers in obedience to the command of Jesus and that it symbolizes the death of Christ for the forgiveness of our sins, and our continual dependence on Him. The Lord’s Supper is communion with God in Christ, as the believer spiritually feeds on Christ by faith, and communion with the body of Christ. We believe that these two ordinances are not means for salvation but are visible signs of an invisible faith. (Matt 3:13-17, 28:19, 26:26-29; 1 Cor 10:16-17, 11:23-28).
SECTION 7. THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
We believe that as a Christian we are to live for the glory of God and that we should seek to live out our faith with love and care for one another. We believe being a Christian is more than identifying with a particular religion or affirming a certain value system but becoming a new creation in Christ unto service and good works for Him. Being a Christian means embracing what the Bible says about God, mankind, salvation and holiness. We believe that our conduct should be one of pursuing blamelessness before the world; that we should seek to be faithful stewards of our possessions, and that we should seek maturity in Christ. (Rom 12:1-2; Gal 5:13; Eph 2:8-10; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Pet 1:14-16).
SECTION 8. FUTURE EVENTS
We believe in the personal, bodily and glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The coming of Christ, at a time known only to God, demands constant expectancy and, as our blessed hope, motivates the believer to godly living, sacrificial service and energetic mission. We believe His coming will be visible, for the consummation of His eternal Kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, and the eternal blessedness of the believer. We believe that the souls of believers are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where they await their resurrection to be glorified forever with the Lord. (Matt 24:1-51; John 14:1-3; Rom 8:18-19; 1 Cor 15:1-58; Col 3:4; 1 Thess 4:13-18; Rev 20:11-15)
SECTION 9. THE FAMILY
We believe that God created and blessed the family as the foundation of society. We believe that marriage is ordained by God and is exclusively a covenant relationship between one man and one woman which unites them together as one. Marriage provides for intimate companionship, pure sexual expression, procreation, and reflects the relationship of Christ and the church. A husband is commanded to lead his family and love his wife as Christ loved the church. A wife is commanded to submit to her husband as the church submits to Christ. Children are a gift from God and are fully human from conception. Parents are to train their children by modeling a godly life, teaching them the Scriptures, disciplining them in love, and providing them with a resource of wisdom and counsel. Parents are to care for the needs of their children. Children are to obey their parents with respect and honor, and care for them in the time of their dependency and old age. (Gen 1:27, 2:23-24; Deut 6:4-7; Exod 20:12; Lev 19:32; Ps 127:3-5, 139:13-16; Prov 1:8-9, 22:6, 23:22; Matt 19:4-6; 1 Cor 7:1-5; Eph 5:22-33, 6:1-4; Col 3:20; 1 Tim 5:8).
SECTION 10. EVANGELISM
We believe that God commands everyone everywhere to believe the gospel by turning to Him in repentance and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe the Lord Jesus commissioned believers to advance His kingdom by proclaiming the gospel. We purpose to witness to the lost in both deed and word, seeking to win them to saving faith in Christ and then to bring them into the fellowship of a local church. We purpose also to give our earnest support to home and foreign missions, seeking to do all we can, as the Lord enables, to get the Gospel out to all men. (Matt 28:18-20; Acts 1:8, 13:47; Rom 10:13-15; Rev 14:6).