Ministry Information Form Query

We are a small, dedicated, Christ-centered community of diverse individuals with a wide array of gifts, talents and experiences; guided by the Holy Spirit and ever obedient to the Word of God. Our love of God, belief in His Word, and understanding that WE are HIS church binds us together. We may not always agree but we always “love one another.” The love we have for each other can be summed up in a word, “family.” We are a family...part of the wider family of God...consistently seeking to share, through our words and actions, Christ’s love and saving grace. Ours is a church known for the way members care for one another.

As we pray with and for each other, encourage each other, and use our individual gifts to uplift each other, the love we share within the church is made visible in our growing, outward love to the lost and needy within our community and around the world. Christ alone is the head of the church, but it takes all our members to do His work such that others might come to know Christ.

With the help of the Spirit, our focus on God, and the recognition that everything we have and are belong to Him, our church continues to impact God’s kingdom in ways beyond what has been done in the past. We mature as believers in Christ as we grow, each day, in love, faith, service, and knowledge of God and His Word. Every year we, as a family, reach out to more of God’s lost and needy children in accordance with Christ’s words to His disciples and, through His Word, the church today.

People need to know Jesus. There is a need to reach out to a growing number of individuals in our community who have no church family and/or don’t feel the need to attend church.

As in every community, we have individuals and families in need of help with food, clothing, house repair, etc. to whom we feel called to reach out.

Recognizing the loneliness that can come from being far away from home, we are called to support our college students with care packages.

Because we are far from the nearest town, we feel called to help those who might be stranded overnight in our community; providing help with food, gas, or lodging.

50 years ago, our church was designed with the Valentine community in mind. We feel our church is called to provide a location for multiple uses beyond the specific needs of the church, including Logos (our community youth group), AA, counseling, weddings, funerals, emergencies (i.e. we are the emergency place for the elementary school), etc.

In addition to actively participating in local mission, we feel called to support others (both organizations and individual missionaries) in mission across the nation and around the world.

Our pastor is like the center of a wheel . . . the one through whom all church-related information passes both from within and outside the church. As moderator of the Session, s/he must be able to motivate and help the Session lead the church forward with regard to our vision of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, bringing new disciples into the family of God, demonstrating the love of Jesus within the community of Valentine and beyond, and continuing to grow our own knowledge of the Trinity. S/he will advise the appropriate committees of potential areas of outreach, witness, and service which may have been overlooked by the committee(s) for their consideration.

As our link to the community, the pastor will participate in the Ministerial Association and its various ministries as well as volunteer in the community activity of their own choosing.

As our link to the larger church, our pastor is our representative and liaison to the Presbytery and the denomination at large. S/he must attend Presbytery meetings and participate in a Presbytery committee of his or her own choosing, and regularly communicate to the congregation what is happening with the Presbytery and the denomination.

The person who we believe God is calling to this church will surely share our vision and goals and will help us to achieve them. S/he will be focused on serving our congregation (young and old alike) and our community, and growing our faith in Jesus Christ. S/he will have the compassion and nurturing skills needed to care for our congregation, yet be enough of a risk taker to move us in the direction of new goals and outcomes for the future as the Spirit leads. S/he must be a gifted teacher, not only knowledgeable in regard to God’s Word but willing to serve as teacher and advisor to both adults and youth (including Logos); a good strategist and visionary (to keep our church active in serving our present membership while reaching out to the youth of the community to build on the existing structure); a good communicator, and a good leader skilled in both collaboration and conflict resolution. S/he will be a man or woman of integrity, possessing a strong sense of moral character and Christian values which are clearly demonstrated in the way they live their life.

The pastor will be responsible for preaching, teaching, prayer, music (in collaboration with the musicians), baptism, communion, weddings and funerals, pastoral visitations, etc.; moderating the Session; and participating ex-officio in other Committee meetings.. The pastor will be our representative and liaison to the Presbytery and the denomination at large, who participates in Presbytery meetings and regularly communicates to the congregation what is happening with the Presbytery and the denomination: a communicator who keeps church activities in front of the community and our members through the writing of newspaper articles, newsletter articles, announcements during Sunday Service, town hall meetings, etc.; and an active participant in the mission and ministries of the church. Because we like our pastor to be a visible presence in the community, as well as the Presbytery, s/he must be willing to actively participate in the Ministerial Association, and other area(s) of the community (of their choosing) as a volunteer.