Organization Description
Edgewood United Church is a progressive Christian community in East Lansing, the home of Michigan State University. We are listening to a still-speaking God to promote social justice, cultivate interfaith collaboration, and support the area LGBTQ+ community. We are a welcoming community of seekers, and we value the wide variety of beliefs that can be found in our congregation. EUC is centered in a progressive Christian theology while welcoming persons with diverse beliefs who support the Edgewood congregation’s mission and goals. We come together to worship and to promote community, acceptance, and outreach to others.
Throughout its history, Edgewood has focused on social justice and worked for change in the community and the world. Edgewood folks have been involved in building low-income housing, advocating for health care reform, supporting the civil rights movement, pushing for open housing in East Lansing, advocating for LGTBQIA+ rights, and much more. Edgewood is an Open and Affirming, Just Peace, and Environmental Justice church.
Job Description
- Provide prophetic preaching sensitive to a wide range of theological and religious backgrounds.
- Encourage and guide Edgewood’s program/mission-oriented congregational structure, focusing on training and supporting lay leaders in a variety of areas of congregational life.
- Supply pastoral care in conjunction with a lay-led team, which may include home and hospital visits, phone calls, officiating at weddings and funerals, and pastoral counseling.
- Assist in the redesign of our children/youth programming to encourage the attendance/membership of young families and support them in the life, work, and community of the church.
- Inspire, lead, and support interfaith and ecumenical initiatives that build mutual understanding and collaboration to address current humanitarian needs and peace and justice issues.
Qualifications/Experience/Skills
We are seeking an experienced Pastor with the ability to:
- Design and plan worship and liturgy through a collaborative process with the music leaders, worship team, and support staff
- Provide inspiration through preaching that is sensitive to the many theological and religious backgrounds of EUC members.
- Lead services that challenge worshippers toward greater responsibility for our congregation’s wellness, and outreach to needs beyond our congregation.
- Assist in the integration of new members and youth into the life, work, and community of the church.
- Build, guide, and support congregational efforts to grow its youth ministry in ways that integrate and serve the participants’ interests and spiritual needs toward a vibrant, supportive, and service-oriented youth culture.
- Encourage Edgewood’s lay leaders within its program-/mission-oriented congregational structure. Cultivate effective lay work by defining tasks, discerning gifts, and developing leaders for their respective roles.
- Provide pastoral care, which may include counseling (pastoral), officiating weddings and funerals, home and hospital visits, and other emerging needs, with support from congregational members.
- Through example, guide Edgewood’s outreach ministries and activities toward the fulfillment of our Open and Affirming, Just Peace, and Racial Justice Church covenants.
- Represent Edgewood in UCC national, conference, and covenant association functions, programs, boards, and ministries
Inspire, lead, and support interfaith and ecumenical initiatives on matters of community, national, and global concern.
- Collaborate with the personnel committee and relevant teams in guiding, supervising and evaluating staff members
Benefits
This position includes a competative salery and a full benefits package including health insurance, retirement benefits and a housing allowance.
Application Instructions
Please request a copy of our complete profile by emailing Judy Martin at [email protected]. Application materials may be sent to the same email address.
