Lead Pastor

About Ft Recovery Church of the Nazarene

Objective:

Located within a Northwestern Ohio rural community, Fort Recovery Church of the Nazarene is searching for pastoral candidates feeling called to serve as a senior leader/lead pastor/missionary presence within a small, rural community environment. All interested candidates please email Andy Monnin, District Superintendent for the Northwestern Ohio District Church of the Nazarene) at andy.monnin@nwoteam.church.

Understanding the Context:

Fort Recovery, Ohio, is a small community with a population of around 1,500 residents, although over 29,000 people live within an easy to reach 10-mile radius including the towns of

Sharpsburg, Burkettsville, and St Joe. Ft Recovery is 1.5 miles from the Indiana state line and demographically reaches people from both states.

The community is steeped in rich history, dating back to its founding in 1793 as a military fort. The demographics of Fort Recovery reflect a predominantly Caucasian population, with a significant portion of the community being descendants of German immigrants who settled in the area in the 19th century. The village boasts a close-knit community with strong family values and a high level of civic engagement. Economically, Fort Recovery benefits from a mix of agricultural and manufacturing industries, contributing to a relatively low poverty rate compared to other rural areas. The local school district has high graduation rates, consistently above 95%, the Elementary and High Schools, rank in the top 5% and 10% respectively for their high proficiency in math and reading​. The combination of its rich heritage, stable economy, and active community life makes Fort Recovery a unique and vibrant place to live.

Living in the Ft Recovery requires leaders/pastors who can embrace a close-knit, relational mindset, but in an increasingly post-Christian and formerly Catholic faith environment. Pastoring a community means stepping in with a missionary mindset. It requires high relational capacity, generosity, hospitality, and keen capacity for contextual theology. One must be able to articulate the Gospel in a contextualized way, cognizant of cultural barriers and contextual resistance.

The Church:

Ft Recovery Church of the Nazarene is revitalizing. When some churches have given up and closed, Ft Recovery has done the hard work of rebuilding. In the last several years they have made significant changes in worship services, renovations, and leadership. The attendance has increased to 60 on average with another 14 attending online each week. Every Wednesday night they reach 40 children in their midweek program.

They have had a rich history of faithful support of the mission of the Church of the Nazarene and a lineage of generosity and global missions.

They are a warm, hospitable, faithful congregation. Their members come predominantly from Ft Recovery and the surrounding smaller communities, including a significant number from across the state line. They understand that the church will grow and become missionally effective as it seeks to reach the local neighborhoods many already know surrounding the church.

They are eager for a leader that will build on the previous three and a half years of effective leadership and movement, helping them realize a significant missional impact in their community. Longing to be a catalytic church in the Northwestern side of Ohio, the church continually confesses the need to change, adapt, be stretched, and raise up and deploy the increasing number of teens and young adults who have recently called Ft Recovery home.

The Call:

Ft Recovery Church of the Nazarene is seeking a pastor whose passion for the rural environment is matched with a passion for the least, the last, and the lost, a true missionary mindset, a willingness to lead the church into new territory, a shepherding heart, and the patience and longevity to settle in and call this Ohio community home. Ft Recovery is looking for a leader who has capacity to help them discern their unique mission and vision for this next season of ministry and the ability to develop and deploy a fresh expression of the church to the broader community. This leader should be:

• An ordained elder in the Church of the Nazarene or seeking ordination.
• Committed to support the broader mission of the Northwestern Ohio District to develop interdependent, healthy, multiplying congregations.
• Culturally humble, recognizing that ministry in rural environments requires a learner’s heart and trust is given slowly and earned over time.
• Generous, hospitable, and socially engaged with people disconnected from the hope, message, and story of Jesus.
• Thrive in interconnected, settings where culturally things move at a more measured pace
• Be a starter. This leader operates from an “opportunity mindset” rather than a “scarcity mindset.” They must have the capacity to see what could be.
• Faithful and diligent with financial stewardship.
• Committed to architecting a culture of discipleship and leadership development, multiplying the number of people committed to the mission of Jesus.
• The capacity to use the parsonage and the above average church facility and large Family Life Center in creative ways to connect with neighbors and the broader community.

Again, if interested, please contact Andy Monnin at nwodistrict@nwoteam.church