I love the opportunity at Bethany because the church is growing, the worship ministry is healthy, and their staff culture is incredible. Visiting Bethany showed me both their care for excellence and their care for people. Pastor Steve and his lead team are the reason why their staff culture is one of the best I’ve seen. Plus, La Crosse is a beautiful area and one of the top 50 places to live in the U.S. It’s why I love this job!
Bethany Church is an incredible church with a rich heritage. Originally opened in 1932, it has nearly 100 years of God stories and is now poised for growth because of leadership, amazing people, and recent building additions. They’ve grown to 750 people and will add a second onsite venue this fall. They attract young families and college students while maintaining many multi-generational families.
They are known as a large church with a strong small-group community. A church where it is easy to connect, build community, and have relationships with other believers. Nearly 70% of their regular attendees are active in small groups, creating a place where people can have fellowship and grow in their relationship with God and others. They are active in the Foster Care family support community, have a well-known presence at the La Crosse area “Neighbors Day,” and have a long history of supporting missions and sending missionaries.
Bethany is bent toward fully worshiping God while recognizing that not everyone in the room knows him. The worship wars are over at Bethany, and they have a contemporary worship style without apology. They are okay if this is not the right church for people who are looking for something more traditional. They value authenticity and health over attendance and growth. They major in the majors with a “Big Tent” philosophy regarding belief and practice.
The worship ministry at Bethany has been a key part of helping lead the church through the various seasons of change over the past 10 years. As God brings the next Worship Pastor to the church, the ministry is ready to see what a new season of the worship ministry at Bethany will look like!
Bethany Church is seeking a Worship Pastor to lead and develop the Worship Ministry, setting vision and direction to ensure the effective planning and execution of worship services that inspire and engage the congregation to encounter God in worship while also providing pastoral care for those who serve in the worship ministry and within the greater church community.
The worship ministry desires to see God worshipped passionately and to lead so that others encounter God’s life-changing presence. Bethany believes worship always responds to God revealing himself to his people. They worship because we see and know who God is. God is worthy and invites us to celebrate his greatness while his presence blesses us.
The worship ministry has a strong foundation, with committed people who love serving and are passionate about leading worship at the church. A new leader can set a new vision, building on what God has done in the past while setting a new direction for what God wants to do. The beauty of this is that the church is growing, and many people in the congregation are likely gifted to serve in this new season.
Since the church is growing, it must add more services and worship venues. This leader will be able to help develop the worship culture of these new venues along with new teams of volunteers and leaders. Bethany values creativity, collaboration, and variety. They seek to have fun and laugh together while working hard to create a musical worship experience in which people can fully engage.
Bethany has experienced a lot of change over the years, but that change is not done. The person for this position needs to be patient in leading change yet ready to do the hard things to follow God’s leading. They need to be able to lead in a way that can create buy-in with those who have been doing this for a long time. This will allow the new leader to build long-term relationships with the staff, volunteers, and church members, setting them up for long-term ministry.
Key Responsibilities:
What a Strong Candidate Would Look Like: