Our Vision:
- Helping People See God and Participate in His Redemptive Story
Our Guiding Value:
- It is our role as a church to come alongside those in our community and show them the hope found in Jesus.
Our Mission:
- Loving God
- Loving Others
- Loving Truth
- Loving Culture
- Loving Sacrifice
Peoples Church is led by Lead Pastor Dale Oquist, who has served in that role since 2010. Pastor Dale grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and graduated with a degree in vocational ministry from North Central University in Minneapolis. He later earned a master’s degree in missional leadership from Northwest University, where he formerly served as adjunct faculty, and he serves on the board of trustees for Vanguard University. He is known for teaching the Bible in a fresh and practical way that engages those new to faith and seasoned believers alike. Pastor Dale and his wife, Joni, who serves as our Women’s Ministry Pastor, have been married since 1986 and have three married children and four grandchildren.
Peoples Church is a pastor-led church with a supporting board, and our culture gives leaders real ownership of their areas. You will be handed genuine authority, staff, budget, an office, and the freedom to lead with a wide berth, in a place where vision and philosophy are genuinely respected. Our staff are self-starters who set their own goals, take initiative, and move toward them, supported by leadership that trusts them to lead. Our communication culture is direct and honest, and the people who thrive here are competent, steady, and ready to run. This is a family-oriented church where staff and members alike will bring you in and make you part of the community, and where leaders who serve well are given more and rewarded well.
A loving church where people feel at home: This is what we are known for in our community, and it shapes everything we do.
Over 70 years in the Central Valley: A prominent, respected church with deep roots and a long legacy of serving our city.
A big church that feels like a small one: You can be as connected as you want to be, and we have built a lot of front doors to make that easy.
Wide theological hallways: Gospel-centered, generous on the secondary issues, and home to people from many backgrounds.
Outward-facing and missions-minded. We actively extend a hand into our community and pour into both our city and the world.
A 40-acre campus with real resources: Including an on-campus K–12 school with a generous tuition discount for staff.
Diverse and multi-generational: Our congregation increasingly reflects the makeup of our region, and we value both the legacy of older generations and the energy of younger ones.
- Provide overall pastoral and strategic leadership for our Children’s Ministry, serving the children, families, and volunteers who make up one of our most active ministries.
- Lead and develop our team of three full-time staff, including a full-time admin and two full-time coordinators across preschool, elementary, and pre-team environments.
- Recruit, train, and retain a strong volunteer team of more than 100 leaders who serve our children each weekend.
- Lead our weekend gatherings for children, ensuring they are environments where kids see God and take real steps in their faith.
- Lead the volunteers who lead the children while staying personally engaged and present with kids and families.
- Build and steward relationships with parents, navigating family conversations and concerns with pastoral care and clear communication.
- Maintain and strengthen safety, background check, and operational systems that protect children and build trust with families.
- Promote the Children’s Ministry across our congregation, helping our church family stay connected to what God is doing through this ministry.
- Steward the Children’s Ministry’s staff, volunteer base, new building, and ministry budget with care and intentionality.
- Three to five years of experience leading children’s ministry.
- Experience in a large church environment preferred, but demonstrated experience and ministry trajectory will be taken into consideration.
- Demonstrated experience managing direct reports and developing staff and volunteer teams.
- A self-starter who sets their own goals and a team player willing to work within the wide hallways of our leadership culture.
- An excellent communicator, both in person and electronically.
- Comfortable navigating parent relationships, safety and background check processes, and the operational complexity that comes with leading a children’s ministry at scale.
Grow a Ministry With Real Momentum: Our Children’s Ministry is in a new building, with strong staff, a healthy volunteer team, and lots of opportunity for growth. The right leader has everything in place to take it to the next level.
Reach and Retain Young Families: As a multi-generational congregation, retaining young families is a meaningful and necessary practice for us. This role will be central to how we welcome, serve, and stay connected with the families who are shaping the next chapter of our church.
Build the Team Behind the Ministry: With a budget of $130,000, a team of three full-time staff, and around 100 weekend volunteers, the right leader can invest in developing coordinators and volunteers, multiplying impact rather than carrying the load alone.