Kiron, Iowa
The First Baptist Church of Kiron, IA is looking for a Senior Pastor.
In 1868, Swedish immigrants came to our corner of the world, seeking a better life and religious freedom. Since that time the love of the land and the love of the Lord have been intricately woven into the heart of who we are at First Baptist Church of Kiron. Grasping this is implicit in understanding who we are, and what we are about. While at first glance our church profile may cause you to pause because of the rural setting, we are seeking a man of God who will embrace us for that very reason. Our location tells a story about who we are as a body of believers. The dominance of agriculture in our church culture reflects tenacious, hard-working people who believe God for his provision. As a church family this faith in God’s provision has carried over. We are seeking a pastor who wants to be part of our family and trust God with us. Yet, we see this shrinking globe and know that our outreach is worldwide as well.
That is what we want you to know about us! One hundred fifty-three years later we are excited for our future. We support six “homegrown” missionaries that share the gospel in Japan, Dominican Republic, Spain, Haiti, South Africa, and at OM headquarters in Georgia. We also help support four Converge missionaries plus others. Locally, we have a thriving high school ministry, drawing from a radius of 35 miles. After COVID, we are excited to reignite our children’s ministry this fall and anticipate great things. These ministries affect over one hundred young people and these numbers are not reflected in our Sunday morning attendance numbers. We have recently built a new 14,000 square foot youth center which houses a gymnasium, kitchen, high school teaching/game area, and an upstairs with one very large meeting room designated for middle schoolers, and four other classrooms. We also care about sending kids to Pine Lake Camp and offer half scholarships to all campers for either summer camp or winter retreats.
A large portion of our church has taken the Strength finders assessment. Belief is a dominant characteristic in our congregation. (We realize this has its pros and cons.) We are seeking a pastor who shares our belief that the Word of God is true, alive, and active. It has power through the Spirit to guide, direct, and speak life into any situation. We value our quiet time with God and recognize His voice as He speaks. We are looking for a man who shares this belief. A man who is faithful to spend time in the Word, who seeks to hear the voice of God, and believes there is victory in our walk with Christ and the Spirit. Our future pastor must have a passion for the Word and a hunger to follow Christ in his daily walk.
Finally, our church is a family and life is a celebration! We want to live it in ministry to the fullest, and so laughter and fun intertwine in most of our tasks, we enjoy serving together and spending time with one another. We may argue together, but we forgive together. We know each other’s strengths and weaknesses and still love each other like brothers and sisters. We pray for each other and know God hears and answers those prayers. We look forward to a pastor who wants to become a part of our family. Our longing is for someone who gets into everyday life with us, wants to know us and be a part of our lives in a substantial and distinctive way. One who is willing to celebrate the accomplishments, hurts during our pain, and desires to find his place at the table. Life is a journey and we are imperfect people. We know our pastor will be imperfect and trust he knows we will be too. God uses us with our imperfections. It is His grace and love that will draw people to Himself. The relationships here are our greatest strength second only to the relationship which is of most importance, our relationship with the Trinity.