Job Overview

Seeking a senior pastor to oversee the ministry efforts of Southwest Harbor Congregational Church. Compensation is negotiable and competitive, and includes parsonage, retirement, utilities, travel, generous paid time off, and regular sabbaticals.

Southwest Harbor Congregational Church Prospectus

OUR CHURCH BUILDING AND PARSONAGES

The Southwest Harbor Congregational Church is located on a quiet residential street in the village of Southwest Harbor on Mount Desert Island. The church is a white shingled New-England-style timber-frame building. The bell tower features a carillon that plays twice daily. The main part of the church (35’x40′), which includes the sanctuary, was completed in 1885, with an educational wing added in 1960. The sanctuary is furnished in the circa 1900 New England manner and includes a baby grand piano, an electronic organ, a sound system, and a projector. It seats 165 comfortably and is handicap-accessible, although upgrades are planned to meet ADA requirements. The vestry, located beneath the sanctuary, contains a well-equipped kitchen, a large fellowship hall, Sunday School classroom space, the furnace, two bathrooms, and storage closets. The upstairs of the two-story educational wing includes the pastor’s 10’x16′ study/office, the secretary’s office, the church library, a bathroom, and a meeting room/adult Sunday School room with kitchenette. The downstairs area has two Sunday School rooms, a nursery, and three large storage closets.

The parsonage, situated on an adjoining lot, is a Cape-Cod-style home, cedar-shingled with white trim. On the ground floor are the updated kitchen, dining room, living room with fireplace, sunporch, and half bath. French doors lead from the dining room to a newly built deck overlooking the back yard. The second floor has a master bedroom with fireplace, three smaller bedrooms, and a bath. There is a full basement and a one-car garage. A safe and spacious yard with attractive plantings surrounds the church and parsonage. The neighborhood is quiet and friendly and is two blocks from both the harbor and the business district of town. In addition to street parking in front of the church, a parking lot with space for roughly 20 vehicles is next to the parsonage.

A second parsonage was purchased by the congregation in 2021. It is several miles from the church on Jody’s Acres Drive, and is situated on a forested lot. It was built in 2000 and features 2,300 square feet of living space, with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, a two-car garage, and an open floorplan.

OUR CONGREGATION

Our congregation is dedicated to the preaching and teaching of the gospel of Christ. We belong to the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference and consider ourselves conservative and evangelical, believing in the Bible as the inerrant word of God. We come from diverse religious backgrounds, but we are a loving, caring community of faith. Because we live on an island and in a small community, we are a church family of people who live, work, and worship together.

We have 54 members, with many young families (and a large number of homeschoolers). Our average worship service attendance is 60. Our numbers swell in the summer with seasonal visitors.

OUR ORGANIZATION AND MINISTRIES

The Sunday morning worship service is at 10:30 a.m. It is traditional in style, Bible-based and Christ-centered. We enjoy music as a meaningful part of worship and begin each service with praise songs. Prayer is a very important part of our worship services and of the life of our church. Communion is celebrated every Sunday. Sermons are recorded and shared on the church website every week. There is a coffee fellowship time after the service downstairs during the colder months, and lemonade on the front lawn each Sunday during the summer. Sunday School for adults and children is at 9:00 a.m., year-round.

As a congregational church, we recognize Christ as the only head of the Body and understand that Jesus vested final earthly authority to the assembled congregation. We recognize two Biblical offices, those of Elders and Deacons. We also have three administrative officers: Clerk, Treasurer, and Chairman of the Trustees. The Pastor is the elder primarily responsible for the preaching and teaching of God’s Word, as well as the administration of the sacraments. We have active Men’s and Women’s ministries, as well as home groups that meet weekly during much of the year. We support a number of missionaries around the world and in the U.S., and take part in Operation Christmas Child every December.

In 2021, the church moved to allocate resources for a Pastoral Residency program, with the aim to train and send men to Maine churches in a revitalization effort. This effort led to the purchase of the second parsonage and the seeking of our first resident, Jacob Hansen, who with his wife and seven children now serves at the Beals Advent Christian Church on Beals Island.

Southwest Harbor/MDI Community Profile

Southwest Harbor is located on the island community of

Mount Desert Island.

THE QUIET SIDE OF ACADIA

Mountains rising from the ocean, forests stretching to granite cliffs, lakes nestled in glacial valleys, crashing surf on a rocky shoreline. It is little wonder that nearly three

million people come each year to Mt Desert Island (often just called “MDI”) to enjoy Acadia National Park.

MDI is roughly circular with a fjord, Somes Sound, through its center that nearly cuts it in two. Acadia National Park covers just over half of MDI, with about a third of the park located to the west of the Sound.

Most visitors to the island head to Bar Harbor on the northeast coast, which is home to several large hotels and is a popular stop for cruise ships. Tremont and Southwest Harbor are the principal towns on the west side of MDI. First settled by fishermen, the towns retain their maritime heritage boasting healthy fishing fleets and myriad boat yards.

THE TOWN

Southwest Harbor is a town with a population of 1,756 and is located in Hancock County. Living in Southwest Harbor offers residents a small-town feel and many residents own their homes. Many young professionals, small business owners, fisherman, and retirees live in Southwest Harbor as well as a large summer population that blooms in May and disperses in November.

EDUCATION

The public schools in Southwest Harbor are highly rated. They include Pemetic Elementary School and Mount Desert Island High School. Regarded for its strong student-teacher ratio of 11 to 1, as reported in U.S. News and World Report, MDI High offers advanced placement, honors, college preparatory, and special education programs.

There are several of private schools in the area as well, including Mirus Academy and The Community School. There are a large number of homeschool families  and several thriving cooperative learning groups.

If you want to continue to “stimulate your life through the joy of learning,” Acadia Senior College offers a surprising variety of courses primarily for adults over 50. With the exception of one part-time office administrator, all Acadia Senior College staff members, including the instructors, are volunteers—reflecting the vibrancy of the community.

Through a broad array of lectures, exhibits, film series, and cultural programs, public libraries also play a strong role in the MDI community. When summer visitors leave, the libraries continue to hum. From the well-regarded toddler storytime sessions at Southwest Harbor Public Library to the Learning a New Language program at Jesup Memorial Library in Bar Harbor, you’ll find art, history, and culture thrive in the libraries on MDI.

Job Description

Pastor: Job Description

1. Shepherd the Flock:

• The Senior Pastor is called to be a shepherd for the flock. In 1 Peter 5:2-4 (ESV), it says: “Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”

1. Worship Services and Preaching:

• They prepare and deliver sermons. In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV), it says: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”The Pastor’s primary duty is to proclaim the gospel and teach the Bible. In 2 Timothy 4:2 (ESV), it states: “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.”
• The Pastor will actively participate in the teaching ministry of the church. It is expected he will regularly teach, or participate in Sunday School and participate in a home group ministry.
• The Pastor plans and conducts worship services. In Hebrews 10:25 (ESV), it emphasizes the importance of gathering: “Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

1. Evangelism and Caring Ministry:

• The Pastor oversees and helps direct an effective evangelism program. In Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV) (the Great Commission), Jesus instructs: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”
• They engage in a caring ministry. In Galatians 6:2 (ESV), it says: “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

1. Pastoral Care:

• The Pastor visits sick and shut-in members. In James 5:14 (ESV), it encourages prayer and anointing: “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.”
• They conduct counseling sessions, perform funerals, and officiate wedding ceremonies. In Ephesians 5:31-32 (ESV), marriage is described as a profound mystery: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.”

1. Church Administration and Leadership:

• The Pastor collaborates with the Deacon and the Missions Board. In 1 Timothy 3:1-13 (ESV), qualifications for overseers and deacons are outlined.
• With the elders they plan, organize, direct, coordinate, and evaluate all church programs and ministries. In 1 Corinthians 14:40 (ESV), it says: “But all things should be done decently and in order.”

1. Qualifications:

• Must be licensed and ordained (or ordained within 6 months of hire). In 1 Timothy 4:14 (ESV), it speaks of the laying on of hands: “Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you.”
• A minimum of an associate degree and 5 years of ministry experience (or a combination of education and experience). While specific qualifications are not explicitly outlined in scripture, faithfulness, integrity, and sound doctrine are essential.
• Attributes include a personal relationship with Jesus, integrity, passion, vision, humility, fiscal responsibility, and effective communication skills. In Titus 1:7-9 (ESV), it describes the character of an overseer: “For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard.