Date Posted - August 11, 2026
F/T or P/T - full time
Hours per Week (if P/T) - 40
Salary - $75,000.00
Invitation to Serve - Church Mission/Vision Statement: Our life and ministry together are shaped by a simple but rich and challenging mission: Inviting all to Know Christ, Grow in Christ, and Share Christ's Love. These are our guiding principles to keep us centered on God's plan for us as we worship, pray, make decisions, and serve. We welcome all who are seeking to learn about Jesus - regardless of race, economics, ethnicity, gender, or life experience. We strive to be the kind of community where people are known by name, cared for genuinely, and encouraged in their faith journeys.
Housing Option - Housing Allowance
Job Description -
Our congregation is a warm, welcoming community where everyone is invited to Know Christ, Grow in Christ, and Share Christ's Love. All who want to learn about Jesus are welcome here, no matter their background, life experience, or where they came from.
We are shaped by our deep legacy of generosity, community, service, fellowship, and genuine care for each other. We even have a specific time in worship to greet, connect, and build relationships, and we take full advantage of this time!
Faith is a journey, and we meet each other wherever each of us is on that journey. Our two worship experiences - a Traditional sanctuary and a Journey Cafe' (with its newly renovated space) - are both live-streamed and provide a variety of ways to connect. Music is central to who we are, ranging from brilliant organ and vocal music to our engaging contemporary band. We are committed to learning, growing, and sharing together.
We believe the Bible is the ultimate witness to God's message. We study it thoughtfully to help understand what God is doing in the present and how we are called into His future. Through in-person and Zoom Bible studies and other small groups, we learn together and support each other.
We strive to follow Christ's example in our individual daily lives, while serving our community with compassion and offering a sustainable source of hope, care, and connection.
Our congregation lives out its mission in the heart of Elkhart, a community that blends small-town connections with the opportunities and challenges of a larger city. The city and region offer a vibrant array of cultural, civic, educational, and recreational offerings. Elkhart has a long history of resilience, shaped by manufacturing, agriculture, and a rich mix of diverse cultural traditions. It has reinvented itself time and time again, and our church has evolved while remaining rooted in our calling to follow and reflect Christ. The community around us offers a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. Neighbors include people of different races, cultures, and economic realities, from long-time residents to those drawn by a recent downtown revitalization near the church.
As our neighborhood continues to change, we see a growing need to be a church not only within our walls but fully present in the places where people live and work. Together with you, we look forward to listening for God's leadership and responding in flexible, creative, and faithful ways - meeting people where they are and inviting them into Christ's love.
Modeling Christ's love through service currently includes holding space for community events, after school/weekend youth programs, local school service, Habitat for Humanity, rental assistance, Council on Aging, food banks and service for in need persons. Many members also feel personally called to serve beyond church programs.
We want you to know from the start that we truly value our pastor and see this call as a shared journey. This is not a congregation in crisis - we are healthy, engaged, and ready to grow. We are looking for God's call for us to know Him, grow in faith, and share His love with each other and those outside our walls. We are excited about where God is leading us next and are eager to walk that path together with you. You will not be carrying the work alone.
Our Session is active, thoughtful, and committed to the life and mission of the church. A capable and experienced staff, including a part-time children and youth director, combined with dedicated volunteers provide a firm base of leadership and an established structure of support. The infrastructure is in place with well-functioning commissions and teams including worship, education, mission, outreach, technology, security, and more. We value collaboration, open communication, a sense of humor, and being able to explore and celebrate the nuances and differing gifts of our teams while maintaining a unified vision of ministry. As our pastor, we will look to you to provide a steady presence, intentional leadership, and thoughtful management. We seek a pastor to provide direction, inspiration, and spiritual leadership anchored in scripture.
We are excited to learn from you, grow with you, laugh and rejoice with you, and see how God will use us together to lead our ministry into the future.
Tasks, expectations, salary range, duties, supervision, assignments, and responsibilities for the position. Our congregation sees the pastoral call as a shared journey and emphasizes that the pastor will be supported by a healthy, engaged church community rather than expected to lead alone. The church already has strong leadership structures in place, including an active Session, experienced staff, dedicated volunteers, and well-functioning ministry teams. We value collaboration, open communication, humor, and the unique gifts of each person while working toward a common ministry vision. We seek a pastor who will offer steady, intentional, scripture-centered leadership that brings direction, inspiration, and thoughtful guidance to the congregation as Christ's teachings apply to us in today's world.
We rely on our pastor to lead the church's worship life by preaching, teaching, administering the sacraments, and helping shape meaningful worship in both Traditional and Contemporary Worship services. Our pastor also guides the broader life of the church through leadership of staff, Session, boards, and committees, while helping set direction for ministry and community engagement. As our teaching elder, our pastor also supports Christian formation through Bible studies, adult education, youth collaboration, and small group opportunities.
Pastor care is also at the heart of who we are. With the deacons and wider church family, we look for our pastor to nurture a culture of attentive, prayerful, and compassionate care for each other and those of our broader community.
As our pastor, you will have overall responsibility for the life, mission, and direction of the church. You will oversee it all but not have to do it all. We see your role as one of guiding and coordinating, not a one-person band. You will help set priorities, keep the big picture in view, and support the various ministries that are already active - from worship and education to outreach and pastoral care. We look forward to working alongside you as we together discern God's plan for living out our mission.
We seek someone welcoming, approachable and engaging, with a joyful sense of humor who finds value in all people. We need a visionary who uses imagination and courage to be open to God's call from unexpected places in addition to what historically works. Being unafraid of change and leading by listening with curiosity and compassion helps us to Know Christ.
We grow best with a teaching elder who can effectively share from a variety of platforms and across generations. A passion for teaching, the authority and knowledge to interpret Scripture in its context and make it relatable nurtures and challenges our faith journeys so we can Grow in Christ's Love.
We are looking for a pastor who is comfortable managing and empowering others to use their gifts to do good work. Being able to support each other both in times of need and celebration, as well as participating in the call to service helps us Share Christ's Love.
We look to our teaching elder as a visionary storyteller of the Gospel to teach and preach the Word each week in both worship settings to a congregation ready to receive it. Our worship team collaborates with the pastor to shape meaningful, engaging experiences effective for both in person and on the live stream. Our congregation finds diverse and quality music a cornerstone for worship. You will also lead us in the sacraments and preside over special services. In addition to Sunday mornings, you will teach Bible study groups, participate in VBS, coordinate with the youth director, oversee adult education and encourage small nurturing group experiences.
As our leader in the overall life of the church, you will oversee operations of the church, moderate Session, work alongside boards and committees, and supervise and support a capable team with shared responsibility. As our visionary, you will guide the strategic planning for the church's mission and support community relationships. Current examples include Jazz Sunday, Habitat for Humanity builds, support for youth programs, and expansion of our online presence.
You will find deacons, leaders, and a caring congregation, ready to share in the work of pastoral care. Building relationships with those seeking a church and parishioners alike and providing one-on-one spiritual guidance are reflected in events like Ashes to Go, Trunk or Treat, pre-marital counseling, and home or hospital visits.
Denomination - PC(USA)
Administrative Body - Presbytery of Wabash Valley - PC(USA)
Organization - First Presbyerian Church, Elkhart IN
Organization's Address - 200 E Beardsley Ave, Elkhart, IN 46514
Organization's Website - http://www.presby.net
