Pastor Search
Table of Contents
The Community Bible Church of Northern Westchester is seeks an enthusiastic pastor who loves the Lord Jesus Christ and believes and follows His Word to lead, teach, and guide this congregation of fellow Jesus Christ followers. Our church is located in Northern Westchester County, in the beautiful Lower Hudson Valley area of New York State. We are an intergenerational community from diverse religious and ethnic backgrounds. We also are strong believers of community and missions outreach.
In this role you will love the Lord Jesus Christ first and foremost. You are committed to continuing your spiritual walk by studying the bible and its biblical principles and continuing your prayerful communications with our Lord. You understand and agree with the Lausanne Covenant. You will develop, and present sermons to the congregation based on biblical principles. In this role, you will not only be the pastor, but you are also expected to perform all the daily duties of being the pastor. Such duties entail, but are not limited to: planning sermons, visiting congregational members, counseling as needed, being a part of the local community of pastors, praying with and for members of the church, help develop and support church direction, etc.
Responsibilities
Preaching and Teaching:
- Deliver inspiring, relevant, and biblically grounded sermons that engage and challenge the congregation to be transformed to the image of Jesus more sensitive to his leading, and more obedient to his direction.
- Provide consistent and effective teaching of Scripture through Bible studies, discipleship programs, and educational opportunities.
- Working with the Elders and leadership team, provide compassionate pastoral care, counseling, and support to individuals and families in times of celebration, crisis, and bereavement.
- Visit members of the congregation as appropriate.
- Working with the worship service planners, facilitate meaningful worship experience. .
- Help foster an atmosphere of reverence, praise, and active participation during worship.
- Working with the leadership team, guide and empower ministry teams, staff, and volunteers in their respective roles and responsibilities.
- Working with the leadership team, develop young leaders, start mentoring programs, and teach leaders how to mentor.
- Working with leadership team, develop and implement strategies to engage the local community, reaching out to those who do not yet know Christ with love and compassion.
- Foster partnerships and collaborations with community organizations and other churches to address social issues and extend the church’s impact.
Discipleship and Spiritual Formation:
- Working with the leadership team, promote spiritual growth and discipleship within the congregation through small groups, mentoring relationships, and discipleship programs.
- Equip and empower members to discover and utilize their spiritual gifts in serving others.
Administration and Communication:
- Oversee administrative tasks related to pastoral responsibilities, such as scheduling, record-keeping, and pastoral support staff.
- Working with church administrator, effectively communicate church news, events, and initiatives to the congregation through various channels.
Qualifications:
- Ordained minister who has done the hard work of struggling through doubt and pain to arrive at a deep personal faith in Jesus Christ and a commitment to living out the Gospel
- Strong biblical knowledge and theological understanding, committed to the truth of Scripture and biblical principles, capable of effectively interpreting and teaching Scripture.
- Excellent communication skills, both in preaching and interpersonal interactions, with the ability to connect with audiences of diverse ages, races and ethnicities.
- Proven pastoral experience, demonstrating empathy, compassion, and the ability to provide effective care and counseling.
- Leadership abilities, capable of casting vision, empowering others, and fostering unity within the church community.
- A heart for community outreach, evangelism, and social justice,with a desire to impact the broader society with the love of Christ; excited about moving with CBC as it transitions from maintenance to a mission and ministry focus.
- Collaborative and team-oriented, valuing the contributions and gifts of others in ministry.
- Strong organizational and administrative skills, with the ability to manage multiple responsibilities effectively.
- Commitment to personal spiritual growth and ongoing professional development
- Longs to bring people to Jesus
- Seeking to grow and teach in the areas of the power and working of the Holy Spirit.
- Interested in developing young leaders; has skill and experience in mentoring people into leadership positions and the ability to teach others how to mentor.
- Willing to work in a nondenominational setting, to teach on the basics of the faith and to be willing to be flexible with the nonessentials.
- Excited to move CBC forward in discipling.
- Possesses a servant leader’s heart, who is willing to work as an elder, along with the elected Elders.
- Has a healthy family relationship, with a wife who shares the excitement of her husband’s call to minister at CBC.
About Community Bible Church
CBC began as a step of faith. In the late 1960’s, ten families from Southern and Mid Westchester County NY moved north and began to meet together “to discuss and plan for a new church in Northern Westchester”. They came from the faith tradition of the open Brethren assemblies and desired to maintain the Brethren emphasis on the ministry of every Christian. Yet, they had a vision for a church that was nondenominational—welcoming, networking, and serving with Christians from many backgrounds. When a building became available at an affordable price, they offered the equity in their homes as collateral in order to secure financing to purchase it. This new church grew rapidly in the 1970s as they enjoyed a fresh work of God’s Spirit. Neighborhood Bible studies popped up around the county as CBCers invited their neighbors to study God’s word with them. They also sent out several missionaries both overseas and in the local area. CBC quickly gained a reputation for being innovative. Having no pastor, they took turns planning their services and devised a pattern for systemically studying through the Bible together. After the Sunday service, they met in small groups to discuss and apply sermons that were given by guest speakers or CBC leaders.
As times changed in the 1990’s, CBC felt it was time to hire a pastor, and David Dunkerton, a missionary they had supported, became available. CBC continued to thrive under his 16 years of leadership. In 2008, Dick Wiedenheft began serving as CBC’s second pastor. Under his leadership, we sought to continue to be true to our roots while also innovating to remain engaged with our changing culture. After 15 years, Dick was called to a new ministry in Ohio. We are now looking forward to the next chapter in our church’s history.
Location and Building:
Our building was formerly the Kitchawan Tavern, located on the Taconic Parkway a half mile west of its present location. It is a log cabin in the woods, built in 1923 and moved to its present location in 1967 when the Taconic parkway was widened. The new owner added living quarters to the building and intended to use it as his home but then decided against living in it. One of the original members of our church was driving past the building and happened to meet the owner who agreed to sell it. In the fall of 1970, the property was purchased by the ten families who began CBC. Since then, the building has been expanded and remodeled, but the original tavern feel remains. Our present auditorium was originally the tavern dining room, complete with stone fireplace. Our lounge was formerly the covered gas station attached to the tavern. These log cabin rooms are complemented by more modern portions of our building, including a coffeehouse-style space we call the “Kitchawan Cafe.”
CBC by the Numbers
Community Bible Church is located in the northeastern portion of Westchester County, a suburban county just north of New York City. Our physical location is in the Town of Yorktown, but we have an Ossining Postal Address. There are currently 32 single adults and 30 families attending CBC and our average weekly attendance on Sunday is approximately 68 with another 10 congregants attending via Zoom. The facility has capacity to hold approximately double that number. Attached for reference purposes is a household/family summary of the 10 local jurisdictions within 10 miles of CBC. For each governmental jurisdiction we have provided a municipal profile which contains multiple data points that should assist prospective respondents in understanding the socio-ethnic diversity that exists from which CBC wants to draw.