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Senior Pastor - St. John's Methodist Church

Independent Methodist

WEEKLY ATTENDANCE: 600

Meet St. John's Methodist Church

St. John’s Methodist Church is known for honoring the past while being poised for the future. We were founded in 1856 as a mission church to a new community and that attitude of welcoming change is still with us. When the Department of Energy chose Aiken as the location of the Savannah River National Laboratory back during the Cold War, St. John’s decided to tear down its historic sanctuary and build a bigger one to house the influx of thousands of newcomers. That says a lot! We have been adding on ever since. We have three Sunday morning services, with two that are traditional, and we have a state-of-the-art building for a large contemporary service with an excellent praise band. St. John’s has adapted to the needs of the community and congregation with vision and enthusiasm throughout its history. Our facilities are excellent and debt-free which frees up abundant resources for ministry!

The church occupies a whole city block in downtown Aiken, South Carolina, a city that has been voted by Southern Living magazine as one of “The Top Ten Small Towns in the South.” The public has voted St. John’s, three out of the last 4 years, as “Aiken’s Best Place to Worship.” With 2,300 members, we’re known as “The Smallest Big Church in America” through the warmth and friendliness of the congregation. We are the place that community groups use for their many programs. We welcome people through our Recovery Programs, multiple indoor pickleball courts, use of our gym for AAU Basketball, practices for the annual Aiken Heart Board Show which have been held for 40 years running, and two Lions Clubs plus two D.A.R. chapters meet here. We host Red Cross Drives, and the Community July Fourth Extravaganza at which we offer a picnic for the city! We are the go-to place for All-County Chorus presentations as well as high school and community concerts featuring the Julliard School, The University of South Carolina Chorus and Symphony, and our Chancel Choir has just received an auditioned invitation to perform at Carnegie Hall in January 2026 in tribute to Sir Karl Jenkins and his Stabat Mater.

St. John’s is a vibrant church. We are a creedal orthodox Arminian church that believes that the “method” in Methodism is a personal relationship with Jesus that works itself out in mutual love and accountability. Our proclamation and teaching reflect a practical application of the Wesleyan emphasis on sanctifying grace as our most distinctive doctrine; i.e., “We don’t believe God saved us through Jesus to leave us the way He found us but to transform us and the world.” We live into this orthodox faith as an independent Methodist congregation. St. John’s voted in 2024 to separate from the UMC by a vote of 88% to 12% and have been thriving.

We are hugely missional. St. John’s has many mission-partners around the world and dozens locally. Between our Methodist Men and their wheelchair-ramp ministry and the Methodist Women’s Apple Fest plus our Mission Impact Celebration we give close to $500,000 above and beyond our budget to missions! We also host Grace Kitchen every Saturday to minister to our homeless population. We also host and manage a large teen summer program for rehabbing homes that draws people state-wide. We are like a church mall with a few anchor stores and numerous boutiques. Anchors would be Worship, Missions, Music and Discipleship Ministries. Ancillary boutiques would be Sunday School, Discipleship Groups (D-Groups), Children, Youth, Young Adults, Senior Adults, Stephen Ministry, Shepherd of Love visitation ministry, Methodist Women, Methodist Men, Prayer Shawl Ministry, Kairos Prison Ministry, Joseph’s Coat Ministry, Guy’s Night Out, GriefShare, Dementia Support, Youth Band, Handbells, Youth and Children’s Choirs, Sunday Morning Bus Ministry, as well as numerous Bible Studies. Between anchor store and boutique is a superb pre-school that ministers to 138 students, six weeks to Kindergarten. We want you to help us grow and expand all our ministries!

About the Senior Pastor

St John’s Methodist Church of Aiken is seeking a dedicated and spiritually mature Senior Pastor to shepherd our congregation in spiritual growth, biblical teaching, worship, and community outreach. The ideal candidate will be a dynamic preacher, compassionate shepherd, and effective administrator who can steward well the deep history and Wesleyan heritage of this congregation and, in light of that, cast vision and lead into its future. The Senior Pastor will be responsible for providing visionary leadership, pastoral care, and administrative oversight, ensuring that the church fulfills its mission and vision.

The Position's responsibilities include:

The Senior Pastor will have the responsibilities of the fourfold ministry of Word, Sacrament, Order, and Service, and serves within the context of St. John’s Methodist Church and the community of Aiken as the world is their parish. This person will preach and teach the Word, provide pastoral care and counsel, administer the sacraments, and order the life of the church for service in mission and ministry.

Fourfold Ministry of the Senior Pastor (as stated in the St. John’s Methodist Book of Discipline):

• Word and ecclesial acts:
• To preach the Word of God, lead in worship, read and teach the Scriptures, and engage the people in study and witness.
• To ensure faithful transmission of the Christian faith.
• To lead people in discipleship and evangelistic outreach that others might come to know Christ and to follow him.
• To counsel persons with personal, ethical, or spiritual struggles.
• To perform the ecclesial acts of marriage and burial.\
• To perform the marriage ceremony after due counsel with the parties involved and in accordance with the rules of St. John’s Methodist Church that no same-sex marriage services or the like will be held on our property, nor officiated on or off our property by any of our pastors. The decision to perform a proper ceremony shall be the right and responsibility of the pastor.
• To conduct funeral and memorial services and provide care and grief counseling.
• To visit in the homes of the church and the community, especially among the sick, aged, imprisoned, and others in need.
• To maintain all confidences inviolate, including confessional confidences except in the cases of suspected child abuse or neglect, or in cases where mandatory reporting is required by civil law.
• Sacrament:
• To administer the sacraments of baptism and the Supper of the Lord according to Christ’s ordinance.
• To prepare the parents and sponsors before baptizing infants or children, and instruct them concerning the significance of baptism and their responsibilities for the Christian training of the baptized child.
• To encourage reaffirmation of the baptismal covenant and renewal of baptismal vows at different stages of life.
• To encourage people baptized in infancy or early childhood to make their profession of faith, after instruction, so that they might become professing members of the church.
• To explain the meaning of the Lord’s Supper and to encourage regular participation as a means of grace to grow in faith and holiness.
• To select and train deacons and lay members to serve the consecrated communion elements.
• To encourage the private and congregational use of the other means of grace. 
• Order:
• To be the executive and administrative officer of the local church and to assure that the organizational concerns of the congregation are adequately provided for.
• To give pastoral support, guidance, and training to the lay leadership, equipping them to fulfill the ministry to which they are called.
• To give oversight to the educational program of the church and encourage the use of approved Church literature and media.
• To be responsible for organizational faithfulness, goal setting, planning and evaluation.
• To search out and counsel men and women for the ministry and other church related ministries.
• To administer the temporal affairs of the church.
• To administer the provisions of the Book of Discipline.
• To give an account of their pastoral ministries to the charge conference.
• To provide leadership for the funding ministry of the congregation. To ensure membership care including compliance with charitable giving documentation requirements and to provide appropriate pastoral care, the pastor, in cooperation with the financial secretary, shall have access to and responsibility for professional stewardship of congregational giving records.
• To model and promote faithful financial stewardship and to encourage giving as a spiritual discipline by teaching the biblical principles of giving.
• To lead the congregation in the fulfillment of its mission through full and faithful payment of all apportioned ministerial support, administrative, and benevolent funds.
• To care for all church records and local church financial obligations, and certify the accuracy of all financial, membership, and any other reports submitted to the Charge Conference or Church Council.
• To participate in educational programs, training opportunities and seek out opportunities for cooperative ministries with other Methodist pastors and churches.
• To lead the congregation in racial and ethnic inclusiveness.
• Service:
• To embody the teachings of Jesus in servant ministries and servant leadership.
• To give diligent pastoral leadership in ordering the life of the congregation for discipleship in the world. 
• To build the body of Christ as a caring and giving community, extending the ministry of Christ to the world.
• To participate in community, ecumenical, and interreligious concerns and to encourage the people to become so involved and to pray and labor for the unity of the Christian community.
• Additional Responsibilities:
• Nurture personal spirituality through prayer, Bible Study, accountability of other believers, personal retreat, and worship.
• Continue learning and growing in the Christian faith and take advantage of opportunities to enhance the ministries at St John’s.
• Lead staff meetings and ensure consistent communication and vision for the staff and key leaders.
• Cultivate and maintain a positive culture and team spirit among the St. John’s staff by modeling the core values of the church, and coach/mentor staff, developing them as leaders.
• Build and maintain strong relationships within the congregation, ensuring individuals feel known and cared for through personal contact and follow-up with visitors.
• Uphold and promote the Wesleyan tradition, ensuring the church remains strongly Methodist in its doctrine and practices.

What you bring

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

Education and Experience

• Undergrad required
• Master's degree in Divinity or Theology required
• 7-10 Years or more of Ministry Experience
• Previous experience in a similar role preferred
• Preferable Ordination in a denomination in the Methodist tradition

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong and effective preaching and communication skills.
• Proven leadership and administrative skills among staff, volunteers, and congregation, including team building, delegation, and strategic planning.
• Ability to envision and implement strategies for church growth and community engagement.
• Passion for working with all ages.
• Ability to exercise strong discernment and wisdom in decision-making.
• Strong organizational skills.
• Proficient in planning and coordination.
• Active listening and discerning abilities to understand and address church needs and challenges.
• Ability to work with and develop key leaders in the church, both paid staff and volunteers.
• Excellent teamwork and collaboration skills.
• Ability to maintain a high level of integrity and professionalism in all aspects of ministry.

What it's like to live in Aiken, SC

Living in Aiken, SC, offers a warm and welcoming community, particularly for those who value faith and church life. With a number of historic churches, both large and small, Aiken provides a variety of opportunities for worship, fellowship, and service. The local churches play a central role in the community, hosting regular services, seasonal events, and outreach programs that bring people together. The peaceful, small-town atmosphere, paired with a strong sense of tradition and spirituality, makes Aiken a nurturing environment for families seeking a faith-centered lifestyle.