Church/Organization Name Grace Presbyterian Church, Plano

Mailing Address 4300 W. Park Blvd.

Telephone Number___(972) 596-6233________ Fax Number          (972) 985-7536            

www Address            http://www.gracepc.org/

   X 651 - 1000 members

Average Worship Attendance    450 (weekly)  

Church School Attendance      200 (weekly)  

Exploring Faith, Pathway to Grace, Crossroads (Middle School,) Logos (Highschool). Passages, and Adult Curriculums Please refer to our website for detailed descriptions.

Ethnic Composition Of Congregation (in %):

Enter the percentage of each racial ethnic component of your congregation.

   1     African American

   <1   Other

Community Type (select one)

            Rural                             Village                          Town

Church/Organization ID                                       10592                                                              

Church/Organization Name, City, State    Grace Presbyterian Church, Plano, Texas           

Position To Be Filled   (select one)

__            __ Associate Pastor (Christian Education)                __            __ Minister of Music (ordained)

__            __ Associate Pastor (Youth)                                     __            __ Mission Pastor   

__            __ Associate Pastor(Young Adult)                            __            __ Pastor-parish                         

__            __ Campus Minister                                 __            X_ Pastor (Head of Staff)

__            __ Chaplain                                                             __            __ Pastor (New Church Development/Fellowship

__            __ Christian Educator    (non-ordained)                  __            __ Pastor (Redevelopment/Transformation)           

__            __ College/Seminary faculty                                    __            __ Pastor-shared ministry (between a church and

__            __ Executive Pastor                                 __            __ Presbytery/Synod executive

__            __ Interim Associate Pastor                                      __            __ Presbytery/Synod program staff

__            __ Interim Ministry (Governing Body)                      __            __ Presbytery/Synod Stated Clerk

Specify whether experience in the specified position is “Required” or “Desired”.

                X    Full Time                         Part Time                                  Open to Either

     X     4 years or more                          6 years or more                        8 years or more

Language Requirements

Deadline date for this CIF, if any: _______________________________

Brief Church Mission Statement: Please limit your response to no more than 1500 characters including spaces and punctuation.     

Our Mission is to glorify God by seeking, reaching, and teaching of His grace in Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.

·         To celebrate and glorify the good news of Jesus Christ through worship in every area of our lives

·         To welcome diverse cultures

·         Our community, nation, and world through mission service

·         People of all ages with a variety of worship styles

·         For spiritual growth opportunities for all ages

·         To equip people to take the Good News into the world

·         To honor our Reformed beliefs and Presbyterian heritage

Narrative Questions: For each narrative question, please limit your responses to no more than 1500 characters including spaces and punctuation.

Please write a brief description of your church/organization programs or accomplishments.

Grace Presbyterian Church is a 900-plus member congregation in an affluent, well-educated suburban community. It is characterized by strong teaching, excellent music programs for adults and youth, active small groups that serve to unify the membership, mission efforts locally and in other communities, strong lay leadership, and a diversity of worship services. Our contemporary worship service at 8:30 a.m. features a praise band and weekly participation from our 70-plus member youth choir and presentations from the youth handbell choir. The 11 a.m. worship service is more traditional, featuring our adult choir, accompanied by an organ, and our adult handbell choir. The services are separated by the Sunday School hour, featuring classes for infants to seniors. We have active programs targeted to youth, seniors, men, and women. Our mission efforts include participation in Habitat for Humanity; local clothing and food banks; and home construction in Mexico and other countries. The Youth Choir takes an annual, week-long summer mission tour each June to minister in communities around the country, and once as far away as Greece. The congregation completed a capital funds campaign last spring culminating in pledges exceeding $1 million. Half of the proceeds will be used for sanctuary updates and other facility improvements, with the other half to be used for retiring debt. This was accomplished during the leadership of our interim pastor.

Describe what gifts, skills and experiences your congregation possesses to fulfill its mission.

Spiritual and Healing Skills: The Prayer Team, Prayer Chain, the Session, Deacons, and Stephen Ministers have provided strength, especially during our recent transition after the departure of our pastors.

Music Ministry: GPC’s music program is an integral component of our worship experience and includes a Contemporary Praise Band, traditional Children, Youth and Adult choirs, and handbells.

Lay Leadership: A large proportion of our members actively use their God-given skills to serve our church and community.

Community: Our congregation has a strong sense of family and caring for one another both within our church and in our community. GPC also celebrates cultural diversity as evidenced by the nesting congregations of the Iranian Fellowship and the Brazilian New Church Development. 

Small Groups: About 300 members are active in 30 small groups participating in a variety of activities such as bible study, meals, and other fellowship events. Two groups that have recently seen significant growth are the mens’ and senior ministries.

Christian Day School: GPC’s Christian Day School and 36 dedicated staff share Christ’s love with 300 children.

Youth and Adult Programs: The Youth Program provides numerous activities including Bible Study, retreats, mission work, and fellowship. The Adult Programs are committed to continual learning.

What are the key theological issues of our church and society that are reflected in the ministry of your congregation/organization?

Our world is changing at a rapid pace. We are bombarded with information input from sources we had not heard of a few years ago. With that rapid fire bombardment of information comes simple labels that pigeonhole us and serve to divide us. The divisions can be based on politics, race, economic status, denomination, nationality, or any combination of factors. We have the ability to customize and personalize our input to a greater degree than ever. In the midst of all that divides us, the Apostle Paul’s admonition that “there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek…” is as true today as when he said it. The message that God delivered through Jesus is valid for all of us. We believe the tenets of the Apostle’s Creed, and we face the challenge of communicating that God is offering a “big tent” under which all of us, in all of our diversity, can share his grace and love.

These key theological issues present challenges to our local congregation. Our membership has remained at about 1,000 members for the last 10 years. A key challenge is to develop and refine effective evangelism ministries that are sensitive to the needs of our diverse community. Another challenge is achieving the appropriate balance between traditional and contemporary worship programs that will attract visitors and new members from a community already containing several large, progressive, mega-churches. We struggle to communicate a relevant Gospel to an ever-changing society.

References (Limit 3)

Below, please list three persons who know your congregation. You might list your Executive Presbyter, a Committee on Ministry Liaison person, a neighboring pastor, or other persons whom you believe can give a clear and accurate reference for your congregation.

Position Description: For each section please limit your response to no more than 1500 characters including spaces and punctuation.

The major responsibilities of our new pastor are:

• Deliver inspirational sermons that challenge the congregation to grow spiritually
• Function as head of staff, providing leadership, mentoring, and growth opportunities
• Lead two Sunday services supporting and enhancing both traditional and contemporary worship service formats
• Lead the church in developing and implementing programs for membership growth
• Encourage and develop leaders within our church
• Develop and communicate short-term and long-term visions of the church
• Support and encourage unity in our congregation
• Appropriately delegate responsibilities and duties to church staff and lay leadership
• Provide pastoral care
• Support stewardship programs with enthusiasm

Grace Presbyterian Church is seeking a motivated, personable individual who is ready to embrace the needs of our intergenerational congregation. We are looking for someone who is compassionate and genuine, who embraces worship and fellowship with the brothers and sisters of Grace. This person should be ready to face the challenges of attracting and retaining families, young and old, while ministering in the vicinity of “mega-churches.” We seek someone who holds in front of us the vision of Christ and helps us remember and emphasize the commonality that unites us. We are also looking for a pastor committed to leading us to growth of the congregation. Our pastor should be a leader, recruiting and mentoring the staff, empowering the talented laypeople that facilitate our programs and studies, supporting our vibrant youth, community, music and mission activities, and inspiring the congregation as a whole.

Primary Skill Choices: Select up to 10 skills from the list below. At least 1 skill, but not more than 4, must be marked as "Required". In addition, at least 1 skill must be marked as "Desired".

Compensation and Housing. A range is needed for matching purposes. The maximum salary is not published anywhere. (Effective salary is compensation plus housing.)

                                        X    Housing Allowance          

           Not Applicable (For Diversified Positions Only)

Geographic Choices.

Equal Employment Opportunity

"...Care must be taken(by the Pastor Nominating Committee) to consider candidates without regard to race, ethnic origin, sex, marital status, age, or disabilities." (G-14.0502b)

FORMS OF GOVERNMENT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (U.S.A.) See Also: Form of Government (G-10.0102n) (G-11.0502d, G-13.0201b)

Every Presbytery Committee on Ministry is to inform each Pastor Nominating Committee of its constitutional obligations and how it might assure fairness in the calling process.

Has the presbytery's Committee on Ministry thus counseled with the Pastor Nominating Committee regarding Equal Employment Opportunity?

Each Pastor Nominating Committee is expected to undertake its search for a minister in a manner consistent with the good news that in the Church "...as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

                            X     Yes

Pastor Nominating Committee/Search Committee Chairperson Detail: