Other Details

Senior Pastor / Head of Staff

Our Church

The First Presbyterian Church of Carson City, Nevada, is a family of approximately 250 enthusiastic members and believers, who follow the Word of God as written and recorded in the Bible.  Thanks to God’s blessings through the generosity of this congregation we are debt-free!  Our church’s mission as God’s people is to daily seek to respond in word and action to Jesus’ Great Commission, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.  And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  Matthew 28:19-20.

Responsibilities

• Deliver Bible-based sermons
• Lead and nurture staff, lay leaders and congregation to discern God’s voice and intention for their lives
• Develop an active Youth Ministry
• Provide pastoral care including counseling, visitation for shut-ins, and hospital and/or emergency visitation
• Provide corporate worship, administration of the Sacraments, and special worship services (i.e., Christmas, Easter, funerals, weddings, etc.)
• Seek to glorify God by incorporating music and arts into worship services that inspire, challenge, and equip God’s people for courageous and stretching expressions of reformed worship
• Further the Gospel of Christ to Carson City and Beyond by fostering missions locally and worldwide
• Teach Bible studies that are foremost true to the Gospel, as well as culturally aware
• Oversee Aunt Betty Studio (ABS), a multimedia platform designed to share the Gospel and church information
• Oversee church staff (currently 1 full-time and 3 part-time positions) and multiple volunteers
• Participate actively in a pastor support group as outlined by ECO polity
• Moderate and work with Session at monthly meetings

Qualifications

• Commitment to Reformed Theology and affirmation of ECO’s Essential Tenets, Polity, and Confessional Standards
• Eligible to be ordained as a Pastor in the Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians (ECO) (or other Reformed denominations if approved by ECO)
• Five or more years of experience leading a congregation and managing staff preferred and/or a minimum of five years as an associate pastor
• Master of Divinity (MDIV)

Salary

• Compensation commensurate with experience and qualifications: $75,000.00 – $95,000.00

Informative Links

• http://visitcarsoncity.com/
• http://carson.org
• http://nv.gov/
• YouTube: First Presbyterian Church, Carson City
• fpccarsoncity.org

Presbyterian CIF:

First Presbyterian Church
115 N. Division Street
Carson City, NV 89703
(775) 882-1032
Church organized: June 2, 1861

Our church was founded in the Nevada Territory on June 2, 1861, just before Nevada entered into the Union in 1864.  We are blessed to have built the first permanent place of worship in what was to become the State of Nevada.  We praise God for our rich history and look forward to continuing to glorify God both now and into the future.

As God’s people our mission statement reflects Jesus’ Great Commission, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.  And remember, I am with you always, to end of the age” Matthew 28:19-20.

When we celebrate the Lord’s Day on Sunday, the word of God is made known to the people through spoken word, music, prayer, scripture readings, and monthly communion.  Our music blends traditional hymns with contemporary worship music.  All are invited to participate in our music, which includes a choir, a praise team, and a bell choir.  In addition, ensembles often share their musical gifts in praising God during worship.  Prayer is a central element in our worship services.  Whether in unison as the body of Christ, or through silent individual prayer, we thank God for the blessings He has given us.  We pray for our congregation, our families and friends, our community, and those in the world that need God’s grace.  Our sermons are rooted in Scripture and are designed for the practical application of biblical teachings to everyday challenges.  On the first Sunday of every month an open table is offered for all Christ-believers to partake in the Lord’s Supper in recognition of the great sacrifice God made on our behalf.

Built in 2008, our new sanctuary provides expanded opportunities for a unified service, regular Christian fellowship, and special programs.  First Presbyterian Church of Carson City shares the love of Jesus by warmly welcoming our congregation, guests, and visitors.  Members typically greet one another just before service or during the fellowship time following service.

First Presbyterian Church of Carson City (FPC) has been blessed with a history of rich and deep pastoral leadership.  Rev. Bruce Kochsmeier served the church for 24 years and retired as “pastor emeritus” in 2019; FPC then transitioned to Rev. Bob Davis.  Pastor Bob shepherded FPC in new and exciting ways, investing in lay leadership and spiritual gift development and implantation.  Pastor Bob bridged the long-term pastoral leadership ministry of Pastor Bruce in a rich way and was positively received by the congregation, all while navigating through COVID.  On March 1, 2023 our beloved Pastor Bob was unexpectedly called home to be with God, his Savior and Lord.  The church has gone through many grief stages.  Largely due to Bob’s preparation and training for such an event, we are now ready to call a new Sr. Pastor to take us into the next chapter of mission and ministry.

The pastor who is called should be an outgoing, loving individual who, by God’s grace, personally strives to embody the holiness of Christ.  Our hope is that by example this individual will demonstrate Jesus\\\’ love for the Church through spiritual leadership, teachings, preaching and visitation.  We look for a pastor who will serve as friend and shepherd, in addition to spiritual leader; someone who can challenge members to a deeper walk with Jesus as together we proclaim Him Lord over all.  We additionally desire that our Senior Pastor foster congregational fellowship and unity.

Our Church Community Area

Our church serves a large community that encompasses an area of greater than 30 square miles.  Worshipers come from Lake Tahoe (one of the United States’ most beautiful alpine lakes), small communities scattered across the high desert of the Great Basin, rural agricultural valleys, and the relatively large urban area of Reno/Sparks.

Currently, the population of Carson City is about 58,000.  Outlying areas comprise roughly an additional 30,000 people.  Carson City is nestled against the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada, with the cities of Reno and Sparks approximately 30 miles to the north and Lake Tahoe 13 miles to the west.

In addition to Carson City, our church ministers to people from the communities of Dayton, 7 miles east; Virginia City, 14 miles northeast; Minden/Gardnerville, 15 miles south, Genoa, 15 miles south; and South Lake Tahoe, 25 miles southwest; and Reno/Sparks, 30 miles north.

Throughout the year, many events and celebrations draw our community together, including:  The Kit Carson Rendezvous (Carson City), Nevada Day (statehood admission day, Carson City), Street Vibrations (motorcycle festival, Reno and environs), Civil War Days (Virginia City), Great Reno Hot-Air Balloon Race, Reno Rodeo, Carson City Fair and the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival (Sand Harbor at Lake Tahoe).

Our Membership

Current church membership is about 250 (July 2023).  Church membership six years ago was 308 (December 2017).  The current membership is approximately 40% male and 60% female.  Membership has seen a roughly 20% decline over the last seven-year period.

During 2022, the average attendance for Sunday morning services was 135, with Sunday School youth attendance averaging eight.  Currently we offer one Sunday service at 10:00 am, with a coffee fellowship time following the service.

Attendance at other worship services in 2022 and 2023 was:

• Palm Sunday: 146 and 157
• Easter Sunday service:  203 and 211
• Maundy Thursday service:  70 and 86
• Thanksgiving service:  143
• Christmas Eve service:  172
• Christmas Day: 105

Children’s Ministry and Youth Ministry

Attendance for the children and youth ministries suffered from the COVID pandemic, consequently both programs are currently undergoing redevelopment.

Organizations Within the Church

Committees on Session Board:

*Session members often serve on more than one committee.

Deacons: 15 members

One Clerk of Session

Other Organizations/ Groups/ Activities in the church:

• Pastor-led Bible Study (2 groups with 25 attendees per group)
• Adult Bible Study (approximately 25 weekly attendees)
• Sunday morning prayer group, just before church service
• Weekly “Priority prayer” group – all are invited
• Chancel Choir (25 members)
• Praise Team (6–8-member contemporary worship music ministry)
• Hand Bell Choir – “Grace Notes”
• Junior High Youth Group (currently being re-developed)
• Senior High Youth Group (currently being re-developed)
• Men\\\’s Bible Study and Fellowship Groups (3 groups meet – Wednesday, Thursday and Friday)
• Women’s Weekly Bible Study and Fellowship Groups
• Women’s Monthly Bible Study
• Sunday Coffee Fellowship

Operating Budget

Total Annual Operating Budget for 2022 was $556,683.  The church has no debt.

Most professional and service occupations are represented in our membership, as well as retired persons from almost every walk of life.  As our church is in Nevada’s capital, a large portion of our membership is employed or retired from state government.  All levels of education are represented.

The majority of our members live within a seven-mile radius of the church.  A relatively small percentage of members commute from Dayton, the Carson Valley, Tahoe Basin, Washoe Valley, and Reno/Sparks areas.  Being a neighborhood church, we also have individuals who are able to walk a short distance to church.

The church property occupies a full square block which includes the historic Sanctuary, the new Sanctuary, the Christian Education Building, and the Family Life Center.  Across the street, we own a two-story building which we use for our administrative office at 306 W. Musser Street.  We also own a parking area at the northeast corner of Musser and Nevada streets.  In 2016-2017 we funded $132,000 and completed a covered walkway along the eastside of the Christian Education Building.  This addition includes a covered pavilion topped with a large, nightly-illuminated cross.

The Neighborhood

Built in 1861, our historic sanctuary is the oldest church still in use in Nevada, at least until we moved into our new Sanctuary in 2008.  The church complex is in the historic and beautiful west-side of town.  Located  two blocks from downtown, and within easy walking distance of the State Capitol and State Legislature.

The church ministers to the congregation, and to individuals unable to leave their homes.

Our church facilities are often open to a variety of community efforts.

In our area there are eight Presbyterian congregations (both ECO & PC-USA) including our own: there are three in the Reno and Sparks area, two in the Tahoe Basin, one in Virginia City, and one in the Carson Valley (Minden and Gardnerville).

Most denominations are represented in the Carson City area. The Latter-Day Saints (LDS) membership is significant and very active in our community.  Roughly 70% of the population in Carson City are un-churched.

Along with state government, which is a major employer in the Carson City, many residents are employed in the tourism and gaming/restaurant/hotel industries.  Carson City has the typical makeup of financial, retail and service employers for a city its size.

In the last decade Carson City has seen a major influx of light industrial manufacturing.  Furthermore, Carson City is becoming a retail center for Douglas, Churchill and Lyon Counties, as well as for the Lake Tahoe area.

Our congregation does not closely reflect Carson City’s demographics.  While the greater Carson City area is approximately 80% white, the church is largely Caucasian.  Moreover, it is projected that church members (as a group) enjoy a higher standard of living than many fellow Carson City residents.

In 2022 there were 7,700 students enrolled in Carson City’s public-school system (K-12).  Western Nevada Community College serves around 3,500 students.  The University of Nevada, Reno, offers a full undergraduate curriculum and graduate programs, including medicine and engineering.

Carson City and its environs offer an abundance of civic, cultural, and recreational opportunities.  A few of the area’s museums and arts organizations include: Brewery Arts Center (concerts and theater, Carson City), Nevada State Museum (Carson City), Nevada State Railroad Museum (Carson City), Nevada State Capitol (Carson City), Nevada Museum of Art (Reno), National Automobile Museum (Reno), Terry Lee Wells Nevada Discovery Museum (Reno), Wilbur D. May Museum (Reno), Fleischmann Planetarium (Reno), Carson City Symphony, Reno Chamber Orchestra and Reno Philharmonic Orchestra.

Carson City has a regional medical center and metropolitan Reno has three major medical centers.

Programs

 Over the last 10 years First Presbyterian Church’s Sunday morning worship service has evolved from as many as three services per morning to our current format of a 10:00 AM worship service followed by a coffee fellowship.  Adult Bible Study is offered at 8:45 AM before worship.  There is also a Sunday morning prayer gathering that meets at 9:30 AM, just prior to the worship service. There is no Sunday evening service.

Special services are provided during Christmas (plays, concerts, Christmas Eve service), Maundy Thursday, Palm Sunday, Easter and Thanksgiving.  In the past, the youth of our church have provided us with dramatic presentations in lieu of a traditional sermon.

During the week, there are a variety of activities going on in our church.  On Monday and Tuesday mornings there are women’s Bible studies.  Another women’s Bible study is held monthly on Thursday afternoons.  There are also three men’s morning fellowship/breakfast and Bible study groups that meet weekly (on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings).  Pastor-led Bible studies in the past have met both Wednesday morning and evening.  Until recently the Junior High youth group and Senior High youth group also met weekly.

In the midst of the COVID pandemic, God called us in a new and unanticipated direction, a video production ministry.  Thanks to HIS provision, a dear former member of the congregation and her generous estate gift provided all the funding needed to purchase equipment to plan, film, edit, and fully produce media that was then either live-streamed or uploaded for later viewing on You Tube.  This ministry, named Aunt Betty’s Studio, was crucial during the pandemic to continue to connect Christ’s body here in Carson City and to reach beyond.  The Senior Pastor and staff, with very little or no prior background in media production, and with God’s helping hand have learned and innovated in marvelous ways.  In addition to live-streaming the Sunday worship service and Wednesday Pastor Bible Studies, Aunt Betty’s Studio has developed a number of podcasts: Faye Wheeler’s “The Story Behind the Hymn”; Dan Skinkis’s “I’ve Got a Story to Tell;” Wednesday church announcements via “The Mary and Sherri Show,” and Dan Skinkis and Rob Scanland’s “The Christian Journey- A Look Behind the Curtain.”  In 2021 Aunt Betty’s Studio published 190 videos and had roughly 15,500 views and the FPC YouTube channel had 202 subscribers.  In 2022 Aunt Betty’s Studio additionally produced readings of the Passion story for Holy Week, an Advent video devotional series, and an interview with “Mark Twain” (MacAvoy Lane), who along with his brother Orion Clemens has some history with our beloved church.  Near the end of 2022 FPC’s YouTube channel had 272 subscribers and had 17,964 views of media produced by the studio.  Another wonderful aspect of Aunt Betty’s Studio is how it has been offered to and used by members of our community and other Christian leaders to produce content and to spread the “Good News.”

All of the above-mentioned groups are important to our church\\\’s ministry.  In addition, we have a very active board of Deacons which faithfully serves our church community.  Church members also participate in other programs such as the children’s summer program, women\\\’s retreat, youth camps, and Grace Works – a collaborative effort of several Christian churches and a handful of civic organizations that share Christ’s love by serving the local community. We also hold a number of annual social gatherings for our members and to provide an opportunity to invite others to join us. These include a Chili Feed, Pie Day, a Fourth of July Picnic, an Ice Cream Social and a Thanksgiving Lunch.

For the last five years FPC-Carson City has been one of five Carson City churches that has hosted Night Off the Streets (NOTS).  This is Carson City’s warming shelter which houses those who need a warm place to sleep.  The warming shelter is open November 1^st through March 31^st and is operated by a volunteer staff, which includes many church members.  In 2022/23 we hosted for a total of six weeks and provided 1,125 bed/nights.

FPC is a mission-tithing church.  Currently, 12% of all monies donated to general and loose offering is earmarked for missions.  We currently support ten international missionaries/mission organizations, four national missions, and twelve local missions.  We have been involved with local church camps, such as the Forward Bible Camp in California.  Furthermore, in the last seven years our congregation has participated in several international mission trips focused on dental care and construction work in both the Dominican Republic and Belize.

The Session, our governing body, consists of 12 presiding elders who meet monthly, requiring approximately two hours of the pastor\\\’s time.  Session is divided into nine committees: Administration and Finance (Trustees); Family Ministries; Buildings and Grounds; Fellowship; Membership and Evangelism; Mission; Personnel; Nominating; and Worship and Music.  These committees also typically meet on a monthly basis.  While the pastor\\\’s attendance is not mandatory at these and other meetings, he/she may have related responsibilities which require an additional 10 to 15 hours per month of pastoral time.

We desire a Senior Pastor who passionately loves and serves Jesus Christ.  Our ideal candidate will spiritually nurture and care deeply for his/her flock.  He/she will be an effective communicator and Bible teacher who guides us in the application of Christ’s instruction to our daily lives.  Furthermore, this individual will lead by example and help the church grow in Christ’s love, likeness and unity, as we faithfully seek to carry out His Great Commission.

First Presbyterian Church of Carson City’s five-year vision is as follows:

• We remain blessed to stand on a strong, faithful, Bible-based foundation, serving a mature congregation that is nurturing new, younger believers. We embrace the inter-generational composition of our congregation.
• We have spirit-filled Christian education and youth programs which serve the needs of both adults and youth, and reach out to minister to the un-churched within our community.
• We use all that God has provided and share it with our friends and neighbors here in Carson City, as well as with those in need both physically and spiritually within our nation and around the world.
• To hire a young Associate Pastor whom we love, teach and encourage. This individual serves our local community and builds a hopeful future for our church.

For 2023 the following are the focus for our Christian walk:

• Prayer: Being a congregation committed to intentional, concerted prayer; for growth, church planting, leader training, and mentoring
• Youth Participation: creatively involving our increasing youth population in meaningful mission and ministry – including worship, evangelism, mission and education.
• Composition and creative arts: encouraging and inviting participation of offering gifts in worship of song, word, and artistic expression giving glory to God.
• Increasing mission participation: whether locally through GraceWorks, Night Off the Streets (NOTS), or other hands-on activity, or nationally and internationally through short-term mission trips, acting as a liaison, or committing to prayer for our missionaries.
• Deepening the walk of discipleship for this congregation.