Pastor

Pastoral opening at Waldensian Presbyterian Church of Monett, Missouri.

We, the congregation of the Waldensian Presbyterian Church find ourselves in the position now of searching for the next pastor / shepherd to serve the Lord by ministering to our congregation. Below, please find a few things that have made the Waldensian Presbyterian Church a beacon of God’s light shining in this small southwest Missouri community.

• We are prayerfully seeking our next pastor/shepherd to serve the Lord by ministering to our congregation, pending the scheduled retirement in May 2026, of our present pastor of 7 1/2 years.
• We are a small congregation in a town with a population of just under ten thousand.
• We have a very unique history which pre-dates the Protestant Reformation. We are one of two Waldensian Churches in the United States who trace our roots back to the late 1100s and the Waldensian movement which eventually merged with Reformed churches in the 1600s.
• We recently (June 2025) celebrated the 150th year of our congregation’s ministry in Monett. Historically, Waldensians have been valuable, contributing members of the Monett community, with the first elected Monett mayor coming from the original congregation.
• We have seen steady, significant growth in our membership & worship attendance over the last five years. Our current membership is 48, with an average worship between 45-50.
• We feel as though we have the resources necessary for growth beyond just numerical. The church, cemetery, and manse are situated on forty acres originally gifted by the railroad to the initial settlers. Thanks to the extreme generosity of the members through the years, the church operates debt-free and has a sizable surplus to carry on God’s work.
• Our worship is more traditional in order and style.
• We have a growing mission focus. We hold an annual missions conference with a keynote speaker from internationally known organizations and have steadily increased our missions, giving to over 12% of our overall church income.
• Our sense of community is healthy and inviting. We have a church breakfast the first Saturday of each month, and a fellowship lunch following worship the third Sunday of each month. Most people do not exit quickly after worship each Sunday, but remain for some time, visiting.
• We are growing in our benevolent ministry focus in Monett and the area.
• We are currently in the early stages of developing a five-year vision for our congregation.

We are prayerfully seeking a candidate who:

• Is a caring shepherd with a solid understanding of Holy Scripture and a firm belief in the infallibility of God’s word.
• Is an effective teacher, able to lead our congregation in both our spiritual development and our mission to be and to develop faithful disciples.
• Wishes to take an active role in the life of our church family.
• Is a forward-looking leader who has a vision for our small, traditional congregation as we consider our future and our call to evangelism.
• Is willing to engage in our ECO presbytery’s activities.
• Is able to appreciate our church’s historical significance while realizing the importance of looking forward to our future mission.
• Is ordained by a reformed denomination and a member of ECO or willing to seek ordination in ECO.
• Holds at least a Master of Divinity degree is preferred.
• Has pastoral experience and demonstrated success in congregational leadership. However, we are open to the leading of the Holy Spirit to partner with applicants seeking their first ordained call.

We also are seeking a candidate who shows significant skills in:

• Congregational Fellowship
• Teaching
• Spiritual development
• Pastoral care
• Preaching
• Corporate worship and the sacraments
• Evangelism
• Family ministry