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Other Details

Denomination: Interdenominational

Weekly Attendance: 200

Location: Wells, Maine

The Role: Senior Pastor

Meet Messiah Christian Church:

In 1988, Messiah Christian Church was planted along the breathtaking Maine seacoast by our current and founding Pastor Dan Moore and his wife, Rosemary. Thirty-three years later, their vision for a warm Interdenominational church, where people would grow into loving, mature, and equipped disciples, is still pursued through Messiah’s generous, innovative, and deeply entrepreneurial spirit.

Messiah sits on a gorgeous 22-acre piece of property and includes a sanctuary, classrooms, offices, and a full-service gym and fitness facility. Messiah congregants live in the Wells area year-round, or they are summer residents and virtual congregants reaching far and wide. At Messiah, we are diverse in our spiritual journeys and our Interdenominational tradition embraces the many Biblical faith backgrounds from which we come. We love our community through unique outreach initiatives, and, every week, over 250 people attend programs in our Recreation Center, and this outreach remains one of our most effective evangelistic tools.

Our discipleship model has been in place since 2007 and has truly resulted in a strong foundation of mature, unified, and missional believers with a clear vision that produced tremendous growth during the COVID season. We are continually challenged by our Pastor and our teachers to look inward, to grow, and to apply the message of Jesus to our lives. Our mantra, “Where People Grow,” stems from our hallmark life-on-life discipleship model where a mature discipler invests in the lives of a few in such a way as to see them become mature and equipped followers of Christ, committed to doing the same in the lives of others.

We believe that Messiah’s foundational phase is complete. The church is grounded in its vision, mature spiritually, and has an excellent reputation in the community. The physical space has been renovated, the programs fine-tuned, and the leaders trained and equipped for ministry. Now, we are asking God prayerfully to bring the next leader whom He has selected to lead Messiah into its exciting next phase.

About the Senior Pastor:

Our Senior Pastor will be welcomed, supported, and encouraged to build on the strong foundation of our mature and growing church. Messiah’s ministries and congregation have grown during COVID, and there is momentum and energy to move to the next level of ministry under our next prayerful, strong, creative, and relational servant leader. We need a vulnerable leader who embraces our vision for equipping, discipleship, and our motto, “Where People Grow,” because they agree that anyone can and will be transformed by Jesus. Our Senior Pastor will know that we are all a mess, that not one of us is perfect, better, or clean. They will stand amazed at the transformation power of Jesus Christ in our midst. Our Senior Pastor must be called to New England and be excited about seeing the church on mission to our community, including through our Recreation Center. We are looking for a Senior Pastor who has a current mentor or spiritual accountability and will continue to walk alongside others in their spiritual journey. The Senior Pastor must have a strong track record of deep, expositional preaching of the Word of God with relevance and vibrancy. The Senior Pastor will work collaboratively and effectively at all levels of the church. Our church is extremely relational; the expectation is that our new pastor will love people and be able to shepherd them well.

The Senior Pastor Will: 

• Lead our efforts to fulfill our vision and mission innovatively and enthusiastically.
  • They will lead it through our ministry leadership teams, staff, and congregation to take advantage of the tremendous opportunity God has given Messiah to reach New England.
• Deliver vibrant, relevant, creative, and deep exegetical and expositional sermons and teaching.
• Have their own personal journey with the Holy Spirit and be mentored by a more mature believer; desiring more of Jesus, they have been self-reflective in order to cultivate an intimacy with Jesus and develop a deep dependence upon the Holy Spirit for guidance.
  • They know that shepherds cannot lead others where they have not traveled.
• Be a proven shepherd – warm, loving, and caring for the sheep.
• Set the tone for a relational, family church where everyone is welcomed and loved.
• Participate actively in our life-on-life discipleship program by laboring in the lives of a few with the intention of imparting his life, God’s Word, and the gospel in such a way as to see disciples become mature and equipped followers of Christ, committed to doing the same in the lives of others.
• Understand the local culture, especially New England spiritual dynamics, and have a deep desire to connect with unchurched people, invite them into a relationship with Jesus, and disciple them to maturity in Christ.
• Develop innovative, creative, and effective evangelistic strategies to be involved in the local community, have experience in meeting with local and community leaders, and have a desire to use our Recreation Center as a way to reach the community.
• Take the lead in assimilating new people into the church by inviting them to engage with them and their families in a variety of ways.
• Be a team builder, proactively inspiring, recruiting, training, deploying, monitoring, and nurturing both staff and volunteers to serve inside and outside the church for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up.

What You Bring: 

Education & Experience

• A Bachelor’s degree and completion or pursuit of Master’s level work is desired, as well as demonstration of a lifetime of growing intimacy with Jesus, personal exegetical study, and the experience of being discipled and discipling others.
• Has five to ten years of experience in church, parachurch, or other ministry with ever-increasing responsibility and growth.
  • We are open to a person who is currently non-vocational but who has past experience as a pastor and who has extensive experience in leadership, preaching, and teaching in their local church.
• Has current examples of being in an accountable, discipleship relationship with another Christ-follower and providing that kind of discipleship relationship to others.
• The Senior Pastor’s family must be supportive of pastoral ministry.
• Above all things, the Senior Pastor must know that they are called to lead Messiah Christian Church and embrace its current vision of spiritual growth, while also envisioning the future, firmly rooted in the conviction that, with God, all things are truly possible.
• They must also possess theological doctrine and core values (we call them our Stakes in the Ground) that match those held by  Messiah Christian Church.

Personal Characteristics

• Our Senior Pastor is a “contagious Christian” who is a personable and dynamic communicator who is able to combine extensive ministry and life experience with an ability to connect with a wide age span of people.
• Has a clear profession of faith in Jesus Christ and love for God’s church.
• Must be relational, take a vested interest in walking alongside each individual, and minister through means of counseling, fellowshipping, discipling, and prayer.
• Is hospitable and looks for ways to connect with others and desires to get to know them through various creative ways.
• Leads innovatively with a servant’s heart exemplifying the humility and attitude of Christ and has a proven track record of being a self-starter and goal-oriented worker with an ability to recruit, retain, and equip leaders, staff, and members.
• Is humble, authentic, and willing to do the hard work of personal spiritual formation in their own life.
• Is an example to the church in how they lead, love, and care for their own family consistent with the teachings of God’s Word.
• Fiscally wise steward of both personal and church resources and lives generously and compellingly encourages a spirit of generosity in others.

What it’s Like to Live in Wells, Maine: 

Travelers entering Maine are greeted by a sign that says, “Maine: The Way Life Should Be.” Messiah congregants agree that there is an ease that accompanies life in Maine and, particularly, in Wells, the church’s seaside location. Wells, founded in 1635 and coined the “friendliest town in Maine”, is a very close-knit and active community rich in family values and neighborly connection. Because Wells is situated just 28 miles south of Portland and 70 miles north of Boston, it has become a growing home base for commuters, families, and retirees.

Wells provides ample opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors, whether at the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, Laudholm Farms, or fishing, swimming, surfing, walking, and relaxing on its 7 miles of beaches. It is only a quick trip to the mountains for hiking, skiing, snowmobiling, and other winter sports and activities. The neighboring towns of Ogunquit and Kennebunk are world-renowned for their oceanside art galleries, seafood, gift shops, and the Bush family compound in Kennebunkport. Fishing and boating are major industries and pastimes, with over 600 boats in the river at any given season.

The year-round population is made up of approximately 10,000 residents and increases up to 50,000 during the peak of summertime, providing vital economic opportunities for many small, family-owned businesses. Wells takes pride in education, which is one of our leading occupations. Our school systems rank among the best per U.S. News & World Report. The Wells Ogunquit Community School District is rated within the top 20% of Maine schools with a 99% graduation rate and passionately supports a solid sports program that holds many state championship titles.

The property taxes in Wells are some of the lowest in the state. Town roads, schools, and beaches are very well maintained. Wells is the kind of community where people commonly remain throughout their lives, raising their families and retiring. More recently, many prior vacationers have been relocating to the area due to its many features and attractions. Most people will tell you that they live here because it is safe, refreshing, and clean. It is considered one of the top three safest towns in Maine, experiencing a crime rate that is significantly lower than the state and national average. Our nightly news is dominated by the latest moose hit or whether it’s safe to drive on the lakes for ice fishing! More and more people are discovering that Wells is a great place to live!

Like its neighboring New England states, Maine is largely unchurched, but these warm Mainers will attend church if invited. Messiah has always been energized by our location in this special coastal mission field, and we welcome you to join us here in one of God’s most beautiful places.