PRESENTS
Our Saviors Baptist Church
Worship & Next Gen Associate
Omaha, Nebraska
ABOUT
For five decades Our Saviour’s Baptist Church (OSBC) has been advancing the Gospel in Elkhorn, Nebraska. It was born out of a Billy Graham crusade over 50 years ago and is poised to have a significant impact on the Elkhorn community and surrounding Omaha area today. Elkhorn is a fast-growing community with a large percentage of young families moving to the area for the school district which is consistently ranked in the top of the state and national polls. People are moving to Elkhorn for the schools.
This church of 130 (pre-COVID) has been under the leadership of Senior Pastor Neal Kloster for the last 4.5 years. Neal comes to OSBC having served a couple of decades as a youth pastor in California and North Dakota. “This next hire is critical for us in the life of the church,” says Neal. There is a general understanding that worship needs to take steps forward, as does the Next Generation ministry. This position will be a combined position focused on both and help bring the changes required to see the mission lived out through the church’s values and strategy.
Values
At the core of Our Saviour’s Baptist Church are six values:
God’s Word – We align our lives with God, being transformed by the study, teaching, and application of the Bible.
Worship – We celebrate the greatness of God, through our actions and attitudes, both individually and as we gather as a church family.
Prayer – We spend time with God, acknowledging our need for His reign in our lives and the world we live in.
Love – We reflect Christ’s love to all people, accepting people where they are, walking together toward the full realization of God’s plan.
Fellowship – We spend time together, valuing the participation and accountability of others in our lives.
Generosity – We sacrificially invest our lives and resources to address the physical and spiritual needs of our community and world, in the name of Jesus.
"We journey together to share the hope found in Jesus Christ"
Omaha! Omaha!
Elkhorn is a suburb of Omaha, with a quaint downtown and every chain you can imagine close by, and just twenty-five minutes to the downtown of Omaha. Omaha is located in what is commonly known as a ‘fly-over state,’ but if you haven’t been to Omaha, you don’t know what you’re missing. This city is more than just a play that was yelled by the retired quarterback, Peyton Manning, of the Denver Broncos during their Super Bowl 50 victory.
This metro area of nearly one million people is home to Warren Buffet, four Fortune 500 corporations, top-flight universities and medical centers, and a thriving urban core. Having some of the wealthiest individuals and companies that call it home leads to an unparalleled investment in the city. The best zoo in America and the NCAA Baseball World Series are just two highlights embraced by locals.
Yet for all the pleasantries and what is typically termed “Nebraska Nice,” this city is about 80% unchurched. It is hard to imagine in a place like Nebraska that there are some 600,000 people who are somewhere other than within earshot of the gospel on a typical Sunday.
In a word, Omaha is surprising. Read more about Omaha at the website www.wedontcoast.com.
THE CHALLENGE
OSBC is looking for an Associate who can take on leadership of both the Worship and Student Ministry areas of the ministry. In worship, this person should create a culturally relevant, Biblically faithful atmosphere for worship. This church is a church that sings!
“We are not looking for someone who is trendy, but someone who is relevant,” says Neal. “You will need to know your audience and have a heart for making disciples. We desire a “come as you are but don’t stay that way” culture, recognizing that each of us should be in a process of transformation.”
This means connecting with people where they are and helping guide them a little closer toward becoming like Jesus. Presently, OSBC is traditional in nature. However, this associate will need to have a vision for where the church can go and the accompanying patience for the time it will take.
With twenty years of previous youth ministry experience, the lead pastor has a heart for winning, building, and equipping emerging generations for the kingdom of God. The associate will come alongside parents to support them, not replace them, as they raise their children. This associate will raise up other leaders for ministry and will create a wholistic ministry that meets every student at his/her level of spiritual maturity.
There is a core of volunteers in both areas of ministry that need to be engaged and led to the next-level of ministry.
SOME Q & A
w/ Pastor Neal
How would you best describe the condition of your current worship ministry? We are “blended,” but older choruses with some inroads into contemporary hymns (e.g., Gettys) and choruses. Primarily piano driven with volunteer worship team.
What is the general consensus of your staff about the worship in your church?We are looking to make a transition to a more relevant (not trendy) style of worship. We are looking for someone with the vision for what worship can be, with the patience that will be required to make it happen. Our congregation sings, and we are strongly committed to the primary task of the worship leader to lead the congregation to sing.
How would you describe your church’s musical/worship style? We lean traditional, but are leaning into a more culturally relevant worship style.
Are you hoping to see the worship style change? Yes.
What is your church’s philosophy regarding reaching people who are de-churched, unchurched, or anti-church? We are driven by the Great Commandment and the Great Commission (e.g., love God, love others). We desire to create a culture of acceptance that says, “Come as you are,” but also a culture of transformation that says, “Don’t stay that way.” We all need Jesus as much today as the first day we met Him.
Does your church’s website state the mission, vision, values and key distinctives of your church? If so please insert the link here.
This is not presently posted on our website (oursavioursbaptist.org)
Our mission is: We journey together to share the hope found in Jesus Christ.
Our vision is: Next door in four, next gen in ten. What does this mean? We’re looking to have a church that reflects the demographic of our community within four years and one that is reaching the next generation in ten.
Our Values:
· God’s Word – We align our lives with God, seeking to know and apply God’s Word to our lives.
· Love – We reflect the love of Christ, accepting others where they are; walking with them toward Jesus Christ.
· Generosity – We give our lives and resources, sacrificing our own interests for the sake of our community and world.
· Worship – We celebrate the greatness of God, directing our hearts, actions, and attitudes toward Him.
· Prayer – We spend time with God, inviting Him to reign in our lives and the world we live in.
· Fellowship – We spend time together, inviting others to participate in and speak into our lives.
How does worship or the arts play a part in reaching people?Worship is holistic. All of life should be worship. We worship through the study of God’s Word, through music, through prayer, through missions, etc. With regard to music, there is a worship “language,” so to speak, that everyone speaks. Our musical worship should be a “familiar” language to our neighbors that engages their hearts, minds, an souls.
What is your annual church budget? $280,000.
How many people currently serve in the worship ministry? 10
What are the different teams that fall within the realm of the worship department? Worship commission and worship team. Worship commission is the team that oversees what happens in the worship center.
What is the “squeaky wheel” right now as it pertains to worship ministry? Is there a chronic issue that you are hoping is dealt with through this hire? Our worship style had not changed much in several years and had become somewhat dated. We desire to reach our neighbors and the next generation with biblically pure, culturally relevant worship and are looking for the right leader to help us do this.
Who will the person hired report to? Pastor and Elders and will work closely with the Worship and Christian Education Commissions.
Are there particular assessment tools that you prefer when exploring potential staff people? No. I am familiar with DISC and StrengthsFinder. Have had exposure to Meyers-Briggs, but don’t have a grasp of how to interpret it.
How long has senior leadership been serving in your church? 4 ½ years.
What does it take to win on your staff tream? Team members should be collaborative, teachable, gifted in worship, with a shepherd’s heart.
Are you affiliated with a particular denomination or association of churches? If so, what websites could one investigate to gain further understanding?Converge: converge.org; converge.org/heartland.
What are the key doctrinal and theological issues where alignment is essential?Please see our doctrinal statement on our website: https://www.oursavioursbaptist.org/what-we-believe
What is your average weekend attendance (pre-COVID)?
120-140
In general, what is your church demographic?
Anglo, blue-collar, 50+. Looking to reflect more of our community which is anglo, white-collar, 35+
Is there more than one site or venue? If so, please describe.
No
What three ministries of your church will receive the most resources next year?Missions, Christian Education, Outreach
Are there any non-negotiables in your church in regards to worship & art? If so, describe them.
We are not looking for a singer/songwriter who debuts new music on a weekly basis. We are looking for someone that will lead the congregation to sing and to worship as a lifestyle.
What is your church known for in the community? We are an “old-people’s” church. We’re working to correct that. We have also been known as the church with AWANA.
Does your church lean toward being an intrinsic (internal focused) or extrinsic (outreach focused) church? We lean toward being internally focused. However, we have been beating the drum for 4 ½ years to turn the corner toward externally focused.
What is the Sr. Pastor/Teaching Pastor’s role in designing services? There should be collaboration in this area to align weekly messages with worship that helps reinforce the sermon topics.
What is the Sr. Pastor’s leadership style? Collaborative. He has strengths in casting vision and coming up with new ideas, but understands the importance of pacing change.
How much is creativity and art valued? Creativity and artistic expression are valued. Historically, this has not been expressed here at OSBC.
For the full Job Description click here
CONTACT
Ready to take the next step?
If, after prayerfully reviewing this information, you sense this role and church culture could be a good fit for you, please contact Dave Miller to begin the process