We are searching for a New Minister!

Our present Minister has dedicated over 30 years to pastorial service and is looking to enter other fields of ministry. As such he seeks to retire from his present position as minister of the Saskatoon Church of Christ.

Saskatoon Church of Christ is seeking applications for a spiritually minded individual to join us in ministry on the Canadian prairies.

• We are seeking an individual with ideas and vision for taking the message of God's wonderful grace to the world around us.
• We are seeking an enthusiastic, energetic individual who will work to equip us and others to be the church of Jesus in our community.
• We are seeking a person whose heart is filled with a love for God, and whose life is in tune with God's Spirit and His leading.

Our congregation began in 1948 as a small group of Christians meeting in homes and presently averages about 110 people each Sunday. We have had a long and active involvement in world missions -- especially, since the 1960s in NE India, and more recently, in Brazil, and with the Let's Start Talking program, among others. As is true in much of North America, however, we have begun to realize the significant mission field that exists within our own community. A recent survey revealed that only seven percent of our city's population attends church services on any given week. There are many thousands here who need to be touched by the love of God!

Our congregation's members come from a variety of age groups, occupations, and ethnic backgrounds and are led by a team consisting of four elders, our ministers, and their wives. Although our congregation has been relatively stable for many years, we currently find ourselves in a period of transition. Our senior minister, who has worked among us for more than 30 years, is looking to retire. He has been actively involved for many years in Saskatoon's ministerial community and is well respected among his peers. In retirement, he is looking forward to a change in roles -- more time to spend shepherding, mentoring, and in missions, and away from the demands of the pulpit. At this same time, our outreach minister and his wife have set their hearts on planting a new church, and are considering several options, one of which would involve a church plant within our own city.

Our desire is to have our new minister in place by August 2008. If this is achieved, he will have a year in which to build new relationships and to prepare for future works without having to meet the demands of a regular pulpit ministry. Pulpit ministry will begin in 2009.

As our minister, you will provide the encouragement and exhortation for our personal and congregational spiritual development; will work to enhance our congregational structures and organization; and will facilitate the training and implementation of a service based outreach.

• Our restoration heritage places high emphasis on the Bible -- we value the ability to discover the Bible's truths, and to make meaningful application of these truths to our lives in the world today. Because of this, an undergraduate or higher degree in Bible, Ministry, and/or Missions would be considered an asset.
• Our congregation understands that our structures and organization can either enhance or impede a church's outreach and growth. In addition, few Canadian restoration churches have ever grown beyond 200 members. Because of this, previous experience working within a mid-sized or larger congregation would be considered an asset.
• Developing a service-based ministry within our community would be one area for growth in our congregation. We are involved in weekly Bible classes and the FriendSpeak program -- which draw people into our building - but have not had sustained involvement in ministries that take us out into our community. For many in our world today, however, the message of Jesus is given credibility only through such actions. As such, an individual with experience in service-based ministries and a heart for being Jesus in our community would be considered an asset.

We praise God for his guidance in the past, and are excited about the future we have in store. We see this period of transition as a real opportunity to explore new ideas, to move in new directions, and to discover new ways to reach the world around us. Interviews will begin in February 2008. We offer a competitive compensation package with health benefits, professional development and mission leave, as well as three weeks of annual vacation.

If God may be calling you to this work, please send your resume, references, and a recording of some recent sermons by email to transition@saskatoonchurchofchrist.org , or by mail to:

The Transition Team - Saskatoon Church of Christ
Attn: Monica Taylor
134 Cardinal Crescent,
Saskatoon, SK
S7L 6H6, Canada

For additional information on our city, please visit:
http://www.saskatoon.ca/