Snapshot

Denomination: Non-Affiliated

Weekly Attendance:  250

Location: Portage, MI

The Role: Lead Pastor

Meet Southridge Church:

Southridge Church first began in October 1960, when a handful of interested families joined the Reformed Church in America to plant a church. Just a couple of years later, the church was formally incorporated with 18 charter families as Southridge Reformed Church.

Located on five acres of land, ground was broken for a new building in May 1963. The location of the church property on the “south ridge” of Kalamazoo helped determine the name chosen by the new congregation.

Throughout the years with the growth of ministry and members, several additions were added to the church. With continued growth, the need for a new church with more property was recognized. In the fall of 2000, ground was broken for a new church facility on 17 acres in Texas Township. In October 2001, the first worship experience was held in the current building.

Since that time, a new children’s and youth wing has been added to support this area of ministry. With the sacrificial giving of the Southridge Family, the congregation has completely paid off all financial debts and has continued to make several building upgrades to meet ministry needs.

In October 2023, Southridge Church left the Reformed Church in America and is currently an independent church. Southridge Church continues to be a community filled with passionate, servant-hearted people who give their time, talents, and finances to support kingdom-building ministry in our community and around the world!

About the Lead Pastor:

The ideal Lead Pastor for the Southridge Church will be an established leader who is responsible for leading the congregation and staff in a unified direction, working in partnership with the Consistory, to ensure the implementation of the vision, strategies, structure, programs, and staff development at Southridge Church. The Lead Pastor also is a caring pastor performing the important sacraments of communion, baptism, weddings, and funerals. The ideal candidate will be an effective communicator of God’s Word, cultivating a culture of seeking God’s truth in scripture as a life pattern.

The Lead Pastor’s Responsibilities Include: 

• Provides leadership in establishing, casting and communicating the vision for Southridge Church.
• Able to implement vision and lead the same through collaboration with the Consistory and the staff.
• Serves as President of Consistory.
• Demonstrates spiritual leadership by conducting regular Membership Classes, along with baptisms, premarital counseling, weddings, funerals and other pastoral care, as needed for congregation.
• Shepherds the spiritual health and maturity of members and leaders.
• Serves as primary communicator by preaching sermons that relate strong biblical teaching with a contemporary insight and passion, while appealing to the lost in the community.
• Provides supervision and guidance over church and ministry staff to help them accomplish their stated goals and objectives.

What You Bring: 

The following describes many of the characteristics of the ideal candidate for the Lead Pastor:

Education & Experience

• The successful candidate must be one who has demonstrated several years of professional development and oversight in full-time ministry.
• A Master’s degree is required, and an MDiv from an accredited Bible college or seminary is highly preferred.

Personal Characteristics & Qualifications

•  Must be a committed Christian, able to articulate their faith.
•  Must be able to model Christian character.
• Demonstrates abilities in teamwork and supports shared principles of communication, conflict management, decision making, initiative and professionalism.
• Leadership skills include vision and articulation of such to inspire leaders, staff and congregation to become the servants God desires us to be.

Spiritual giftedness would include leadership, preaching, and teaching with a heart for ministry and compassion for the lost.

What it’s Like to Live in Kalamazoo, MI: 

Nestled in the heart of southwestern Michigan, Texas Township is an affluent and growing community in Kalamazoo County.  Kalamazoo itself was recently named one of the top 10 Most Affordable Cities with High Salaries and Low Cost of Living in the Midwest by The Ascent and ranked the No. 1 Coolest Place in the U.S. with the lowest cost of living. It also made the list of 150 Best Places to Live in the U.S. in 2023-24 by U.S. News and World Report.

The area is known as a pharmaceutical and life sciences center, as the home of Stryker and Pfizer (yes, the COVID vaccine), as well as Gibson Guitars, Checker Motors and Bell’s Brewery.

It’s nationally recognized for the Kalamazoo Promise, which guarantees college tuition to graduates of the Kalamazoo Public Schools. Other local schools and secondary institutes (Kalamazoo Valley Community College, Western Michigan University and Kalamazoo College) are considered top notch, and there’s a nice range of local youth to professional athletics, including the Kalamazoo K-Wings hockey club and Growlers college summer baseball team.

The city is easily accessible to major connecting highways (being midway between Chicago and Detroit) and close to local restaurants, shopping, box stores and family attractions, not to mention many parks, trails and waterways to explore.

One of the defining features is the strong sense of community engagement. Residents actively participate in local events, festivals, and initiatives. Whether it’s the annual county fair, splash pad, farmers’ markets, or cultural festivals, there is always a lively spirit of togetherness that brings people closer.