Position: Pastor

We are seeking a full-time Pastor and Leader who is grounded in the Word of God and who will inspire our congregation to grow in devotion to God. We are a congregation of wonderful, talented, friendly, spirit-filled yet imperfect people who come together to worship our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as a family of faithful Christians. We are St Paul Lutheran Church on Kodiak Island, Alaska.

We organized and started our church in 1969. We took the name St Paul because that is the name of our fishing harbor and we, like our harbor, wanted to be a refuge for people. We were able to build our church building in the late 1970s. Over the years since that time, in addition to ministering and serving the needs of our congregation, our mission has been to share the love of Christ with others.

Our mission projects have included providing a Christian-based preschool to the families in our community for over 35 years, sponsoring 2 refugee families to relocate and get established on the island, assisting seminary students with scholarship money, helping to provide heat and food to people in need in our community and state, supporting faith based organizations in our community, state, nation, and internationally with money for programs where ever the need was greatest.

Kodiak Island is a beautiful island in the Gulf of Alaska. On a beautiful summer day, our island almost looks tropical. It can be a paradise for someone who loves the outdoors… hiking, fishing, hunting. Because it is an island, it is somewhat isolated. You must take an airplane or a boat to come or go from Kodiak. While Kodiak is the second largest island in the United States, there are less then 100 miles of road on the island.

There are between 12,000 and 13,000 people living on Kodiak, the majority of whom live in or around the city of Kodiak. We have the largest Coast Guard base in the nation and the smallest Walmart. Our major industries are our Coast Guard base and fishing and hunting. We have many resources and services on the island, although it is probably not the best home for someone with significant health concerns.

Our days are long in the summer months and short in the winter months. Our weather conditions are often harsh - combining moisture, cold temperatures, and high winds. While our average temperatures are not as cold as other parts of Alaska, our cold is a damp, biting, cold in the winter. With these things combined, people tend to absolutely love it here or they hate it.

Like many churches, we face challenges. Our pastor had to resign for health reasons in July and we are feeling this loss.

We are currently unable to worship in our church sanctuary. We are holding our services in our fellowship hall and feel blessed that we are able to do this. The roof of our church has suffered catastrophic failure and needs nearly total reconstruction (sheetrock, rafters, insulation, vapor barrier, sheeting, and shingles). With the costs of shipping and construction on a remote island, the estimates to complete this work are in excess of $500,000.

Because a repair of this size seemed devastating to a church our size, we reached out to our sisters and brothers in the LCMC community for help. In addition to the funds given by our church family and friends, we have been blessed by many of our LCMC family with gifts and prayers to help us rebuild. We are in our second year of this reconstruction project.

While we still have a long way to go, we are very excited with the progress that we have made. We are a dedicated and resilient congregation who step up together to help each other through these challenges with true Alaskan spirit.

The Pastor will perform the usual pastoral duties and responsibilities of St Paul Lutheran Church including but not limited to the following:

• Regularly pray for the congregation and its ministry.
• Direct the ordering of all worship services of the church based on the liturgical calendar including sermon preparation and Sunday worship.
• Participate in the regularly scheduled weekly Sunday worship service, except when on vacation or authorized leave.
• Direct the performance of the sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion, the rite of Holy Matrimony, the rite of Funeral or Memorial Service, the rite of attaining membership, the rite of Laying on of Hands, and the rite of Blessing.
• Direct the spiritual education of the church including:
  • participating and coordinating discipleship programs
  • playing a role in teaching confirmation classes
  • leading or supporting Bible studies
• Organize and supervise a pastoral care program to see to the pastoral needs of the congregation including but not limited to hospital, jail, and home visitations.
• Serve as the personnel director of all paid and volunteer staff.
• Serve as the advisor to the St Paul Lutheran Church Council.
• Serve in accordance with the basic Pastoral Code of Conduct.

We are seeking an individual who is…