Lead Pastor Onward Christian Church

Onward Christian Church in Onward, Indiana is seeking a Lead Pastor to stand beside, lead the congregation in spiritual growth, and help the church grow and make a difference in the rural community.

Founded in 1866, Onward Christian Church is an independent Christian Church in the Restoration Movement with a weekly attendance of about 50. They are debt-free, deeply rooted in Scripture, and committed to growing the Kingdom of God by obeying the Great Commission and sharing the love of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18–20). They gather every Sunday for blended worship with traditional hymns and contemporary Christian videos, expository preaching, and weekly Communion, which is central to their worship.

The sanctuary and fellowship hall can each seat over 200, and they’ve been faithfully serving their community for 160 years.

Onward Christian Church is known for a generous missions heart. The active Women’s Fellowship supports missionaries, local ministries, and families in need. They host an Annual Chicken Noodle Dinner (a beloved tradition since 1946), maintain a benevolence fund, support college campus Christian houses and overseas missionaries, and partner with The Ark Christian Ministries, a camp founded by one of their own members in 1965.

They are looking for an expository preacher who shares the Restoration Movement convictions, loves small-church ministry, and will walk patiently alongside a faithful congregation ready to grow again. You’ll preach the Word, lead worship, champion missions, and be deeply embedded in their rural Indiana community.

Onward Christian Church holds to biblical authority and historic Christian teaching. They have a formal published statement affirming marriage as between one man and one woman. They take seriously the biblical call to avoid causing a weaker brother to stumble, especially regarding alcohol and cultural issues.