Position: Senior Pastor
Organization: South Lebanon Community Church (700+)
Location: Lebanon, PA
Denomination: Non Denominational
Click HERE to apply
The Opportunity
The Aaron Hur Group has partnered with South Lebanon Community Church in the search for a full-time Senior Pastor who is gifted in leadership and preaching. The person will be called to church ministry, loves people, has a passion for evangelism, and corporate worship experience within a multigenerational congregational setting.
This person will assume the Senior Pastor responsibilities, including preaching on Sunday, and helping to carry out the mission and vision of SLCC.
The Church
Established on January 1, 2019, SLCC has roots that stretch back more than 100 years. Born out of the Midway Church of the Brethren in 1902, from part of the Tulpehocken Congregation starting with 195 members. The Midway Congregation alternated meetings at the Bucher Meeting House on Scheaffer Road and the Midway Meeting House, both in South Lebanon, and was a part of the Church of the Brethren. Later, the congregation expanded the Midway Meeting House at the current location of 13 Evergreen Road. This building was subsequently enlarged with a sanctuary in 1951, Sunday School classrooms in 1987 and 1995, and the addition of a Family Life Center in 2001 that was enlarged in 2013 to facilitate worship services.
The church has seen many changes and much growth; yet, the goal to be faithful to God’s Word and obedient to the call to make disciples has been constant. In 1963, L. John Weaver became the first pastor, succeeded by Hartman Rice in 1980; Jack Harpold in 1983; and Charles Ilyes in 2005.
The Community
The City of Lebanon is located in the beautiful state of Pennsylvania, also known as the “Keystone State.” This nickname was earned due to the essential role it played in the founding of the United States. The term “keystone” comes from architecture and refers to the central, wedge-shaped stone in an arch, which holds all the other stones in place.
The City of Lebanon is strategically located almost equidistant from Harrisburg, Lancaster, and Reading. Lebanon is accessible from the south via the Pennsylvania Turnpike and from the north by both I-81 and I-78 and is located nearby one of the most exciting attractions in the state, Hershey Park, originally created by Milton S. Hershey as leisure grounds for employees of Hershey's Chocolate Factory. Today, the family theme park welcomes guests from around the world to experience Hershey Park Happy all year long!
Lebanon has been recognized as the second least stressful city in the United States. The survey conducted by Sperling’s BestPlaces.net found the area which includes Harrisburg and Carlisle to score well in the areas of low crime, low divorce rates, short average commute times and low unemployment. The strong work ethic and skilled workers have brought one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation. The combination of factors has earned Lebanon the second place title as second least stressful city in the nation.One fact remains the same: Lebanon City is a wonderful place to live, visit, and raise a family.
The Candidate
The successful candidate will have a strong background in preaching, visionary leadership, ministry development, team building, discipleship and spiritual formation strategies with proven success in implementing these strategies. The candidate will have a proven track record of leadership, organizational development and effective communication. They must have strong people skills and a driving passion to reach people far from God and help them grow deeper in their faith.
The candidate must embrace the ability to work within a community and promote innovation through collaboration. In addition, the individual will show an ability to connect across generations. Experience with preaching and leadership in a medium to large church setting and supervisory experience in a multi-staff setting is preferred.
Above all, the man must have a passion for God himself – dedicated to knowing Him and loving Him with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength.
Goals and ExpectationsThe new Senior Pastor will need the heart, desire, patience, and steadfastness to move diligently through this season of growth. The effective Senior Pastor will achieve the following goals:
Godly Leadership
Serve on the Elder Ministry Team.
Build relationships with the body of Christ: through Elder leadership, small group participation, discipling, counseling, visitation, and engaging the church in various forums.
Bring creative and innovative leadership to lead through various weekly meetings.
Biblical Preaching
Provide Biblical Preaching: includes responsibility for Sunday morning worship service and teaching in other classes as appropriate.
Create an intentional preaching schedule.
Develop sermons that will connect into the overall strategy of the church, provide life application that results in a transformed life, and will challenge and inspire both the saved and unsaved in their daily walk with Jesus.
Provide Vision & Oversight
Vision and planning: Work with Executive Pastor to lead staff in continued implementation of the vision of the church and lead the body in living it through both words and actions.
Serving on the SLCC Elder Ministry Team as the leader among leaders.
Developing a ministry strategy that makes the church effective at its core function of making disciples.
Expanding the ministry of SLCC in the Lebanon area and beyond.
Provide the congregation with visionary leadership as we make plans to build our new facility.
Excellent character, meeting the qualifications for elder outlined in scripture (1 Timothy 3:1-7).
A man with a deep love of the Lord who is notably controlled by the Holy Spirit.
A strong visionary leader of leaders with deep convictions to uphold God’s Word in the life of His church, standing firmly on the truth (unshakeable), ability to preach/teach from a Biblical worldview.
Heart for the Bible, a good expositor of the Bible, excellent sound preaching, rightly dividing the Word of Truth, Biblical sermons that challenge the congregation, emphasize the Gospel and produce life change.
Man of prayer, a prayer warrior, who waits to hear God’s voice, and know His will.
A man with a deep love for people – a good communicator who is a relationship builder, a compassionate leader, encouraging and discipling others.
One who can cast vision and boldly state and show the way in which God is calling us to go, strong staff leadership in implementing the vision.
Self-starter who is not afraid to fail, one who does not avoid the tough issues.
Able to find ways to engage SLCC in broader Kingdom work outside of our body, grow community engagement and outreach.
Emotional and social intelligence.
Gifts of shepherding, preaching and teaching to lead a spiritually healthy church in making disciples.
Powerfully worships Him in spirit and in truth, with adoring awe and astonishing wonder.
Theology and culture chemistry that is a fit with South Lebanon Community Church.
Adaptable and flexible to effectively relate and communicate to individuals of very different cultures, ethnicities, economic statuses, and worldviews.
B.A. degree with Pastoral/Ministry Leadership or equivalent education is preferred but not required.
Interested?
The Aaron Hur Group has partnered with South Lebanon Community Church to find a talented leader who feels called to serve in this next season. To become a candidate, please apply HERE.
Aaron Hur Group offers the most comprehensive capabilities and deep ministry experience necessary to help you solve the most complex issues of your organization and finding the right staff for your team. We are inspired by the biblical story of Aaron & Hur who supported Moses, the leader of the nation of Israel during one of his most critical leadership challenges. Since opening our doors, God has allowed our team the privilege of partnering with pastors, leaders, churches, and organizations to become healthy and achieve their mission and calling.