Associate Pastor Search

Church Information Form (Part II)

Step 1 of 7

Church/Organization ID 22357 

Church/Organization Name, City, State              Lake Murray Presbyterian Church, Chapin, SC       29036  

Position To Be Filled   (select one)  X_ Associate Pastor (Other)

 Specify Title (if appropriate) Associate Pastor for Evangelism and Missions                            

Employment Status

X          Full Time                                  Part Time                                 Open to Either

Years of Experience Desired

             First Ordained Call                   less than 2 years                 X    2 years or more

             4 years or more                                   6 years or more                                   8 years or more

Language Requirements

        X      English                     Spanish                        Korean                         Mandarin Chinese

               Japanese                   Cantonese                    Taiwanese                    Other

Deadline date for this CIF, if any: ___none__

CIF (Part II) – Step 2 of 7

Is this a yoked congregation?  X         No                    Yes

Brief Church Mission Statement:  Please limit your response to no more than 1500 characters including spaces and punctuation.        

The mission of Lake Murray Presbyterian Church is to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ in word and deed in taking up the challenge of communicating the good news of Jesus Christ to all; by ministering to the needs of the congregation…; by reaching out to others in our community…; by better serving our community, state, country, and world…; by being stewards of the wealth of talents, gifts, and resources God has given us…; and by striving for good teamwork of congregation, officers, and staff in ministry to others.

Narrative Questions: (limited to 1500 characters)

Please write a brief description of your church/organization programs or accomplishments.

Lake Murray Presbyterian was chartered in 1975 with 89 members; today our membership exceeds 1,000.  Because God’s word feeds us spiritually and challenges us intellectually, we are strongly committed to Christian education, to local and global missions and to the support of a broad range of PCUSA programs.  Our adult Sunday morning offers a menu of diverse topics. Disciple Bible studies are offered during the week.  Our Missions Committee successfully coordinates with 5 local ministries to support a building program, food bank, and shelters.  We have sent members on mission trips to Africa, Mexico, Peru, and Costa Rica.  Medical Mission, Inc. originated from the international Outreach of LMPC.  More than 100 active participants of our strong youth program develop their mission trips to the Gulf Coast, Florida, Charleston, SC, and Asheville, NC.  Confirmation classes include a year’s preparation.  The session has 24 elected members plus a youth elder elected each year.  18 elected members comprise an effective Diaconate ministry to provide pastoral care.  Presbyterian Women and our men’s ministry groups play a vital role in LMPC’s ministry.  Our preschool program has capacity enrollment of 150 children. Our session approved a  $1.5 new children’s ministries building. Our scouting program has 110 members with a Scout hut on church property, and 75+ Eagle Scouts.  We also have a 25 member Girl Scout program.

Describe what gifts, skills and experiences your congregation possesses to fulfill its mission. 

LMPC’s congregation is comprised of people of faith from varied backgrounds, different ages, a broad range of faith and life experiences, talents, and professions.  In a community located 26 miles from the state capital on the banks of beautiful Lake Murray, Chapin has a rich history of families comprising several generations as well as those who have chosen to live in a suburban setting.  Our current session includes a combination of leaders and workers, both active and retired, whose experiences guide decisions based on long range planning as a way to address concerns of the future.  Our music program is led by a director and organist who are both affiliated with the USC School of Music.  They capably guide our choirs of volunteers in music ministry.  As a congregation, we have grown from our experiences in dealing with controversial issues trying to always recognize that in God’s house, there is always room at the table for opinions that may differ from our own which are guided by the Holy Spirit.  Our congregation utilizes in its ministry the conference center at Montreat as a means of refreshing and further developing our faith and commitment.  The LMPC congregation further fulfills its mission through participation in local, state, national and international missions.

What are the key theological issues of our church and society that are reflected in the ministry of your congregation/organization?

Believing that the Bible is the authoritative Word of God and that understanding it is essential to our being good Christians, we strive for education in learning God’s plan for us as individuals and as a congregation.  LMPC is sensitive to the challenging issues within our denomination and that leaders/session/staff strive to accurately communicate those issues to our congregation.  Education, evangelism and missions are key in our ministry.  We depend on corporate worship and individual study to nourish our education; we believe that we must listen to the Holy Spirit for guidance.  Believing that admonition “you shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31), we seek to evangelize, focusing our attention on problems facing our society today.  We are committed members of PCUSA and Trinity Presbytery.  We affiliated with the Fellowship of Presbyterians.  In addition to regular classes, we offer special workshops (Spiritual Enrichment, Learning on Lent), guest speakers and lecture series, which continue to address such topics as families in crisis, marriage enrichment, parenting, caring for elderly parents, finances and estate planning, grief and other issues.  Our church carries this scripture beyond our doors by strong youth and adult programs which actively support and participate in local ministries and that directly impact on the needy for our community, regional areas and internationally.

CIF (Part II)

References (Limit 3)

Below, please list three persons who know our congregation.

Name   Francis Burriss

Address   4046-M Fernandina Road, Columbia, SC 29212

Phone Numbers 803-750-0339_

Relation  Former Pastor__

E-mail_MontreatFMB@aol.com_

Name   Alan Arnold________

Address   638 Timberlake Drive, Chapin, SC 29036

Phone Numbers  803-345-9957

Relation Former Presbyter____________________________________________

Name   Austin Shelley

Address  201 Loetscher Place #113, Princeton. NJ 08540_

Phone Numbers _______________________

Relation  Former Member, Youth Director, Elder & Ordained Pastor__________

E-mail  ashelley@chestnuthillpres.org

Major Responsibilities: For what specific tasks, assignments, and program areas will this person have responsibility?

The purpose is to provide strong and visionary leadership for the Evangelism and Missions of the church, enhance the Pastoral Care of our members, and enhance the worship of the church through preaching and liturgy. Responsibilities are to ensure the complete administration, planning, implementation and evaluation for a growing evangelism and mission ministry for the church; education, evangelism, missions and outreach.

Description of characteristics and qualifications needed in a person who will fill this position:

Other responsibilities are taking part in the Pastoral Care Ministry of the church; visiting the sick and hurting; ensure that visitors to our church are visited, and are given information about joining our church; keep the Pastor informed of all pastoral concerns; to assist in worship as both a regular liturgist and frequent preacher, except on days when conflicts occur with mission trips, etc; preach in both worship services every four weeks according to a schedule worked out with the Pastor; attend Session Meetings, congregational events, and assigned committee meetings as required and to perform any other duties deemed necessary by the Pastor.

 Primary Skill Choices: Select up to 10 skills from the list below which you would like to see in the person filling this position.

___ Administration of Programs

___ Adult Ministry

___ Building Renovation/Property Development

___ Choir Directing

_X_Community Ministries

___ Conflict Management/Mediation Skills

___ Congregational Fellowship

___ Congregational Redevelopment/Revitalization

_X_ Counseling

___ Curriculum Building

___ Development of New Educational Experiences

___ Evaluation of Program and Staff

___ Facility Management

___ Financial Management

___ Governing Body Ministry

___ Hospital and Emergency Visitation

___ Instrumental Music

___ Leadership Development

___ Leading Music Ministry

___ Management of Building Usage

_X_ New Church Development

___ Older Adult Ministry

___ Organizational Leadership and Development

_X_ Pastoral Care

_X_ Preaching

___ Project Management

___ Rural Ministry

___ Small Membership Church Ministry

___ Staffing/Human Resources

___ Strategic Planning

___ Training Volunteers

___ Urban Ministry

___ Youth Ministry

___ Administrative Leadership

___ Budget Preparation

___ Children’s Ministry

_X_ Communication (Written/Oral)

___ Community Service and Leadership

___ Congregational Communication

_X_ Congregational Home Visitation

___ Corporate Worship/Sacraments

___ Cross Cultural Collaboration/Cultural Proficiency

___ Defining Program Needs

___ Ecumenical and Interfaith Activities

_X_ Evangelism

___ Family Ministry

___ Fund Raising

___ Group Process Facilitation

___ Information Technology

_X_ Involvement in Mission Beyond Local Church

___ Leadership of Staff/Volunteers

___ Legal/Tax Matters

___ Management of Equipment Resources

___ Office Management

___ Organization /Administration

___ Parliamentary Expertise

___ PCUSA Polity/Constitutional Knowledge

___ Problem Solving/Decision Making

___ Public Relations

___ Scholarship/Publishing

___ Spiritual Development

___ Stewardship and Commitment Program

_X_ Teaching

___ Transitional/Interim Ministry

___ Young Adult Ministry