PRESENTS

PASTOR OF MINISTRIES

AT

PROVIDENCE CHURCH

HOLLAND, MI

HISTORY & CURRENT

The history of Providence goes all the way back to the early 1900's when the church was first established on 16th Street in Holland. After an expansion at that location and continued growth Providence purchased its present location and continued to grow and thrive into the early 1990's. In the early 1990's a growing desire to take on a "seeker-sensitive" format without the bounds of the CRC denomination led to a church split with nearly the entire staff and most of the congregation leaving to start another church in Holland.

Keith Doornbos was called to lead the church through the transition and led them through a journey of restoration and renewal. Under Keith's leadership Providence reached the community around them and saw strong and steady growth through the early 2010's. After 20+ years at Providence, Keith retired and the current Lead Pastor, Bryan Van Soelen, started in 2015.

Providence has continued to see numerical growth since 2015 moving from an average attendance of 450 to nearly 600 by the end of 2017. They continue to anticipate God's faithfulness as they seek to carry out his mission for them to be "a community committed to making more and better disciples of Jesus Christ."


MISSION & VALUES


MISSION

Providence Church is a community who is wholeheartedly committed to their mission of "making more and better disciples of Jesus Christ".

VALUES

  • Word
  • Worship
  • Community
  • Mission

PRACTICES

  • Encountering God Daily
  • Engaging Their Church
  • Entering The World

PASTOR

OF

MINISTRIES

HERITAGE

Providence is a church that celebrates their present and dreams about their future while also honoring their roots. Providence is Christian Reformed Church and aligns with and celebrates all the core tenets of this rich heritage of ministry and theology. The right Pastor of Ministries will come from this or a similar theological background and will carry it forward into the relevant areas of discipleship of the Providence community.

Providence's Reformed theology heavily emphasizes God's first work in our lives for our salvation. This is evidenced in their worship and use of sacraments, especially baptism. Providence's primary baptisms are infant baptisms.

The right candidate for the Pastor of Ministries role will almost assuredly hold a Master's of Divinity and ordination from the CRCNA or RCA. Providence would potentially consider the PCA, Evangelical Covenant, Evangelical Free or other Calvanistic/Reformed oriented denominations.

SHEPHERD OF THE FLOCK

Providence is looking for a leader who is passionate about and capable of organizing and employing big hearts to love and serve the flock. The perfect candidate will be an organizational leader who carries the empathy needed to make everything "more and better" when it comes to all aspects of pastoral care at Providence. The Pastor of Ministries will be passionately engaged in developing, equipping and empowering the members of the church to care for one another. The perfect candidate will be a strategic leader who quickly sets their list aside to go to the hospital when needed, and who equips others to do the same.


CHARTING THE COURSE TO DEPTH

The mission of Providence Church is to "make more and better disciples of Jesus Christ". Therefore the personality and performance of the Pastor of Ministries is absolutely critical to the accomplishment of the mission of Providence Church. The Pastor of Ministries will work hand in hand with the Lead Pastor to chart the course for both the present and future of discipleship at Providence Church and will continually work to bring this reality to life across all departments and ministries.

The perfect candidate for this role will be a leader of great humility but also great vision, continually modeling servant leadership while simultaneously championing a heart for growing and going deeper into encounter with God, engaging the church and entering the world. The Pastor of Ministries will know how to dream big while also being skilled in helping others develop the small practical habits and beliefs upon which discipleship rests.


LEADERSHIP


Pastor Bryan Van Soelen has been the Lead Pastor of Providence for three years. Before coming to Providence he co-planted and co-pastored a church plant in the Grand Rapids area. Bryan’s heart in ministry is to see the local church thrive and live up to the calling God places into each local community of believers, and is grateful to have the opportunity to lead the implementation of the mission and vision of Providence into God’s preferred future.


Bryan is married to Jill, and they have two super cute kids – Hattie (almost 3) and Ellis (1). When not pastoring and parenting, Bryan and Jill share the love language of good food and drinks, so you’ll mostly find them eating in their spare time.

Bryan is a primary leader who is willing to do anything necessary to see the local church thrive and succeed. There is no corner of his own heart or the heart of the members of his team he isn't willing to overturn in order to be more effectively used for the mission of the church. Bryan loves seeing his team come alive, discover who they are and how they fit, and encouraging and empowering them to prevail in the role God has given them.



CHALLENGE & OPPORTUNITY

A COMMUNITY WITH A DEEP HERITAGE

Holland, Michigan is a city with one of the richest traditions of faith in the entire United States. Settled in 1847 by Dutch Americans with a rich Reformed faith, Holland is home to both Hope College and Western Theological Seminary. As with all storied histories, this one presents both benefit and challenge. To the latter, Holland is a generally churched community, with generations of church goers attending the same local church. With that community dynamic, there is a great challenge and opportunity with regard to true, wholehearted, Christ-centered discipleship. The Pastor of Ministries will understand this rich heritage, appreciate it, resonate with it and also be passionate about and capable of leading people in this culture deeper into relationship with Christ.


A NEW DAY AND A BIG VISION

For two decades, until 2015, Providence was led by the same Lead Pastor, Keith Doornbos. As with any organization with such extended, excellent leadership, when Pastor Bryan assumed the helm in 2015 the church entered a season of transition and acclimation to their new leader and the new day at Providence. Much of that work has already been done, and the future looks bright. The Pastor of Ministries will be a leader who values the history and experiences of so many of Providence's core people while also partnering with Pastor Bryan and the departmental leaders to lead Providence into the future God has laid out for them. God has big plans for Providence and the Pastor of Ministries will see that, embody it and champion it in all endeavors!


FROM INTROVERTED TO EXTROVERTED

Providence is a healthy, stable local church filled with amazing people. At the same time the Reveal Survey, taken at Providence in both 2013 and 2016, has revealed a church that is significantly introverted in its culture. The family at Providence are strong in their traditional beliefs and practices, but they also have difficulty putting these strengths to practice in the world around them. There is a great desire to be externally focused but there is still much work to do and opportunity to grow in this area. The Pastor of Ministries will be a catalytic force in this area as they lead through relationship towards a greater outward focus by all people who call Providence their home.

LOCATION & DEMOGRAPHICS


Settled in 1847 by Dutch Calvanist separatists fleeing the economic and religious challenges in the Netherlands, Holland is a city of deep and vibrant history while also presently being a wonderful community nestled along the eastern bank of Lake Michigan.

Known historically as a "city of churches" Holland has approximately 170 churches in the greater area, many of which are affiliated with the Reformed Church in America and Christian Reformed Church in North America. Home to the Tulip Time Festival and other themed events and attractions, tourists enjoy the culture and geography of Holland all summer long.

The city is part of the greater Grand Rapids region, which is one of the largest metro areas in the state with a combined population of over one million people. The Grand Rapids area has a diverse and growing economy with strong health care systems, universities, furniture, publishing and manufacturing moving the area forward. The city is conveniently located about 2.5 hours from Chicago and just a couple of hours from metro Detroit.

Holland has beaches, small town charm and big city amenities including waterfront dining, outdoor recreation, seasonal festivities and art fairs. Downtown Holland boasts a lively urban district with hotels, shopping, restaurants and a farmer’s market. Visit http://www.downtownholland.com for details.


GENERAL JOB DESCRIPTION

Overview:

Providence's Pastor of Ministries serves as the visionary leader for practical discipleship. The Pastor of Ministries oversees the ongoing discipleship formation of all ages in the church and is specifically involved in adult discipleship formation, while also overseeing and directing the pastoral care networks of the church.

The Pastor of Ministries oversees the staff responsible for Children's Ministries, Student Ministries, Adult Discipleship Ministries, and Pastoral Care and is responsible for building strong leadership teams in these areas. The Pastor of Ministries continually seeks to fulfill the current and ongoing mission and vision of Providence Church.


Primary Position Responsibilities


Discipleship and Faith Formation:

  • Develops, creates, and implements a pathway of discipleship and Christian formation.
  • Oversees the vision and mission of spiritual formation in children, youth, and adult discipleship ministries.
  • Creates and facilitates teachings, events, workshops, retreats, or trips that are inclusive, meaningful, and spiritually formative for individuals and groups.
  • Practices personal one-on-one evangelism and discipleship.

Staff Leadership and Administration:

  • Direct Reports: Serves as a staff leader to oversee the work of Pastoral Care, Children, Student, and Discipleship ministries.
  • Responsible for developing, empowering, and equipping staff reports and strong leadership teams.
  • Engages in continued education and displays a track record of personal management, leadership, and professionalism.
  • Provides accountability through performance reviews and addressing performance gaps.

Preaching and Worship:

  • Is a preaching voice on the Preaching Team (up to 25%).
  • Committed to continual personal growth in relationship with Jesus Christ by being in the Word, prayer, and engagement with peers and mentors.

Pastoral Care:

  • Oversees the Pastoral Care network of the church to ensure that spiritual and emotional care is readily available and easily accessible for the congregation.
  • Provides organization in order to empower people with big hearts to do the work of pastoral care.
  • Oversees the work of the Visitation Pastor and Shepherding Elders to ensure widows/widowers and shut-ins are care for, connected with, and receive communion.

Other Ministry Investments as Needed:

  • Denominational Connector.
  • Engages in meaningful relationships with other local church leaders in similar roles.

Qualifications


Preaching/Teaching to an 800+ congregation preferred.

Excellent communication skills with an ability to execute and implement a plan, program or event.

Ordained in the CRC or RCA – Committed to the Reformed theological perspective.

Pastoral Care is a strength.

An extrovert – outgoing and loves to connect with people.

Heart for Discipleship and Outreach.

Leadership – experience managing staff positions and volunteer positions.

10+ years experience working in a 300+ member church and 3+ years experience working in a 500+ member church preferred.


Reports to

Lead Pastor - Bryan Van Soelen

CONTACT

Ready to take the next step?

To find out additional information about Providence Church, please visit
https://providencechurch.net to discover their core beliefs, vision and values and to learn about many other ministries of the church.

If, after prayerfully reviewing this information, you sense this role and church culture could be a good fit for you, please contact Keith Twigg via any of the options below.


Keith Twigg// 208.809.0037 // ktwigg@slingshotgroup.org





Photo Credit to Caroline Sterr Photography