Position: Senior/Lead Pastor

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St. Peter's Lutheran Church

Arenzville, Illinois, United States

Senior/Lead Pastor
  • Address: 9876 St. Peters Road, Arenzville, Illinois 62611
  • Affiliation: LCMC
  • Contact: Wes Hendricker
  • Phone: 217.473.1603
  • Email: wes.hendricker@higherplain.com
  • Website: Click Here
  • Category: Pastoral Ministry
  • Sub-Category: Senior Pastor
  • Position Title: Senior/Lead Pastor
  • Position Type: Full Time
  • Description:

    Is God calling you for a change? Do you have a passion for rural ministry? Do you yearn for life at a slower pace, giving you time to enjoy God's creation? If so, Senior Pastor at St. Peter’s Arenzville may be the place for you! 

    St. Peter’s Arenzville- Who are we?

    • St. Peter’s Lutheran Church is located in Arenzville, IL. We are approximately 8miles south of Beardstown, 40miles west of Springfield, 70miles east of Quincy and 100miles north of St. Louis, Mo. We are a well-established, rural, multi-generational church with approximately 180 members and average 40-50 in attendance each Sunday.  We were founded in 1850 by a group of German settlers in the Arenzville area. Twenty- eight families went together and purchased 40 acres of land and to this day this is where our church, parsonage, cemetery and some of our farm ground still stand.
    • St. Peter’s is a close-knit congregation who prides themselves on their strong faith, community involvement and family-oriented atmosphere.  Our members also spend much of their time supporting their children and grandchildren at both of the exceptional schools in our area. Trinity Lutheran offers Pre-K- 6th grade schooling in Arenzville while Triopia Community School offers Pre-K- 12th grade and is ranked one of the best schools in the region.
    • Our community is primarily agriculture driven with many members in the church working within agriculture related industries. 
    • Arenzville and the surrounding areas not only boast lush farmland but also top ranked hunting for turkey, dove, duck, pheasant and white -tailed deer. There are also several parks that offer trails to hike, lakes to fish and places to camp. If the outdoors is not your cup of tea we are within an hour of Springfield, Quincy and an hour and a half of St. Louis and Champaign. So, if you enjoy sports, concerts, plays and shopping, don’t fret, these aren’t too far away. 

    Worship

    • St. Peter’s worships together each Sunday morning at 10am with Sunday school at 9am prior to the church services. We host a traditional service and Holy Communion is celebrated the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month. We have after service fellowship two Sundays a month with baked goods/drinks provided by the women of the church. 
    • We also host “Good News from St. Peter’s” a radio service held each Sunday morning on our local radio station, WLDS/WEAI. Members of our congregation donate their time to make this service possible.

    Ministries and Groups

    • Our men’s group is very active within the community helping to serve those in need through monetary giving, outreach and our local food pantry. They also are in charge of tending to the farm ground the church owns and helping with large maintenance/upkeep projects around the church and parsonage.
    • Children and youth are engaged in Sunday School, confirmation and VBS while our adults are engaged in Sunday School and adult Bible studies. We would love to see these areas of our church grow.
    • Various times throughout the year the congregation comes together for different events to help support the needs of the community. Whether this be school supplies for children, Christmas gifts for the less fortunate or immediate needs of a family due to illness, loss or other circumstances.

    Staff

    • The pastor is the only full -time employee of the church and receives support from several other part time employees (secretary and organist) as well as a vast number of volunteers who serve in different capacities within the church to help keep our programs, groups and building running efficiently. 

    Affiliations

    • St. Peter’s was previously affiliated with the ELCA but in 2022 the church unanimously voted to dissociate from the ELCA and join LCMC.

    St. Peter’s Arenzville- What are we searching for?

    • While we were members of the ELCA our pulpit had remained vacant for the last 4 years. It has been filled intermittently with interim pastors but as of recently this demand has been met by members of our congregation who have stepped in to fill this void. By doing so they have helped to keep the faith strong within our congregation even leading to the growth of the church through several new members despite being without a pastor. 
    • We are searching for a pastor who will help us transition into a state of growth, reaching out into the local communities to help provide the message to those who need to hear it most while also helping the current members of our congregation to grow their faith, obedience and personal relationships with Christ. We hope this would be done through weekly sermons, Bible studies and community outreach.

    Responsibilities and Qualifications

    • Conduct the worship services such as Sunday morning services, funeral and marriage services.
    • Administers the sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion
    • Visits the sick and homebound as well as providing Holy Communion to them when needed.
    • Aid in the spiritual growth of the current members of the church while spreading God’s love to those in the community. 
    • Leads small group Bible studies, teach confirmation classes and help to guide the youth in our church to build their own strong foundation in Christ.
    • We would prefer an LCMC certified pastor or one who is theologically compatible with the traditional teachings and priorities of Lutheranism. 

    Contact Information

    • If you are interested in applying for the Senior Pastor position at St. Peter’s Arenzville please email a copy of your cover letter, resume and references to wes.hendricker@higherplain.com  or mail them to: 

                                            St. Peter’s Lutheran Church

                                                  9876 St. Peter’s Rd

                                                   Arenzville, IL 62611

    • Our website is also a great source of information about our congregation, to check this out visit:   www.stpetersarenzville.org