Congregational Profile for Associate Pastor Call
Transcription
Congregational Profile for Associate Pastor Call
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church Congregational Profile Come... Learn... Grow... Care... Serve! June 19, 2013 Table of Contents Congregational Information ii Who Are We 4 Where Are We Going 5 The Building Program 7 Our Existing Facilities 7 What Excites Us/Inspires Us 8 Worship & Music 8 Service9 Youth Ministry 11 Learning & Faith Formation 12 Fellowship and Special Ministries 14 Staying Connected 15 Partnerships with Synod, Church-wide, Ecumenical and Interfaith Organizations 16 The Community We Serve 17 The Leader We Seek 18 Associate Pastor Job Description 19 Appendix22 A. Congregation’s Current ELCA Congregational Trend Report and Demographic Zip Code Report B. Geographic Distribution of Congregation C. Paid and Volunteer Staff D. Budget and Financial Services E. Montgomery County F. Statistical Analysis of the Community We Serve G. Living in our Community H. History of Prince of Peace i Congregation Information Prince of Peace Lutheran Church Congregation ID: 07647 11900 Darnestown Road Gaithersburg, MD 20878 301-869-3666 Fax: 301-869-8702 Office E-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.poplutheran.org Synod: Metropolitan Washington DC Synod, ELCA Congregation Council President Jim Bostrom 16613 Leopold Terrace Rockville, MD 20855 301-580-1653 E-mail: [email protected] Call Committee Chairperson Lori Kohne 20216 McNamara Road Poolesville, MD 20837 301-466-5626 E-mail: [email protected] Call Committee Members Lori Kohne Susan Gowing Jonathan Sander Jim Bostrom Deborah Chan Steve Crookshank Marybeth Stockman Pastor Steven Buechler ii Who Are We Prince of Peace is a congregation of people with diverse spiritual gifts, which treasures ways to connect with God, one another and the community. The median age of members of our congregation is younger than the ELCA average, and we’re located in a relatively affluent, well-educated, and fast-paced area. We are blessed by God in many ways, but still hungry for ways to grow in our faith and connect more deeply with God and the world around us. We recognize that the world is an unpredictable place that offers continuous challenges. But along with these challenges, we’ve been repeatedly surprised by the gifts and opportunities provided by God. We are excited about where God may be leading us. As we grow in faith and service, we remain open to redirection and innovation. In this world of change, Prince of Peace is a stable, innovative and caring congregation with over 600 active members. We are passionate about tending to the emotional, spiritual, and physical needs of our congregation and community in the hopes of anchoring each other’s lives in the love of God we experience through Jesus Christ. PoP is located in the northwest suburbs of Washington DC. Due to the proximity to our nation’s capital and prevalence of governmental, high-tech, and military jobs, it is a highly transient area leaving many individuals in the community far away from family and friends. With an ever-changing composition PoP prides itself in being a church that makes visitors feel welcome while not overwhelmed or intimidated. We help visitors quickly find a way to become engaged in the PoP family. In fact many of our new members are already deeply involved in PoP prior to joining. We draw members from a variety of religious backgrounds. In fact, only about 50% of our members were raised Lutheran. Yet we share a common goal to grow in faith, support our fellow members and serve our community. We listen for God’s word through scripture, service, and reflection, turning to a variety of spiritual and faith formation opportunities. While the ELCA is central to our identity as a faith community, we are curious and sometimes questioning followers who draw on a variety of faith and spiritual resources grounded by a Lutheran heritage. 4 We strive to reach out, connect, and make a positive difference through Christ, while continuing to experience and live out our faith in the world every day. And while doing so, we feel it is important to pause and listen with openness and trust for new opportunities of faith exploration and new ways to serve, learn and grow. Where Are We Going Jesus gave his first disciples a new relationship with God. He formed them into a community and empowered them, through word and deed, to share that relationship and community with others in the world. Throughout our history, Prince of Peace has been a welcoming Christian community that reaches out to serve others locally and beyond. Situated in a dynamic yet often fragmented community in which people may be physically, emotionally, and spiritually detached, Prince of Peace’s mission is to help people in our community become more connected to God and to others. As we remember our past and look towards our future, we recognize that we are blessed by God to experience and empower connections and relationships with God and others especially through: • Worship • Serving Others • Engaging Children and Youth in Ministry • Learning and Faith Formation These are the key areas we will emphasize and strengthen in order to continue to be faithful disciples of Jesus and to reach out to others. We have a sense of urgency and excitement about this, because we realize that our area is growing, becoming more diverse, and increasingly transient. We recognize the responsibility and opportunity we have to share what God has given us by being intentional about inviting others to be a part of our community and by helping people connect more fully with God and others, especially those from different or no faith backgrounds. We welcome people as they are and where they are on their faith journey with God, looking for new opportunities for ministry and service. 5 At Prince of Peace, we are passionate about our mission and excited for the future! While our location on Route 28 helps bring regular visitors to our doors, most new members comment that it was the welcoming spirit that made them quickly feel a part of our active congregation. Although we continue to welcome first time visitors virtually every week, our ability to innovate and invigorate our ministries and to be a welcoming place has been limited by facilities that were designed for a much smaller congregation. As we realized that we needed more space for our growing ministries, we also saw that change was sweeping across faith communities in our area and many congregations were shrinking, not growing. Seeing the need to expand our facilities as a positive, and recognizing that we needed to look forward for inspiration and opportunity, we spent nearly three years engaged in a careful and thoughtful multi-part effort that explored opportunities for ministry looking ahead to the next ten to twenty years. This effort produced a three-phase master plan for growing our facilities and we are now developing plans for the first phase of construction. More detail about the process, the master plan, and the building program is on the PoP website. 6 As we envision the future, the design for the first phase transforms our main building by adding new flexible spaces that will enhance worship, learning, service, and fellowship. With the new space, the gathering areas used before and after worship will incorporate standing and sitting areas near a coffee and snack area to provide relaxed and welcoming conversations. The flexible spaces, including a fellowship hall that can be easily divided in two sections, will allow us to incorporate a rotational model for education, building on our VBS model that has been so successful. And the fellowship hall, commercial kitchen, and adjacent gathering spaces will make it possible to easily support large events such as dinners, live performances, as well as blood drives and community events by outside groups such as NA, AA, and others. We also anticipate new ministry opportunities made possible by the new spaces. These could include: an after-school program for high school youth, offering a safe, secure place for fellowship, and doing homework; serving breakfast on special Sundays including Easter; offering an alternate worship experience in the fellowship hall; providing a nursery/pre-school ministry in the expanded nursery; and, providing one or two evening meals that are open to the community, making it possible to not think about cooking but coming to PoP to be fed. The spaces will also support smaller group ministries for Bible study, discussion groups, and fellowship. The Building Program Our excitement for being able to live and grow our faith through new ministries made possible by adding new flexible space, is tempered by the realization that adding new space is very expensive and it will entail significantly expanding our mortgage debt. Many have prayerfully considered whether to expand the building in order to transform our facility and while about half the congregation has pledged support through financial gifts and the capital campaign, others continue to wait. So, while we remain forward thinking in mission, we continue to prayerfully watch, wait, and listen as we decide our next steps. As this profile was being prepared, the architects finished the Schematic Design phase and the contractor developed the first detailed estimate of construction costs. With a projected cost of nearly 2.5 million dollars, work will continue on the capital campaign so we will have part of the funding needed for the project. And, we are also working with the Mission Investment Fund to obtain financing for the rest of the project, combining those expenses with our existing mortgage. We expect to ask the congregation for approval to complete the design work during June. And, we hope to be breaking ground on the addition before June 2014! Our Existing Facilities Our main church facility was built in 1990, through the hard work and sacrifice of a small number of original members. At the time, the congregation had virtually no money saved and interest rates were very high. Although it was a difficult financial struggle for many years, the area and the congregation grew quickly, and the facilities were soon inadequate to the needs of the congregation. Nevertheless, the facilities continued to help us share God’s love! Most people consider our sanctuary to be the best part of our facilities because of its warm and welcoming natural wood, modern stained glass panels and individual seats that can be arranged for a variety of uses. In 1995, two of our active members proposed creating a memorial garden on the edge of the woods. Now known as the Memorial Garden, this special space is lovingly tended by members of our congregation. It serves as a place to quietly reflect upon the lives of those who are now in their Heavenly home, and for neighbors to stop by for periods of contemplation. 7 In 2005, in what we knew would be a preface to a larger building addition and renovation, we added a 2100 square foot separate modular building back by the Memorial Garden named the Besecker Youth Center, which provides additional education, activity, and meeting spaces. This facility has movable walls, and has enabled us to serve both our own needs and the needs of groups in our community. During 2006, we completed several minor improvements to improve access to our facilities including concrete stairs to overflow parking at the adjacent medical offices, a concrete walkway from the front of the church to the sidewalk along Darnestown Road and a second curb ramp improving access for those with mobility issues. What Excites Us/Inspires Us Worship & Music Worship is at the center of the Prince of Peace church community, since worship provides the opportunity to be fed and centered spiritually through word, sacrament, music, reflection and community with one another. In 2004, realizing that Sunday mornings were no longer the exclusive purview of religious life, we began a Saturday evening service. It was our goal then and now to make worship experiences more accessible to people in our congregation and surrounding community. In addition to our weekend liturgies, we also offer evening services during Lent and Advent, as well as at other special times of the year. Our regular weekend services offer a variety of worship styles, with communion, lectionary readings and a sermon offered at every service. The “come as you are” Saturday evening service, with piano accompaniment, is more casual and intimate. The 8:30 am Sunday service also uses piano accompaniment, but may also feature “Grace Notes,” our member-led worship band. The 11:00 am Sunday service uses both piano and organ accompaniment and often features a traditional choir. 8 The music ministry at Prince of Peace is one of several core PoP ministries. A wide spectrum of music is offered at Prince of Peace. Members enjoy the adult choir, youth choir with instruments, and our praise band called Grace Notes. We’re also blessed by the musical gifts of many members, as well as outside professionals and staff members who have a variety of different gifts and play a variety of instruments in many styles. Prince of Peace is continually exploring new ways to grow and enhance it worship & music ministry, including enhancing audio visual elements in worship and making sermons, music and other spiritual resources more accessible through the web. Service Prince of Peace is committed to serving others in a variety of ways. Inspiring leadership engages people to participate and be involved. The Care Team ministry is relatively new, but is continuing to expand its ability to serve the needs of the congregation. The ministry teams, formed as an extension of pastoral care, are comprised of several lay members. The teams coordinate in providing assistance to an individual or family in need, whether it involves driving to appointments, offering companionship, cooking meals, or cutting the grass. Strong, committed, lay leadership of this group of volunteers has led to its overall success. They have shown the ability to continue providing services over extended periods of time for those members most in need. Our on-site community garden, known as “Fruitful Fields, offers three fenced gardens. A portion of the food grown in the gardens is donated to our local food pantry Gaithersburg HELP. Individual plots are also available to “grow your own.” Prince of Peace also supports Gaithersburg HELP through regular canned food drives, a Souper Bowl Sunday collection, and benevolence contributions. Several Prince of Peace members have held positions on the board of directors for Gaithersburg HELP; this has helped solidify its relationship to the church over the years. The Creation Care team helps educate the congregation on ways to be better stewards of the environment. The team attempts to raise awareness of issues such as sustainability, equity, and a more comprehensive understanding of sabbath. The yearly Creation Care Carnival begins with a blessing of the garden, and includes activities such as an electric car demonstration, rain barrel displays, recycling information, junk mail reduction, solar energy panels, and the ever-popular “take a worm for a walk.” For the past two years, the Creation Care Team has participated in cleaning up the stream at the rear of the church property in conjunction with the annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup. Through social networking such as Facebook, they maintain close relationships with the Muddy Branch Alliance, Poolesville Green, Washington Power and Light, the Poolesville Community Garden, and other community and faith-based organizations to offer mutual support of initiatives. 9 Prince of Peace often participates in community events in support of its members. The congregation has formed teams or provided volunteer support at Becca’s Run, Ian’s Run and the 2013 Race for Hope, all of which raise money for brain cancer research, in honor of several members and friends of the church who have been affected by brain cancer. The Derek Sheely “Lead the Way” event is a race to raise funds for and awareness of concussion and traumatic brain injury in sports. It also helps fund The Derek Thomson Sheely Leadership Award, a scholarship awarded to a Frostburg State University junior who exemplifies Derek’s leadership, academic, and charitable qualities. The annual event honors the memory of this young member of the congregation, who died after sustaining a sports-related head injury. Prince of Peace encourages service among members of all ages. Many of our youth describe their lives as being changed by their work-camp experience and by participating in events such as the 30 hour famine. An element of service is often included in fellowship and worship events and is a component of our confirmation program. We have an active quilting group which meets weekly; each year they make dozens of quilts which are donated to Lutheran World Relief. 10 Prince of Peace cooperates with other local agencies and non-profits in order to serve the local community. Some examples of initiatives that we have supported in the past include Habitat for Humanity “Build-Days,” a Red Cross Blood Drive, Thrivent events, Christmas in April, local food banks and homeless shelters. Additionally, we have cooperated with area organizations such as Luther House, N Street Village, Lutheran Social Services, the Village at Rockville (formerly the National Lutheran Home), Lutheran Campus Ministries after school programs and others in providing outreach in the larger community. The congregation annually provides Thanksgiving meals and participates in a “Giving Tree” providing Christmas gifts for several local families in cooperation with Montgomery County Public Schools. We also provide meeting space for Narcotics Anonymous groups and have recently hosted a blood drive for the Red Cross. Our limited facilities inhibit our ability to provide space for many community functions and events, but changing that is one of the key goals of our building program. As we look ahead to the building expansion we are energized with the prospect of being able to continue to support these and other local community functions in more diverse and comprehensive ways. Youth Ministry Prince of Peace has a strong and inspiring Youth program. Youth are provided with relevant opportunities for fellowship, spiritual growth, service, and faith formation. Our high school program is led currently by a member who received training and certification through Gettysburg Seminary in youth ministry. Two of our high-energy Youth service activities are an annual Work Camp experience and in 2013 a planned international trip to Haiti. Both trips are igniting faith in our Youth and allowing them to experience the amazing power of community to accomplish God’s work. PoP Youth also participate in a “30 Hour Famine” each year. This event provides a day of fasting, service, and prayer. Our Youth work throughout the year raising funds to assist with the costs associated with their activities. Recently, the High school youth joined the Social Ministry Committee and other members of Prince of Peace, as well as youth from St. John’s Lutheran Church in Rockville to make and serve meals for the Wilkins Avenue Women’s Shelter in Rockville. The youth groups came together to assemble lunches and breakfasts for clients at the shelter and hope to participate in this service event again in the future. In addition to their service activities, the high school youth also participate in recreational activities such as a recent back-packing trip to western Maryland and a ski trip to White Tail ski resort. 11 We are proud of our ability to attract and engage youth in growing their faith. Every year we are fortunate to hear the faith statement of our 9th graders as they complete confirmation. These statements are proof that we are making a difference in their lives and their spiritual growth. We have a strong confirmation program that feeds into our High School Youth program. As we move forward we strive to extend the success of our High School Youth program to include more programs and opportunities for younger children. Learning & Faith Formation PoP is committed to learning and building a foundation of faith for all. While we continue to value traditional venues such as Sunday School, First Communion, Confirmation and Bible Studies, we have been recognizing the need to enhance and supplement these programs with other models and opportunities. We are aware that something needs to be done to invigorate learning and faith formation, particularly for pre-confirmation ages and also for adults. We recognize the need to explore changes in the way we do traditional programming (for example, considering modeling Sunday School in a rotational, experiential model like VBS); we realize that we have not fully utilized the web and social media as opportunities for learning and building faith; and we are concerned that we make opportunities for learning and faith formation available to busy adults who frequently don’t have time available for things like evening Bible studies. While we don’t have all the answers, we are excited by the possibilities and opportunities that we know exist, and we are looking for an Associate Pastor who can help us explore the possibilities and implement new ideas. 12 Currently, Sunday School Classes for children age three through high school are held between church services during the school year. Layled adult classes are also held between services and vary between traditional Bible-based studies, book discussion groups, or special topics, such as an exploration of the ELCA Social Statements. First Communion instruction is offered to third graders in the spring during a separate class. This experience culminates when they gather to make the bread to be served when they commune together as a group along with their parents the following day. Our two-year Confirmation program for children in grades 7-9 utilizes the Faith Inkubators material and includes other innovative programming planned and led by lay volunteers, parents and the pastor. Confirmation is intended to be a faith formative experience which combines learning, fellowship and service events and includes the participation and leadership of many parents and other adult volunteers. Each fall the 9th graders write and read their personal Faith Statements and are confirmed on Reformation Sunday. Faithful Families is a popular program which brings families together to share a dinner, craft and Bible story. It is a great way for the entire family to spend the evening learning, having fun and growing their faith. Started in 2011, Clay Pots is an adult confirmation experience which allows adults of both Lutheran and other faith traditions to more deeply explore their faith. After studying, sharing and pondering, a faith statement is written. Clay Pots culminates with an Affirmation of Faith during the yearly Easter Vigil service. As we move forward we need to explore new models for igniting learning and faith formation. One model that has been successful is the rotational learning and activity based model that we use in our annual Vacation Bible School. Prince of Peace VBS is well known in the community and in fact last year over 74% of VBS participants were not members of Prince of Peace. This week-long extravaganza continues to expand and each year is filled to capacity. We know that our members look to the church for ways to feel nurtured in their faith and to re-energize them for their daily lives. While we recognize that not all learning happens in our church structures we look forward to the possibilities that the expanded space in the proposed new buildings might hold for our educational programming in terms of flexibility and creativity, including the integration of new technologies. We are eager to explore alternatives to traditional Sunday School, adult learning, and faith formation and growth, as we seek to reach those looking for other formats or who are unavailable for traditional formats because of their schedules. 13 Fellowship and Special Ministries At Prince of Peace we like to have fun and pride ourselves in fostering a sense of welcome and community. Interaction on a personal level is possible through an active fellowship ministry. Fellowship activities vary and there are enough activities for members and visitors alike to be involved in as many or as few activities as they prefer. For the youngest members and their families we have activities such as Prince of Peace pre-school play dates and “Faithful Families”. We also have “empty-nester”social activities for families with no children or grown children. “PoP Rocks,” a group of young adults, gets together for social activities, church ministry events and decorating the church sanctuary Christmas trees. There are also book clubs for women and men, potluck dinners, soup and salad suppers, chili cook-offs, receptions, coffee-houses and silent actions. “Tables for All” is a popular program featuring three monthly dinners with rotating groups of couples and singles to facilitate meeting new people in a social setting away from the church. 14 Our best known annual community event is the Prince of Peace Yard Sale. The Yard Sale serves to make necessary items such as household furniture, household items, and clothing more accessible to those in need. It is a true outreach to families in our community. The event is widely anticipated with a crowd at the door ready to buy before we open at 7:00am! Upcycling, or turning someone else’s trash into your treasures, promotes less waste and greater sustainability. Food is served with the assistance of our youth and live music is provided by our own “Grace Notes” band. It is a wonderful example of combining fellowship, witness, and services in one fun event. Staying Connected At Prince of Peace we recognize that we have an obligation to be actively involved with our surrounding community including schools, businesses and individuals. We also know that we can no longer wait for potential new members to simply walk through our doors. We need to meet them where they are today. Our Witness team is active in community events such as Kentlands Day and Poolesville Day, meeting with the community, telling them about PoP and having some fun. We also recognize the importance of technology. We see our website as a tool for not only keeping current members informed but also attracting new members. We use both Facebook and email to keep members and friends informed of church events and important announcements, and to send sermon notes and stay connected with the members that can’t be with us at all times. For those who wish to listen to past sermons, recordings are available on the website. We have made great strides in corporating technology into our operations, ministries and communication and we recognize that technology will play an ever-increasing role in staying connected with our community and our members as they attempt to balance their busy lives. 15 Partnerships with Synod, Church-wide, Ecumenical and Interfaith Organizations Prince of Peace embraces Jesus’ call to be partners with God’s people outside of our own congregation, in places where God is already at work for the good of God’s whole creation. Because we live in a very diverse community, we have many opportunities to partner with other Christians and those of other faiths. Within our Lutheran community, we regularly support the work of the Synod and the ELCA, and the many ministries we share together. Over the years, we’ve been particularly involved in supporting local ministries such as the Village at Rockville (formerly the National Lutheran Home); the Lutheran Campus Ministry at UMD College Park (whose band, Joyful Noise, has performed at worship here); and the work of Lutheran World Relief (as our Quilting group annual makes 40-60 quilts.) The ELCA National Youth Gathering has been an especially transformative event for our youth, and in 2012 one of our high school youth was a featured speaker at the gathering. With local ecumenical and interfaith partners, Prince of Peace takes a lead in working with others to care for our surrounding community. We are major contributors of people, funding and resources for Gaithersburg HELP, an interfaith volunteer agency which supports people in need in the Gaithersburg area. In partnership with Habitat for Humanity, Prince of Peace has joined with both interfaith and secular groups to work on housing projects. Because of our concern for caring for God’s creation, Prince of Peace has also been a partner with the Muddy Branch Alliance (formed to care for and raise awareness about the impact of storm water runoff heading towards the Chesapeake Bay) and Interfaith Power and Light (which helps congregations learn about more ways to care for the environment). 16 We support Synod, Churchwide, Ecumencial and Interfaith organizations with money, in kind donations and volunteer efforts. Many of our members have taken leadership roles in our partner organizations, as have our Pastors. For example, our associate pastor served on the board of Mar-Lu Ridge and also served as President of Gaithersburg HELP. Our senior pastor currently serves on the New & Renewing Mission Table of the Synod and participates regularly in the Rt 28 Clergy Association (an interfaith group of clergy with congregations in our local area.) The Community We Serve Prince of Peace is located in Gaithersburg, Maryland, a suburb about 20 miles outside of Washington, DC. The church is situated on Route 28, a heavily traveled commuter route serving all of western Montgomery County. The area sits at a boundary between the more urban areas of the greater Metro D.C. area and the more rural northern Montgomery County. Information about demographic details, descriptions and links that describe our surrounding community are found in sections E and F of the Appendix of this document. Our community, like many in the metro area, is busy! The area is very transient, with members frequently staying only a few years before moving on. People living in the area are typically highly educated professionals with demanding jobs, long commutes, and over-booked weekends. The children are in some of the best schools in the country but have workloads that demand much of them, leaving them with little free time. Lastly, many adults in the area, in addition to having the responsibilities of being a parent, also have parents who need assistance but live outside of the area, necessitating frequent trips and placing another demand on their time. Finding new ways to connect with those with little time is a growing need. Financially, household income is higher than most areas. This is in part due to the number of two-income households, but also due to the nature of the jobs that folks hold. While the high cost of housing in the area does limit disposable income, people have enough to allow for frequent vacations (e.g. Christmas, Spring Break, Summer), which is reflected in church attendance. Despite the affluence of the region, there remain those in need. While the percentage of families living below the poverty line is low, we are continually looking for ways to meaningfully provide assistance. Currently, around 40% of County residents speak a language other than English at home. English as a Second Language (ESL) classes may be one way of doing this once we have more space. 17 The Leader We Seek Over the past few years, Prince of Peace has come to really appreciate the benefits of a well-functioning multi-staff team. The different skills, gifts and abilities of each of our staff members have helped members of our congregation to explore their own God given gifts and abilities, and to grow in faith and service. We especially recognized this with our first Associate Pastor. Our first experience with an Associate Pastor was overall a very positive, healthy and productive one for both Prince of Peace and Pastor Sarah Scherschligt. We were blessed to have two very talented, yet also very different pastors who helped us to grow, develop and connect in ways that neither one of them could have done by him or herself. We now have a much greater awareness of the benefits that can come from having a multi-pastor team, and we are looking to build on this experience. To encourage this, we realized from the start that we would need to be flexible in organizing the staff and responsibilities based not just on job descriptions but on individual talents, interests and passions. Although the Associate Pastor had key areas of responsibility, it benefited both the Associate Pastor and the congregation for us to give latitude to the Associate Pastor to take initiative to dream and implement ideas not necessarily envisioned in the job description. This allowed for us to tap into interests and passions that we hadn’t envisioned, and to develop some great new ministry opportunities. In continuing to build on the success of the past few years, it’s important that our next Associate Pastor also be someone who is a good staff team player; who can dream and envision new possibilities and opportunities; and who can inspire and empower members of the congregation to explore and develop their own gifts for ministry. We are looking for someone who is thoughtful and creative; who can help members discover and use their gifts; and who can infuse his or her own gifts into the life of our congregation. Recently, our Council and Senior Pastor have been studying Len Sweet’s concept that ministry should be EPIC (Experiential, Participatory, Image rich and Connective.) As we seek to grow ministry at Prince of Peace, and seek to build deeper connections to God and others, it’s important that our next Associate Pastor, along with all of our staff, be committed to helping make the Gospel real in people’s lives by helping and modeling ways to make all of our ministries more EPIC. 18 Associate Pastor Job Description The Associate Pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church is an ordained minister of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The Associate Pastor exercises his/her ministry consistent with the standards and policies for ordained ministers of the ELCA and in cooperation with the Senior Pastor, the Congregation Council, Staff and Members of Prince of Peace. The Associate Pastor is responsible to the Congregation through the Congregation Council, and reports directly to the Senior Pastor. Generally, the Associate Pastor, together with the Senior Pastor, provides Word and Sacrament ministry, pastoral care and support to the baptized people of God in living out their various ministries. The Associate Pastor will be involved in all areas of the congregation’s life and ministry, but in order to help our ministry at Prince of Peace grow and develop, the Associate Pastor will focus his/her time and energy in certain areas. Specifically, these areas include: • Primary responsibility for supporting Learning and Faith Formation. This includes working closely with the Education and Youth Ministry teams and the Youth and Family Minister; leading the effort to make learning and faith formation for all ages more experiential and participatory; and working with others to make faith development and learning materials and opportunities easily accessible in a variety of web and social media formats. • Primary responsibility for supporting Service to the community and wider world. This includes working closely with the Social Ministry Team and others to develop ways to engage the congregation in direct service to others and to explore ways to partner with other community organizations to use our building and resources to serve the wider community. • Sharing responsibility, with the Senior Pastor and the Care Team, for Pastoral Care, including visitation, counseling, weddings, funerals and baptisms. • Sharing responsibility, with the Senior Pastor, for supporting the Fellowship Team in developing events and activities which create a sense of welcome and community and which support key worship, outreach and service events. • Sharing responsibility, with the Senior Pastor, for Worship leadership. Generally, it is expected that the Senior and Associate Pastors will split preaching evenly, and that both will participate and cooperate in the planning and leading of weekly worship. The Associate Pastor will deliver a written and verbal report at the Annual Meeting and will give monthly written and verbal reports (including vacations and continuing education) to the Congregation Council. The Associate Pastor will attend weekly meetings with the office staff, weekly meetings with the Senior Pastor and monthly meetings with the administrative staff. 19 The Associate Pastor will serve on synodical / extra-church committees with the concurrence of the Senior Pastor and the Church Council. Core Competencies: • Demonstrates good judgment and the ability to maintain confidentiality in all matters. • Demonstrates ability to communicate clearly and accurately with a wide variety of people, displaying sensitivity, patience and a caring attitude. • Makes a genuine effort to cooperate and work well with others. • Demonstrates an attention to detail and displays the ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously and effectively. • Possesses a willingness and commitment to learn and work with Prince of Peace’s structures and processes. • Shows an openness and willingness to learn and add new skills. Compensation and Professional Expense Reimbursement We plan to offer a compensation package that will be in keeping with Synod guidelines. References The following people are former members who can be contacted for further insights and impressions of Prince of Peace and our ministries. Becca Schaefer Baldwin 230 Redwood Circle Broomfield, CO 80020 (301) 943-0022 / [email protected] Charles Lakeman [email protected] / (301) 385-7039 Mary Delaney 4500 Mira Loma Drive Apt. 291 Reno, NV 89502 (540) 588-4831 / [email protected] 20 2012 Associate Pastor Survey Summary -‐-‐ 65 surveys submitted 10 highest ranking skills we need in an associate pastor Caring and Support persons in the midst of crisis/problems/major life Serving decisions Worship Communicates a comprehensive understanding of the Bible and Christian theology. Learning and Teaches and leads adults in faith development. Finds creative Faith Formation and meaningful ways of developing faith in adults. Worship Hears and translates both law and gospel as it applies to the lives of people. Caring and Serving Worship 4.42 4.36 4.36 4.24 Shares the Good News of Jesus the Christ! 4.23 Interest and strong ability to carefully plan and conduct meaningful and inspiring worship services. Learning and Teaches, works, and relates well with high school youth, young Faith Formation adults and youth ministry leaders. Caring and Supports and nurtures individuals by visiting with them in Serving settings other than church functions. Learning and Teaches and relates well to preschool and elementary age Faith Formation children Learning and Easily connects with others in person and by using technology, Faith Formation including the web. 5 lowest ranking skills we need in an associate pastor Inspires and motivates persons to develop and use individual and Stewardship group resources in the service of the Church. Learning and Initiates and supports cooperation in local inter-‐church and inter-‐ Faith Formotion faith programs. Leadership management and Provides oversight of the organization and work of staff, organization committees, etc. Leadership Provides leadership to programs of the ELCA through the Synod management and and church-‐wide organizations as well as other affiliated organization institutions. Leadership management and organization Works with accounts, figures, and budgets. 4.18 4.13 3.98 3.97 3.88 3.52 3.37 3.11 2.75 2.30 21 1 Appendix A. Congregation’s Current ELCA Congregational Trend Report and Demographic Zip Code Report (www.poplutheran.org/associatepastor_call/ ELCA%20Trend%20Report%20PoP.pdf) B. Geographic Distribution of Congregation Residence Gaithersburg Rockville Germantown Poolesville Montgomery Village Other % of Congregation 54% 10% 17% 8% 3% 8% Average Distance (miles) 0 to 5 6 7 11 8 N/A C.Paid and Volunteer Staff Full-Time Positions Senior Pastor Associate Pastor (vacant) Part-Time Positions Support Pastor 15 hours per week (Temporary until next Associate Pastor) Bible Study Pastor 5 hours per week (Temporary until next Associate Pastor) Administrative Secretary30 hours/week Music Coordinator25 hours/week Saturday Accompanist/ Adult Choir Director 10 hours / week Youth and Family Minister 15 hours / week Nursery Attendant Part-time 5 hours / week 22 Volunteer Positions Parish Administrator – Office & Tech Support 8 hours / week Parish Administrator – Church Use 8 hours / week Parish Administrator – Facilities Management 8 hours / week Glad Tidings (monthly newsletter) Editor Education Ministry Vacation Bible School Social Ministry Inside Property plus contract janitorial and trash pickup services Outside Property Witness Ministry (includes Glad Tidings production, periodic advertising, web site and signs) D. Budget and Financial Services Our general operating budget for 2013 is $475,329. Of this amount, approximately 59% is for staff salaries, benefits and expenses; 13% for debt service; and 10% for benevolence (5% Synod Share and 5% other benevolence). Prince of Peace also receives a substantial amount of restricted donations, especially for mission trips and our Capital Campaign. At the end of May, 2013, Prince of Peace cash accounts had a balance of approximately $311,000. This included $11,000 in unrestricted reserves and $251,000 in the Building Fund. Currently, Prince of Peace has received Capital Campaign pledges in the amount of approximately $500,000. E. Montgomery County In 2012, Montgomery County, Maryland’s Center for Research and Information Systems compiled information about population, land use and how residents of Montgomery County work, shop and travel in the Montgomery County Snapshot. The report may be found here: http://www.montgomeryplanning.org/viewer.shtm#http://www.montgomeryplanning.org/ research/documents/MoCoSnapshot_web.pdf An interactive demographic tool for the county may be found here: http://montgomeryplanning.org/gis/interactive/census_mc.shtm#get_started F. Statistical Analysis of the Community We Serve Ethnically, Montgomery County is slightly less diverse than the D.C metro area and has a larger percentage of Asians and a smaller percentage of African Americans. The community around Prince of Peace (‘our community’) is slightly less diverse than the County and has an even larger percentage of Asians and a smaller percentage of African Americans and Hispanics. It should be noted that, our community is much more diverse than the nation as a whole and, over time, has becoming more diverse. Currently, around 40% of County residents speak a language other than English at home. In terms of family structure, households in our community are more likely to consist of married couples with children (36%) than the county and metro region. Couples without children comprise another 26% of households and non-family households (single or a group of non-relatives), constitute another 26%, and families with one parent are 6.9% of the total households. Family size tends to be larger in our community, and there are a larger percentage of children and middle aged people (35-64) than in the county and metro region. Population growth is another defining feature of our community. Growth in our community has outpaced the county over the last decade (10% vs. 7.5%) and is expected to continue to do so over the next several years (4.7% vs. 3.8%). Education is highly valued in the community. Montgomery County is first among large counties nationwide in educational attainment, with nearly 30 percent of residents having earned an advanced degree. Within our community, the number of people holding 23 Doctorate degrees is 6 times the national average and 30% greater than county as a whole. The schools surrounding Prince of Peace reflect the community’s emphasis on education. Many families have more than one income and this is reflected in household income. At $111,595 our community’s median household income is 17% higher than the surrounding County, 22% higher than the D.C metro area, and 53% higher than the nation. This does not mean there are not pockets of poverty. While the percentage of families living below the poverty line is low (2.7% compared with county 3.9%, metro area, 4.7%, and nation 9.7%), there are those in our community that are in need. The share of County households making more than $200,000 per year nearly doubled from eight percent in 2000 to 15 percent in 2010. Yet, the cost of housing in the County - the 2010 median sales price of a single-family detached house was $455,000 - can severely impact family finances. Almost 40% of County homeowners are ‘cost burdened’, spending more than 30% of their income on mortgage costs. For context, consider that according to Forbes, at the end of 2012, homeowners nationwide were spending only about 13% of their monthly incomes on housing payments. For County renters, the share of cost-burdened households is 54%. The major occupational categories are reflective of the education-levels in the area. Over 38% are in professional occupations (e.g. engineers, lawyers, scientists) with another 24% in management, business, and finance. Montgomery County’s three largest public sector employers are the Montgomery County Public School System, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Naval Medical Center. The County’s three largest private sector employers are Adventist Healthcare, Lockheed Martin, and Marriott International. The area has a strong biotechnology sector and hosts Medimune and Human Genome Sciences (HGS). The majority of County residents (59%) work in Montgomery County; another 30% of residents work outside of Maryland (D.C. or northern Virginia). The average County resident’s commuting time was 34.0 minutes in 2010. For our community, commuting seems to be somewhat bifurcated: either you have a reasonable in-county commute (50% of residents have a commute less than 30 minutes) or a long commute to the center of DC or northern Virginia (30% have commute approaching or over an hour). G. Living in our Community 24 Our community offers many opportunities within a very close proximity. There truly is something for everyone here no matter whatever your tastes or inclinations. Within several miles of our church, there are major commercial areas. These centers were built with more than just shopping in mind. They do include the typical shopping, but they also offer swimming, fitness, and tennis, putt-putt in the summer, movie theaters, and a lake to walk around and enjoy. In the near future, a new aquatic center will be constructed along Route 28, near the church. Also, close at hand are county, state and city parks and nature centers. They offer hiking opportunities, a swimming park and educational programs. We have a new regional library, which offers a variety of programs and have two Senior Centers within a short drive. There are many dining-out opportunities. We have easy access to public rail, bus transportation and the local interstate. Our immediate area ranges from the typical suburban community to beautiful countryside dotted with farms and our own Sugarloaf Mountain. Extraordinary medical and research facilities are located around the metro DC area, including NIH (National Institute of Health), National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Children’s Hospital and NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology). Both the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University offer exceptional educational opportunities through their Shady Grove campuses located near the church. Additionally, Montgomery College, with campuses in nearby Rockville and Germantown, is recognized nationally as one of the top community colleges in the country. In addition, many of the universities in Washington, DC, are easily accessible by Metro train from the Shady Grove station in Gaithersburg. Other educational opportunities include Hood College and other smaller colleges and technical schools in MD. Our community is a short drive to both Baltimore, MD and Washington, D.C. Both of these cities offer a variety of cultural experiences, sporting events, live theatre, museums and historic monuments. Washington, DC, as the nation’s capital, brings a strong federal influence to the entire area. The Federal Government and other large corporations located in the area attract people from all over the United States and the world. This diversity can provide an enriching experience for county residents as it offers opportunities to learn and understand people from different cultures, countries and other parts of the United States. H. History of Prince of Peace Prince of Peace Lutheran Church began during the summer of 1982 when the Lutheran Church in America (LCA) sent Pastor Samuel Besecker to establish a congregation that would serve communities in the Gaithersburg, Darnestown, and Poolesville areas of Maryland. The first worship service was held on December 6, 1981 in the gymnasium of a local elementary school, and Sunday school classes began one month later. Prince of Peace became officially organized as a congregation within the Maryland Synod of the LCA on November 14, 1982. In 1990 the congregation built its current sanctuary with education and fellowship space. The first service in the new building was held on Sunday, December 22, 1990. The building was formally dedicated on February 5, 1991. New activities and increased attendance at worship services resulted. Additional worship opportunities were added in 1994 with a contemporary service at 8:30 am and in 2004 with a Saturday service at 5 pm. On June 1, 2002, Pastor Steven Buechler began his ministry as the new pastor of Prince of Peace. Since Pastor Buechler’s arrival, the congregation has moved forward in many ways. 25 In July of 2002, Prince of Peace began offering the opportunity for high school youth and adults to attend a week-long program called “Workcamp” to reach out to the community. Volunteers engage in helping repair homes of low income and elderly people, and together with other Workcampers, they reflect on how God is acting through them to make a difference in the world. This program has become an annual event. In response to a need for more contemporary music at our 8:30 AM Sunday service, a worship band was formed in February 2003. “Grace Notes” is composed of instrumentalists and vocalists who provide a variety of music styles, including Christian rock, folk, and some newer arrangements of more traditional music. Comprised of members of the congregation and our paid pianist who assists with keyboard, this group plays for our early service as well as special events such as our yard sale. April 2005 saw the construction of the Besecker Youth Center, a free-standing 2100 square foot multipurpose building. This building enabled us to meet the needs of our growing Sunday school, Confirmation, and Youth programs, as well as to provide space for several community groups that use our facilities. While we still have very limited fellowship space, the addition of the youth center has enabled Prince of Peace to grow in our commitments to youth, education, and community involvement. From 2005 to 2009 the congregation recognized the need to more fully develop staff and programming. In these years, we addressed administrative staff needs through more paid secretarial help and volunteer parish administrators. We reconfigured and increased our music staff, and most significantly we called our first Associate Pastor, Pastor Sarah Scherschligt, in 2007. Pastor Sarah focused on youth and family ministry, faith formation, social outreach and community building. Pastor Sarah served the synod on the board of MarLu-Ridge, on the Stewardship mission table, and as the founder and leader of the Creation Care Team. For the past three years, she also served as the president of Gaithersburg HELP, a food pantry. In 2012 Pastor Sarah accepted a call to Peace Lutheran Church in Alexandria, VA. These staff additions greatly enhanced our ability to engage in vital ministries, particularly worship, youth learning and serving ministries. Our various efforts succeeded at attracting new people to Prince of Peace and our expanding ministries and activities started outgrowing our facilities. By the fall of 2009, the Church Council recognized the need to evaluate our facilities and the Council re-commissioned the Building Committee. By 2010, it was clear that Prince of Peace had outgrown its fellowship hall. Attendance at Vacation Bible School, and various social events was suffering from overcrowding. As a result, Prince of Peace is currently pursuing renovation and new construction to improve fellowship, worship, learning and service opportunities. More information on this effort may be found here: http://www.poplutheran.org/building/index.html 26 The 30-year- history of Prince of Peace has been one of honoring the traditions of the Lutheran Church, while moving forward with members from diverse religious backgrounds to minister to the wider community in western Montgomery County. We believe this is also our future. We know that God has great things in store for us. We pray for the gift of a new associate pastor to travel with us through the next chapters of our history. I. Called Pastors Pastor Sam Besecker – Pastor Sam started Prince of Peace as a mission congregation. His service ran from the summer of 1982 to May 1, 1993 when he semi-retired and accepted a call in Pennsylvania. Pastor Sally Roach – Pastor Sally served from February, 1994 to August 29, 1999 when she left to accept a call in Oklahoma in order to be closer to family. Pastor Steve Buechler – Pastor Steve started his call on June 1, 2002 after spending the previous eleven years at a congregation in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Pastor Sarah Scherschligt – Pastor Sarah served as the Associate Pastor at Prince of Peace from 2007 to 2012, before accepting a call to Peace Lutheran Church in Alexandria, VA. 27