Evangelical Free Church

WEEKLY ATTENDANCE: 900

Meet Calvary Church

Calvary Church began in 1962 with a group of folks meeting in a home with the desire of starting a church in the St. Charles area. Moving into their first building a few years later, the church continued to grow, reaching new people for Christ.

In the late 80s, Calvary joined the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA) denomination. Soon after, Calvary began construction on a new piece of property and moved into the current 42-acre facility and grounds complete with ball fields, indoor playground, gymnasium, and worship center. Calvary has also launched two other campuses that are now healthy, growing independent churches.

Oil changes for the underserved, food pantries for those in need, community targeted VBS, church fellowships, and more are the historic cultural fabric of Calvary’s ministries. Through the years, Calvary has grown through thriving small group ministry, vibrant contemporary worship, an emphasis on missions that reached around the globe, strategic outreach events that attracted many young families, a dynamic children’s and youth ministry, and other community ministries.

In 2022, Calvary entered an intentional interim season during which church leaders have re-visioned and re-structured for a new season of ministry. Focus has been shifted to gospel-centered vision, governance, ministry, and relationships. Christ has thoroughly blessed those steps with excitement, passion, and grace. The congregation and leaders confidently look to the future under Christ’s guidance and passion. Calvary is truly a place where, as the motto suggests, Jesus Matters Most!

About the Lead Pastor

Calvary’s next Lead Pastor will inspire and guide the vision, broader culture, and overall ministry of the church in a way that is aligned with the Scriptures, values, statements of belief, and culture of the church, in conjunction with a strong team approach to leadership. 

The Lead Pastor will accomplish this purpose through five major responsibilities: Committing to prayer, the preaching and teaching of the Word, visionary leadership, pastoral shepherding of other leaders and congregants, and missional engagement. 

The Lead Pastor‘s responsibilities include:

Commit to Prayer

• Personally practice and guide the congregation into a vibrant prayer life.
• Closely work with Elders, Pastors and lay leaders to effectively develop prayer ministry.
• Prayerfully inspire vision, overall direction, and values in a broad range of settings.
• Prayerfully lead the development of strategies that will fulfill God’s comprehensive calling for Calvary in collaboration with Elders, Staff and Congregation.

Preaching and Worship

• Prayerfully and discerningly craft worship services, including the sacraments, in conjunction with the Worship Director and Teaching Team.
• Provide strong expository, Christ-centered pulpit ministry so that gospel-oriented, biblical truth is taught and applied to transform lives.
• Lead and supervise the rotation of preachers so that the congregation experiences a broader team of preachers and special speakers.

Visionary Leadership

• Champion the Calvary Church Transformational Profile and model the purity and unity of Christ.
• Work collaboratively with elders and staff to define and inspire vision, overall direction, and values across church and community settings.
• Engage with church leaders and staff in the process of planning strategic directions for the church.
• Lead and supervise the Staff Executive Team to function collaboratively and model healthy interactions.
• Assume the final responsibility for the leadership of the whole staff and all outcomes – including development, training, goal setting, and relationships.
• Be actively involved in the recruitment, retention, and review of all staff in conjunction with the Staff Executive Team and Personnel Team.
• Maintain healthy, working relationships in a team environment with elders, staff, and the congregation, promoting the unity of the church and respecting other members’ giftedness and unique abilities.

Pastoral Shepherding

• Define, direct, and monitor the monthly shepherding of the congregation by the elders, pastors, and other shepherding leaders.
• Create and pursue a specific plan of discipleship for elders and staff so that they are well- suited and equipped for the responsibilities of their positions.
• Oversee the implementation of church discipline with grace, wisdom, and biblical integrity in conjunction with elders and pastors.

Missional Engagement

• Be a model of evangelistic and missional witness to the congregation, thereby increasing the witness for Christ in the greater St. Charles County, community, and world.
• Encourage and work with other local church pastors to build the unity and witness of Christ in the surrounding community.
• Maintain relations with EFCA bodies on issues of common interests.

Additional Duties

• Work with the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Elder Board to create monthly agendas for the Board and the annual training of potential board member candidates.
• Assume the final responsibility for the regular monthly ministry report from the Staff Executive Team to the Elder Board.
• Other duties as assigned.

What you bring

The following describes many of the characteristics of the ideal candidate for the Lead Pastor:

Education and Experience

• Meets biblical qualifications of an elder along with specific values of the church.
• Master Degree or higher from an accredited evangelical seminary preferred.
• Acceptance of biblical theology as outlined by the EFCA.
• At least 5 years of proven successful leadership in a pastoral position of a large growing church with multiple staff.

Personal Characteristics and Qualifications

• Strong devotional life.
• Champions the vision of Calvary Church without hesitation.
• Highly effective communicator as affirmed by multiple generations and people.
• Impassioned for healthy leadership and relations; prefers to work with other leaders who have a strong sense of direction and purpose.
• Proven ability to work effectively with different teams within the church. 
• Healthy commitment to strong conflict resolution skills; able to take criticism that may not always be warranted while pursuing peace with all. 
• Demonstrates humility and grace, with a willingness to accept responsibility for own failures and failures of the staff that may not be of his own making.
• Serves as an example of a loyal friend and family member, who can properly balance the obligations of professional and private life.
• Demonstrates Christian unity with other church leaders from different ethnicities and backgrounds for the furtherance of the Kingdom.

What it’s like to live in St. Peters, MO

Calvary Church is in St Peters, Missouri, a safe, family-oriented, and thriving community. The area has been named one of the top 100 Best Places to Live in America by Money Magazine and is easily accessed from the St. Louis International Airport. Located in St. Charles County, Calvary is 30 minutes west of St Louis and its vast recreational activities. 

The Francis Howell and Fort Zumwalt school districts, which serve the greater St. Peters area, are ranked 13th and 44th out of 451 in the state of Missouri. Additionally, Christian schools and other private schools are a short drive from the church offices. St. Charles Community College, Lindenwood University, Washington University, St. Louis University, Concordia Seminary, and Covenant Seminary are in close proximity.

What are you hungry for? There’s a great meal around every corner. Our area enjoys a variety of restaurants, especially award winning barbeque, Italian, German, great bakeries, and multiple wineries. 

St. Louis is home to many free attractions including the zoo, science center, art museum, and Forest Park, home to the 1904 World’s Fair. There’s a thriving arts community, library system, and history in our area, including Historic Main Street and French Town in St Charles. You can satisfy your love for art, history museums, and abundant shopping.

The two counties are a vibrant destination for music lovers. Whether you’re in the mood for jazz, blues, or rock, you’re sure to find something to suit your taste at The Factory, Hollywood Amphitheatre, Enterprise Center, or local spots. St. Charles County and St Louis host a colorful spectrum of festivals, concerts, and special events throughout the year. One of the more historic music-theater experiences is The Muny, the largest outdoor musical theater in North America.

You can’t get away from St Charles and St Louis without recognizing recreational opportunities. There’s easy access to professional, college, and local sports, such as the St Louis Cardinals, St Louis Blues, University of Missouri, Lindenwood University, and the world-class St Peters Rec-Plex. A slew of terrific hiking, biking, and equestrian trails run through many local parks throughout our community, connecting St Charles with St. Louis County, and on into historic Missouri hill country. Ranging from short and easy trails in our smaller parks to longer state trails, such as the renowned Katy Trail, we have something exciting for every hiker, angler, hunter, cyclist, and kayaker at any level of experience.

St Peters is a great place to live, work, and play.