Job Opening
Pulpit Minister
The Baker Heights Church of Christ in Abilene, Texas, seeks a full-time pulpit minister to equip the saints at an established, active congregation of 250. Our current minister is set to retire in early 2024. Baker Heights is a diverse, devoted family that has been called the friendliest church in Abilene. Salary is negotiable and will be based on experience and qualifications.
Abilene, centrally located in the heart of Texas, home to Abilene Christian University and two other colleges, as well as Dyess Air Force Base, is a great place to spread the Word and raise a family.
This is a great opportunity for a leader who wants to extend outreach via podcasting and digital channels.
Job Description
The Baker Heights Church of Christ is seeking an experienced Pulpit Minister who has an excellent knowledge of the Scriptures and who possesses an exceptional ability to preach, teach, and equip the Church for discipleship and service.
- The Pulpit Minister will be a devoted follower/disciple of Jesus who is passionate about helping others live and grow as disciples and make other disciples of Jesus.
- The Pulpit Minister’s life demonstrates a passionate faith in God, a strong commitment to the Lordship of Christ, the leading of the Spirit, and the authority of the Scripture.
- The Pulpit Minister, under the oversight of the elders, will work and support the vision of the Baker Heights Church of Christ.
- The Pulpit Minister demonstrates a faithful Christian life and sets a proper example of Christian behavior.
Responsibilities
- Develop and maintain an active and productive ministry under the oversight and direction of the elders.
- Prepare and present Bible based sermons for Sunday morning and evening assemblies on a consistent but flexible basis as worked out between the elders and the preacher.
- Teach Bible classes as needed according to schedule and availability.
- Write articles for the bulletin as part of a rotation of ministers and elders – up to two per month.
- Participate in making hospital visits.
- Be involved in planning ministry/congregational activities that reflect Biblical objectives.
- Work with the worship and education committees to plan uplifting and Biblical assemblies.
- Officiate at funerals and weddings in accordance with current congregational policies.
- Devote time to study, ministry, visitation, teaching, counseling, and meeting with members, visitors, or guests.
- Meet with elders during regular called meetings and provide reports of activities and needs of members and participate in planning and implementation of programs to aid in the spiritual growth and development of members.
- Be subject to the oversight of the elders concerning administrative matters. The pulpit minister will coordinate with the office staff for assistance with sermon preparation, power point slides, handouts, bulletin articles, etc.
- Provide pre-marital counseling and other counseling to those who desire it.
Successful Candidate Attributes
- Member of the church of Christ.
- Strong faith and commitment to the call of serving the Lord as a pulpit minister and evangelist.
- Excellent interpersonal skills both verbal and written as well as a demonstrated ability to lead Bible study, organize activities, communicate ideas, and use time effectively.
- Graduation from a brotherhood school of preaching or college/university with a major in Biblical studies, degree preferred. Applicants without a degree who demonstrate successful ministry experience may be considered as well.
- Must be approachable – be someone who builds constructive and effective relationships; uses diplomacy and tact in tense situations; has a style that puts others at ease.
- Biblical Knowledge – an excellent knowledge of the Bible and the ability to apply biblical principles to current culture.
- Communication – clearly conveys information and ideas through a variety of media to the Church in a manner that engages the audience and helps them understand and retain the message.
- Collaboration – works effectively and cooperatively with others; establishes and maintains relationships with a spirit of humility.
- Continuous Learning and Development – possess a deep desire for continuous personal growth; regularly creating and taking advantage of learning opportunities (e.g. personal study, reading, courses, conferences, seeking counsel with elders and other ministers).
- Leadership – effective servant leader. Models the vision of the church and eldership and motivates others to take action in support of the vision.
- Planning and organizing – establishes courses of action to ensure that work is completed efficiently. Ability to prioritize, schedule, maintain focus, and follow through to completion.
- Work Standards – sets high standards for excellence and quality; assumes responsibility and accountability for successfully completing tasks and objectives.
- Self-motivated – initiates action and goes beyond routine requirements.
- Outreach minded and comfortable with digital communications – our ideal candidate can easily find his place in our podcasting (currently being organized), streaming, and social media, and other online efforts.
- Capable of making connections – active in the community. Involvement in business, social, or other organizations, such as civic groups, is fine, even welcomed, though we would hope that the minister’s time brings, in the end, more glory to God than to earthly endeavors.
Why Baker Heights?
From the Family at Baker Heights
We are glad to be in touch with you. Baker Heights is prayerfully seeking a new minister: a man to mentor the congregation and equip the saints for work and service in the Kingdom. It is our hope through this packet to relay to you our vision for this congregation and the spiritual formation of our members. Please pray along with us, and consider whether you are called to join us on this journey. We look forward to further conversation, and we wish God’s blessings on you and your family.
It is our goal and mission to not only grow together in Christian fellowship, but to reach out to the community, showing them the love of Christ as we serve them in whatever way we can.
BHCC is a place where everyone can help serve and no one is overlooked, where everyone is welcome and no one is turned away, where visitors are treated with handshakes and banana bread just for coming, and where we strive to be the friendliest congregation in Abilene.
Our History
The Baker Heights Church of Christ was established through the planning and labor of the elders of the College Church of Christ (now University Church of Christ). This tradition of optimistic zeal for the Lord has been perpetuated for over 60 years.
In the Late 1950’s
In the Late 1950’s, a group of men recognized the need for a congregation of the Lord’s church to serve what was then a fast growing neighborhood close to Dyess Air Force Base. Representatives of several congregations met in the spring of 1958 to make plans for holding worship services on base. Those began on May 11, 1958. In February of 1959, 12 Abilene churches, including the College, Woodlawn, Highland, and 11th and Willis congregations, donated to a fund for the construction of a building so that the Dyess congregation could plan services without depending upon the availability of the chapel. College church purchased a site on Texas Avenue near the east gate of Dyess for the new building. Several families from College Church and other Abilene churches joined with the group from the base to help establish the Baker Heights Church. The first services at the new location were held on May 14, 1961.
In the Mid-1990’s
A quarter-century later, on March 26, 1995, approximately 100 members of Baker Heights (including 3 elders and 7 deacons) agreed to be the “seed” group for a new church to reach the southeast portion of Abilene where there was no church and to build on recently acquired property on Oldham Lane. In the 45-minute organizational meeting, the vision that began in 1958 came full circle when Oldham Lane Church of Christ was born.
Evangelism and Missions
Baker Heights Church of Christ, established because of the evangelistic spirit of other congregations, has retained the same tradition. In addition to serving its local mission, Baker Heights has supported or assisted missionaries in several foreign countries, including Australia, Canada, Mexico, England, Zambia, India, Nigeria, Brazil, the Ukraine, and Russia. A large portion of the membership of Baker Heights consists of military personnel who are subject to transfer. These members, upon leaving Baker Heights, are determined to carry the Word wherever the Air Force sends them. Thus, the evangelistic zeal that produced the Baker Heights Church of Christ congregation over 60 years ago is alive and well today in the programs of the church and in the lives of individual Christians.
Today
We are a family of more than 250 members. Currently, we are active in the community through our food pantry, a middle school outreach program, Boo at the Zoo, our Fall Festival, a well attended Vacation Bible School, and other efforts.
We give financial support to wonderful mission efforts in Zambia. Our own members have traveled on short-term mission trips to Zambia in support of the work. We also support Eastern European Missions. And some of our members are active as World Bible School study helpers.
Thinking Locally and Beyond
We recently launched a new digital outreach endeavor in which 15% of our members are involved in reaching the unchurched and the seekers through our website, social media, blogging, podcasts, Bible studies, and visitor support. The podcasting effort, which taps the talents of several individuals and will include a ladies-communicating-with-ladies series (“The Stronger Women Podcast”) will come into play in early 2024. No other congregation in Abilene or vicinity has anything like it.
Ministry Staff
Larry Sullivan
Retiring Preaching Minister
Luke Bower
Youth and Family Minister
Baker Heights' Mission and Vision
Mission
Make and grow disciples of Jesus Christ.
Vision
Baker Heights is currently in the process of vision casting so we can develop a vision for the next five years that will compel, inspire, and motivate each of us to carry out the mission of God.
Summing It Up: Why Baker Heights?
One reason to come and work with Baker Heights is that we are a well-established congregation that is enthusiastic about the future. You will find that we are compelled by a desire to glorify God, and are prayerfully working together in order to grow. As a body, we strive to grow in faith, to grow in our knowledge of the Word, and to walk in the Light as those who are spiritually mature.
We also want to grow numerically. While we are a diverse congregation, we desire to become even more diverse in both age and ethnicity. We hope to accomplish this by using various opportunities that we have identified. Utilizing our website as a door to get acquainted with us, our own members will contribute content that will be shared on our website, social media, and podcasts. The goal of these efforts is to attract those who seek a deeper relationship with God and who have a desire to have a moral foundation for their families. We want to be a welcoming family to those are struggling with the troubles and sorrows in this life.
In addition to our digital outreach, we also have plans to increase our community involvement through neighborhood events at our building and at neighborhood parks, as well as growing our ministry that provides furniture to refugees.
Another reason to choose Baker Heights is because this congregation has a history of keeping ministers for many years. Our current preaching minister, Larry Sullivan, has been with us for seven years. He is retiring by choice on his own timeline. Our last preaching minister, Wes McAdams, was with us for even longer; before that, our minister walked with us for 28 years. Our Youth and Family minister, Luke Bower, has been serving and worshiping with us for most of his adult working life.
Baker Heights Church of Christ loves its ministry staff and treats them as family, building deep relationships that last.
Basic Facts (October 8, 2023)
Sunday Morning Bible Class – 130
Sunday Morning Worship – 190
Sunday PM – 142
Wednesday Dev – 107
Contribution – $14,873
Weekly Goal – $8,951
Download Our Info Packet
Baker Heights Church of Christ Minister Information Packet
Why Abilene?
In 2015, the Texas state legislature designated our city as the official “Storybook Capital of Texas.” Downtown Abilene is the heart of our vibrant arts community that includes a storybook sculpture garden, 15 murals, a monthly outdoor arts event, a yearly children’s book festival, and 9 museums. We also have a world-class city zoo, Prime Time Family Entertainment Center, 4 movie theaters, and 3 concert venues.
In 2019, the Governor’s Texas Music Office officially certified Abilene as a “Music Friendly” city, making Abilene one of the 31 cities to hold this honor.
Abilene boasts a whopping 27 parks, including 20 playgrounds, a skate park, in-line hockey rink, a dog park, 3 disc golf courses, 21 tennis courts, 5 walking trails, 10 biking trails, 24 running tracks, 16 group picnic shelters, 6 sand volleyball courts, a bocce ball court, 35 lighted baseball/softball diamonds, 14 soccer fields, 5 splash pads, and public pool that includes large waterslides. We also have multiple private pools, golf courses, ample land for hunting, and scenic lakes for fishing.
Abilene’s educational system offers excellent schools for children. We have two school districts within our city limits – (our local high schools have outstanding graduation rates). In addition to Abilene Christian University, Abilene is also home to 2 other universities and 3 other colleges.
Abilene is a small city with a big heart. Our average commute time is 11 minutes below the national average, and you never have to budget time for traffic! It is also a very safe city in which to raise a family.
More Information
If you would like to have more information, contact us via the information below. You will be contacted by a member of our search committee.
BAKER HEIGHTS CHURCH OF CHRIST
C/O Jesse Mullins, Chairman
Preacher Search Committee
817 Elmwood Drive
Abilene, Texas 79605
If you’re interested in this job opportunity, please apply online today!
