Senior Pastor at Castlewood Alliance Church

• Qualifications
  • The pastor must have a genuine conviction that he has been called by God; and be Spirit-filled and Spirit-guided. He should possess the following characteristics; be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, and sincere, studious, sympathetic.
  • Should possess adequate education acceptable by Alliance standards. Must be licensed and ordained or studying for ordination for the C&MA.
• Overall Purpose of This Position
  • To have oversight of the church in conjunction with the elders, governing board, and ministry leaders. To lead spiritual development of the congregation and to foster its commitment to Jesus Christ as described in the Word of God; to guide and participate in methods to increase membership; and to guide and support religious, social and administrative activities of the church.
• Areas of Responsibility
  • Preaching and teaching
    • Preach at regular worship services, and conduct special services as needed. (i.e. funerals, weddings, baptisms, Easter, Christmas, etc.)
    • Have a vital relationship to the youth, acting in conjunction with the youth ministry leaders.
    • Promote or conduct membership awareness classes.
    • Have general oversight of the entire Sunday School program alongside the Christian Education Director, including leadership training and the directing of evangelism - serve as a resource to Sunday School as needed.
    • Act as a resource for standing and special committees of the church; lead committee meetings as appropriate (of which he is a member ex-officio).
  • Visitation and Counseling
    • Provide pastoral care in conjunction with the elders to members and adherents of this church through regular visitation and other special needs, i.e. communion to shut-ins, plan and carry out regular scheduled visitation to ensure coverage of attending and non-attending members; be available for and provide counseling to those needing help.
    • Participate in planning visits with prospective members; and visit these families to acquaint with the church.
    • Conduct pre-marital counseling for those wishing to be married.
  • Other Duties
    • Oversee the nominating Committee for church officers and Sunday School
    • Participate as appropriate in such church-related activities as fellowship dinners, Alliance Men's breakfast, etc.
    • Participate as appropriate in community and professional activities as means of representing the church to the community.
    • Participate in committees, camps, etc as requested by the Alliance.
    • Supervise and direct administrative functions such as those relating to the use and maintenance of the building and property as delegated to the church trustees; publishing church bulletin, correspondence, files, inventories, etc., as assigned to the church secretary.
    • Serve as chairman of Governing Board.
    • Participate in General Council and Annual Prayer Conference.
  • Self-development
    • Being sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading, set goals for self-development; and engage in study, seminars, and other activities designed to assist in meeting these goals.
    • Use allotted vacation time.
    • Be transparent with elders and church leaders, and use qualified elders to assist in administrative and ministry duties as needed.

“See, I am doing a new thing. . . do you not perceive it?” Isaiah 43:19

We believe God has good things in store for Castlewood Alliance! Our vision for the future begins with Him, and His plans for His church. We seek His guidance and pray for His will at Castlewood. It is our heart’s desire to glorify Him in everything we do. We want to continue preaching and teaching the Word of God, because we believe it is the ultimate authority and that it is absolute truth. Through spreading the gospel by the sharing of the Word, we want to see the church continue to grow both spiritually and in number, and welcome more new families into our body of believers.

Our youth ministries are at the heart of Castlewood. We desire to see children come to Jesus at the earliest age they are able to understand their need of Him as their Savior. We love our children and teens, and want to see the youth grow more engaged through our AWANA program and Christ-centered activities, equipping them to stand for Christ in today’s world. We also want to see the parents of the children get plugged in, giving us a better connection with them, so that we can minister to each one and begin to disciple them. A possibility might be to offer discipleship classes for the parents while their children are at AWANA meetings, or having counseling available for those who would be interested in talking with someone.

As our numbers grow, we would like to expand and build onto the church. If the Lord wills, in the future we have plans to build a gymnasium/all-purpose facility that could allow more space and opportunities for ministry, especially considering the growing number of youth that we have in the church. The building could be used for AWANA games, Vacation Bible School, athletic and fitness programs, community outreach programs, youth events, concerts, holiday gatherings, and so many other possibilities. Our hope is to allow more room in the future for other areas that we are quickly outgrowing as well, such as the nursery and the current fellowship hall.

We believe in the power of prayer. “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16) We want our human desires to align with God’s will, relying on His active power rather than on our human strength. For this reason, we would like to see Wednesday prayer meetings revived (or restructured) and our prayer chain revamped, to allow for more of our church family to be actively involved in prayer.

We would like to offer more discipleship opportunities outside of the church. One way we may do this would be to encourage mentoring through our men’s and women’s ministries. (Titus 2) We want to live life together in and out of the church building, leading by example in our day to day activities.

We want to connect with those in the community through service projects and ministries. Through more connection, we hope to see more diversity in those who join our congregation, opening our doors to new believers from different ethnicities and backgrounds, and providing an increasingly vibrant reflection of the true body of Christ.

We want to make a positive impact on the community around us, sharing the love of Christ, and spreading the four fold gospel message of Jesus as our Savior, Sanctifier, Healer, and Coming King!

We are a small part of Christ’s bride who seek to know Him more, love Him more, and make Him known. We seek to make much of Christ, His word and His gospel in all we do. We believe this is the only means to save and transform souls.

We seek to love one another fervently and to out-do one another in showing honor. We desire unity in the Spirit under the authority of Scripture. We desire to submit to one another in love as we submit to Christ.

We believe the Holy Spirit uses the ordinary means of grace to nourish, strengthen and reveal all the benefits won by Christ to the saints. Therefore, our gatherings revolve around the ministry of the Word; faithful reading, preaching, prayer, and the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s supper. We gather to worship Christ and serve Him in obedience.

We are committed to the great commission to make disciples of Christ and see all walking in a manner worthy of the calling to which we were called. We want to equip the saints for the work of ministry and build up the body of Christ into maturity and into the fullness of Christ.

We are committed to drawing out the spiritual gifts in every saint and creating an environment where they can use their gifts for the edification and encouragement of the whole body. We will love, serve, evangelize and bless our community and those we encounter.

We believe that this is all accomplished by the faithful proclamation of the Word, as the Spirit is pleased to move in and through us. Above all, let everything we do be done for the glory of God alone!

Some have been given the ministry gift of administration with unique abilities to lead others, as one who “leads, with diligence”. (Romans 12:8) We believe Christian leadership should be exercised by those who are “full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom” (Acts 6:3), who also reflect the qualities required for deacon or elder leadership. Those who have the spiritual gift of leadership will plan for the future and will do so as servant leaders.

At Castlewood, Jesus Christ is our Great Shepherd, and the pastor is the caregiver and protector of the flock. He is the “under shepherd” of the Great Shepherd Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 5:1-4) It is his charge and responsibility through the calling of the Holy Spirit upon him, to teach, edify and equip God’s children. We respect the pastor’s headship over all the workings and ministries of the church. His leadership is supported by the elders and the governing board, along with all the individual ministry officers of the church.

We have an elder board consisting of four elders. They support the pastor and our church through the following: meeting for prayer with the pastor before Sunday morning services, leading mid-week prayer meetings, bible studies and Sunday School classes, visiting or calling members of our congregation when in the hospital or shut in at home, serving communion alongside the pastor during worship services, anointing and praying for those in need of healing, helping with baptismal services, serving on the church governing board, handling the distribution of benevolence funds in confidentiality, attending elder board meetings and retreats with the pastor, interviewing new members, filling the pulpit as needed when the pastor is on vacation or unable to preach, and being available for anyone who may need counseling.

Our Church Governing Board (which is an elder majority board) consists of the pastor, the four church elders, the board secretary, the church treasurer, and two board members at large. The pastor holds the position of Head Chairman, and a Vice Chairman is chosen from among the four elders. The board members meet at least once per month to make decisions regarding the ministries, events, building projects, maintenance of the church and parsonage, budget, and spending. Everyone serving on the board must be a member of the church.

We also have a missionary/assistant treasurer, Christian Education Director, three trustees, and six deaconesses.

The ministry positions of the church are: Pianists (2); Organists (2); Head Greeter/Usher; Seaters/Greeters (21); Sound Techs (2); Prayer Coordinator; VBS Director; Men’s Director; Women’s Director; Social Media Specialist; Church Auditors (3)

The positions for church officers are filled by the Nominating Committee which is led by the pastor and consists of two members elected by the Governing Board and two members elected by the congregation each year.

Church Attendance

• Sunday morning worship services, average between 160-170
• Sunday school - average between 50-70

Services

• Sunday school at 9:30am
  • Offered for all ages
• Sunday morning worship service 10:30am (livestream available weekly online)
• Wednesday night prayer meeting at 6:00pm (includes a brief devotional led by the pastor or one of the elders, followed by corporate prayer time)

Ministries

• In addition to our Sunday School classes and Sunday morning worship service, there are several other ministries going on in the church. These include:
  • Children’s Church and Toddler Church - offered during Sunday worship services for ages Pre-K to 2nd grade
  • AWANA on Sunday evenings from September through May
  • Vacation Bible School in the summer (usually in June or July for 4-5 days)
  • Women’s weekly bible study on Tuesday mornings
  • Wednesday night prayer meeting 6pm -7pm
  • Small groups in the summer months (usually meet once a week June-Aug)
  • Men’s and Women’s ministries
    • Different events offered throughout the year, typically once a quarter. Examples: men’s bible study, golf outings, women’s painting classes, cake decorating class, coffee shop bible study on Saturday mornings, movie nights, holiday parties, etc.
  • Music - our Praise & Worship Team leads worship every other Sunday. The worship team incorporates modern hymns, choruses, and songs for a contemporary worship feel. The other Sundays we have a song leader who leads traditional hymns, and also gives a call to worship and a benediction. God has also blessed our congregation with several talented musicians and soloists who occasionally share special music.
  • Nursery available during Sunday morning worship services for 0-3 yrs old.
• Castlewood continues to see new families attend the church on a regular basis. Some who stay, and some who visit a few times a year. We have a nice range of ages, from those who are seniors or retirement age, to a lot of young families with children, currently in our church.

Castlewood C&MA Church owes its existence to our founders who, over 100 years ago, had the vision of a church in what was then known as Moravia Stop.

The Christian and Missionary Alliance Church of Moravia Stop was established in 1923, having been incorporated on December 6, 1922, and recorded at the courthouse on January 22, 1923. Soon after, on January 15, 1923, the initial ground was donated by James G. Houk, and the original church was built and dedicated on October 28, 1923. (Prior to the building of the church, services had been held in Castlewood Grade School, which was on the site where our current parsonage sits.) Due to the elimination of the trolley line, the area was no longer known as Moravia Stop. The name of the area was changed to Castlewood, and consequently, our church name changed to Castlewood Christian and Missionary Alliance Church in November 1957.

The original church included a bell tower, which housed a bell donated by Mrs. James G. Houk. Some years later the tower was struck by lightning and both the tower, and the bell had to be removed. Chauncey and Ella Mae Forbush had the bell mounted outside the church building in memory of Ella Mae’s mother and father, Mr. and Mrs. Harry Ort, late members of the church. The bell was dedicated July 4, 1976. Our first steeple was placed in 1991 and replaced 20 years later in 2011 due to weather damage over the years.

As attendance increased, a lot was purchased from James G. Houk. The lot adjoining the rear of the original church property was bought in November 1957. An extra wing was added to the church between 1957-1958 and dedicated in November 1958. The basement of the former structure was replaced in the fall of 1972.

A third piece of property was purchased from the estate of Bessie Houk in September 1967. This addition to the church property was the two lots adjacent to the church parking lot on which the Old Hill School (later known as Castlewood Elementary) once stood. These were donated by Chauncey and Ella Mae Forbush in December 1971. The school was torn down in 1972 to make room for a new parsonage building. Former parsonages owned by the church were a two-story home behind the church, one on Hollow Road, and one at 707 Harmony Baptist Road. Our current parsonage is located beside the church at 658 Harmony Baptist Road. The parsonage was completed and dedicated in 1979. The 20-yr mortgage was paid off in only 7 ½ years.

Castlewood went through major renovations beginning in December 2014. The plans for reversing the direction of the sanctuary originated with Rev. Hiram Westover in the 1980’s, but they did not become a reality until Rev. James R. O’Hara teamed up with Architect Carl Petrus and Contractor Mark Summers. The new layout of the sanctuary allowed for more seating for our growing congregation, and the old front entrance was eliminated and bricked on the outside, updating the look of the building. A new stage and baptistry were put in. The main entrance was moved to the back of the building, where a wider foyer, office, and cloak room were installed, as well as a handicap accessible restroom and a new nursery. Many other modifications were made to modernize the look and feel of the church facilities. The mortgage for the renovations was paid off in approximately eight years; significantly sooner than the maturity date of the loan. Since then, several additional upgrades and changes have been made to the building and the grounds as our church family has grown and its needs have evolved throughout the years. As God has led us, we have endeavored to follow. We are always amazed at His provision and faithfulness.

• The church was renovated in 2015, not only to provide more seating, but also to flip the sanctuary around so people were not walking into the front door of the sanctuary if they arrived late. A baptismal tank was also added at that time.
• The church foyer/narthex was expanded recently by removing a dividing wall. A large flatscreen tv for viewing the livestream was installed. The new expanded area now has four swivel rockers, creating a quiet space for nursing mothers to use during services.
• The church has a ranch style 1-story brick parsonage right next door with 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, and an attached 2 car garage. It has a small private finished basement and recently re-carpeted back porch overlooking a nice piece of property (2+ acres)
• Property has been well maintained both on the church side and the parsonage side.
• Some other updates that have been made over the last 5 years or so include: Sunday school rooms painted; new flooring in the nursery; parking lot sealed/resurfaced; parsonage rooms were painted and new flooring put down in the kitchen/bathroom.

Lawrence County Demographic Data:

Population: 85,024

Age Distribution:

• 0-17 years 20.0%
• 18-24 years 7.9%
• 25-34 years 11.2%
• 35-44 years 11.2%
• 45-54 years 12.1%
• 55-64 years 14.1%
• 65-74 years 13.5%
• 75+ years 9.9%

Religious Affiliation:

• Evangelical Christian 56.3%
• Catholic 34.0%
• Non-denominational 6.7%
• Presbyterian 3.7%
• United Methodist 2.5%
• Lutheran 1.3%

Racial Demographics:

• White 89.5%
• Mixed/Blk 3.8%
• Other 6.8%
• Hispanic 2.2%

Community Snapshot: (Shenango Twp/Lawrence County)

• Per capita income: $40,849 (median household income: $77,522) Note: The township’s per capita income is roughly 20% higher than the overall average for Lawrence County ($35,150) and median hh inc is 25% higher than amt in Lawrence Co ($61,931)
• Average persons per household: 2.29
• Bachelor’s degree or higher: 23.4%
• Persons in poverty: 11.9%
• Population per square mile: Lawrence County: 240.8 Shenango Twp: 289 (Pop. 7,062 people/24.4 sq miles)
• Median Age 44.9 yrs (Law Co); 52.5 (Shenango Twp)
• Homeownership rate: 75.8%
• Median property values: $147,200
• Median rent: $995 - $1,000
• Employed population: 37,600 (Law. Co.)
• Most common job groups: Healthcare, Social Assistance, Manufacturing, Retail, Trade, Office & Administrative Support
• Active Fire Department, Ambulance Services, Public Library, Public Transportation, Local Hospital, Doctors & Dental Offices, Shopping and Banking

The entire church profile can be found here: Castlewood+Alliance+Church+Profile+Final.pdf

To be considered for this position, please complete the application to include your testimony, resume and other background information related to the position.

If the district office has reviewed your application and they think you may be a potential match for the position, that the hiring manager will reach out to you for next steps.

This position requires licensing with The Christian & Missionary Alliance. To learn more about The Alliance and requirements for licensing, please visit our website

Please do not contact the church directly.