Ministry Information Form Query

We are a small rural congregation which follows the footsteps of the ancestors who founded the church in 1758. Tradition is highly valued by the congregation but not to the exclusion of new ideas. For example, a temporary supply pastor re-introduced Sunday morning Bible study held prior to Sunday services which was well-received.

Our church is welcoming to new members; several have or currently serve as Elders. Our discipleship has been modest due to our lack of scale and resources. Our congregation has very few young families and only a handful of children.  Most of our work involves pastoral care for the ill and grieving among us. So our discipleship is in the form of supporting one another and, by extension, those outside of our church who reside within the sphere of influence of our members. Through this, we touch the lives of many outside of our church through support of community activities, charities, etc.

The needs of our community are not “emerging”…they have been present for generations and will be forever more. We are people who continue to need material and spiritual assistance.

Oxford has long supported community food drives with volunteers, monetary donations, and donations of food. In addition, Oxford partners with neighboring churches to conduct vacation Bible schools/camps. We also provide Sunday morning worship leaders at a county Park a few miles away. We plan to revive pre-pandemic monthly community luncheons with neighboring churches. We continue to support community Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings as well as special activities for neighborhood children at Halloween, Christmas and Easter.

Oxford has leased our classrooms and fellowship hall to a new Christian Classical school for grades 1-8. This will bring up to 15 young students and their families to Oxford on a regular basis, Monday-Friday.  It will provide an opportunity for the older generation at Oxford to interact and share talents and knowledge with the students.

Church members and our leadership regularly contact and visit those among us with needs. Emotional and Spiritual support is highly valued by Oxford members.

Our spiritual leader will consistently demonstrate his/her love of God and God’s followers. Such a leader needs to be able to relate to a wide variety of people in a various circumstances.

Our leader needs to help us apply Biblical lessons to our everyday lives. Successful sermons are memorable and cause members to reflect on our priorities, behavior, relationships, and goals.

Recognizing that we are all sinners, our pastor will not dwell on the sin, but rather help us envision the joy of living a better and more Godly life. This requires empathy and striking balance between candor and empathy.

Our members love music. We recently lost our devoted worship leader and organist who had been with us for decades. Ideally, our pastor will feel comfortable being an integral part of our worship music.

Our pastor needs to be aware of the needs of the sick and grieving. Visitation is desired in these cases.

We seek a pastor who is spiritually grounded, has a solid theological foundation, can interpret scripture in an interesting and thought-provoking manner, and can relate sermons to societal challenges, when appropriate.

Our pastor will help us rebuild a congregation in a small, rural area.

Our pastor should embrace the opportunity to offer words of encouragement to shut-ins and those who struggle with medical or emotional distress.

Our pastor must be humble yet confident, approachable, empathetic, friendly, and easy to talk with.

Our pastor must treat every follower with respect and equity…regardless of age, gender, tenure at the church, financial ability, etc.

Our pastor will lead worship services with stimulating sermons based on scripture….and be consistently able to relate those lessons to our lives. Our pastor will be responsible for guidance for special services such as Maundy Thursday, Christmas Eve, etc.

Our pastor will provide pastoral care. (Communion, marriage ceremonies, funerals, baptisms)

Our pastor will provide training, leadership and guidance to the Session.

Our pastor will assist recruitment of new members as well as seek to increase membership commitment to volunteer needs.

Our pastor will encourage informal Bible studies in member homes as well as lead adult Sunday school Bible studies.

Leadership Competencies:

Humble, but confident

Collaborative, not overbearing

Loves people …warts and all

Good listening skills and the ability to relate to people

Compelling speaking ability

Enthusiasm…likes a challenge

Has a keen awareness of the challenges of our members’ lives

Curiosity…always interested in issues of the day, the choices we make, and what’s top of mind

Respects divergent views…open to change

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