Ministry Information Form Query

Faithful Presbyterians have been worshiping here since 1855, and our recent renovations will allow our community to gather here and do God's work for years to come. With strong lay leadership and welcoming and generous spirits, we are determined to live out Jesus’ guidance to make disciples and build relationships. 

We see ourselves as a caring family excited to help all in a lifelong faith journey. We engage our community and continually discuss how we can be more welcoming. Our church is also home to a Brazilian Presbyterian congregation and a preschool, and is a community center for groups like AA and Boy Scouts.

We make disciples and help them maintain a lifelong faith journey by offering meaningful opportunities to connect with Christ’s message. We have active education programs led by dedicated laypeople, and we encourage discussion without judgment. We worship together supported by sermons that help us connect God’s will with our daily lives. 

Beyond giving money and supporting denominational efforts, we encourage hands-on participation in mission projects with special meaning for members of our church family, such as helping underprivileged children at a local elementary school. 

We are a caring community, providing prayers, visits, and meals to members going through hard times. Our events celebrate the passions of members, such as a book club, men’s breakfast, prayer circle, holiday bazaar, and fundraisers for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

We are experiencing a unique moment of opportunity: We have a gorgeous new building, an influx of curious visitors, and a congregation looking for new ways to engage with the community. We seek to serve the new families and children who are coming to us looking for a sense of community and stability as well as opportunities to take risks in embracing Christ’s calling. 

We have a desire to be even more welcoming. With our new facility complete, we are striving to renovate and invigorate our ministry of welcome as well. We have partnered with groups like the local civic association and the Brazilian congregation that now shares our building. We welcome people at different stages of their faith journey, and people with differing views co-exist respectfully here. We want to purposefully engage our older members as well. We’re looking for next steps.

Our congregation seeks to meet the needs of people in the broader community where they are, serving as God’s hands without judgment. We hope to provide compassion and support at a time when anxiety and mental illness are so prevalent and remain stigmatized. We strive to continually discern how our church can better meet the spiritual and practical needs of its members, visitors, and neighbors. 

We’re looking for an associate pastor who can inspire (and be inspired by) our lay leaders to engage new and established members, including young families, in the challenging and fulfilling work of Jesus Christ. We have a heritage of active Christian education in this church, from child to youth to adult, and we are looking for the right person to help us bring new energy into our programs as well as inspire new and creative ones. 

Right now, more of our members than ever are involved with local and national mission projects. An associate pastor with a heart for mission can take advantage of this energy to build on our efforts and expand participation even more. 

The associate pastor, through the use of the many social media platforms, will assist our outreach efforts to young families seeking a church home.

By providing support and encouragement to the staff and lay leadership, this person will serve as a catalyst to help our church take new risks, overcome fears and embrace God’s creative power for building community.

Our ideal candidate would be able to challenge us, inspire new ministries, and initiate change to do God's will even when it makes us uncomfortable. As a pastor-centric-sized church with a program-centric operation, we need an associate pastor with both strong interpersonal and organizational skills. We have many people who are willing to serve and have skills to share, and we seek someone to nurture and guide new volunteers and empower others to take leadership roles. 

Our associate pastor should be an eager listener who can take the many voices and ideas of this congregation and help direct them to increase the spiritual commitment of our members. They should be able to meet people where they are and guide them forward in faith regardless of differences in identity and background. 
We're looking for someone who can use their personal faith maturity and their ability to relate personal experiences and life struggles to inspire others and guide the church community's faith journey. In addition, they should bring experience and enthusiasm to our already established efforts to use technology to communicate our ministry and Jesus' message within the local community. 

The associate pastor will support and guide the Board of Deacons, the Christian Education Committee, the Mission Committee, and the Membership and Outreach Committee, training and equipping laypeople for service. The associate pastor will participate in the planning and leading of worship with the head pastor and music director. On a schedule coordinated with the pastor, the associate will preach and provide the children’s message several times a year.

In partnership with the head pastor, the associate will help provide pastoral care to the sick and homebound and those in need of grief or crisis counseling.

Specific responsibilities will include, but are not limited to: 

• Attend monthly Deacons meetings and other committee meetings as needed.
• Coordinate and support volunteers for Youth Group and Vacation Bible School.
• Organize and lead summer mission trips and other mission events. 
• Identify and support new members from diverse backgrounds and communities, and assist with church messaging using social media and other tools.
• Participate in the life of the National Capital Presbytery by attending meetings and serving on committees as needed.

The Session and Personnel Committee will explore with the associate what additional skills and passions they might feel called to share with the congregation.

Finally, the associate pastor will play a critical role in supporting the church during a leadership transition, as our head pastor plans to retire in 2024.

• https://darnestowncivic.org/ - Darnestown Civic Association
• https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/darnestown-montgomery-md/ - Analysis of Darnestown as a place to live (A+)
• https://germantownhelp.org/ - One of DPC’s key local missions
• https://www.kentlands.com/home/ - Local residential and shopping district
• https://www.nps.gov/choh/index.htm - Nearby national park along the Potomac River
• https://sugarloafmd.com/ - Nature area and home to an annual ecumenical Easter sunrise service