Olivet Lutheran Church

Sharing the Light and Love of our Lord

Calling a Lead Pastor

Join us in La Crosse, Wisconsin

Located on French Island

We are praying for you!

Is the Holy Spirit leading you to a new call?

Olivet Beacon of Light Lutheran Church is seeking the Lord in calling a Lead Pastor. We are praying for a humble shepherd who is, first and foremost, led by the Holy Spirit to further His kingdom work.

If God has blessed you as a servant leader of leaders, with a radiant passion for Jesus and truthfulness to His Word, we would love to hear from you!

Position Summary

The Lead Pastor is responsible to provide leadership in all areas of church life: to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, to teach the Word of God in accordance with the Holy Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions, to engage in pastoral care, and to equip God’s people to do His work.

Primary Responsibilities

Oversee and lead Olivet in our mission of sharing the light and the love of our Lord and our vision of knowing God and one another, growing in faith together, and showing God’s love in all we say and do.

  • Create meaningful worship experiences that deepen our relationship with God by engaging our faith community to fully support worship as a lifestyle of knowing God.
  • Foster a warm and caring community with meaningful fellowship experiences that deepen our relationships with one another and embody fellowship as a lifestyle of building Christ-centered relationships with others.
  • Make Olivet a place for lifelong learning and spiritual growth for all generations by encouraging and modeling discipleship as a lifestyle of following Jesus.
  • Inspire Olivet to be a community of believers who freely give of their time, talents and treasures to worship and glorify God. Encourage and model stewardship as a lifestyle of managing all that God has entrusted to us for His kingdom.
  • Equip Olivet to be a congregation who boldly speaks the Gospel of love and truth to others and exemplifies evangelism as a lifestyle of making Christ known.
  • Lead Olivet to broaden its service into the community and encourage and model mission as a lifestyle of serving others in the name of Jesus.

3

Weekend Services

400

Weekly Pre-Covid Worshipers

45+

Benevolence & Social Programs

150+

Online Worshipers

Church Background

Olivet Lutheran Church was organized as a mission church on French Island in 1949. Adjacent land was purchased for building additions in 1961, 1989, and again in 2007 with the mortgage paid by the time an education wing and chapel was added in 2017. Payment on the current mortgage is ahead of schedule.

The congregation formed with the American Lutheran Church (ALC) and joined the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA). In 1998 the mission statement, “Sharing the Light and Love of Our Lord” was adopted with a lighthouse logo and became Olivet Beacon of Light Lutheran Church.

Olivet has been affiliated with Lutheran Churches in Mission for Christ (LCMC) since 2005 and ended its affiliation with the ELCA in 2010.

The strategic plan in 2019 established our Vision Statement: “Know God and one another; Grow in Faith together; Show God’s Love in all we say and do.” The average number of weekend worshipers at Olivet (pre-Covid) was 400, with present membership over 800.

Staff

We currently have an interim pastoral team of 3. Full-time staff includes the church administrator, the director of family ministry, and a worship arts director. We have 3 part-time custodians, a building maintenance engineer, a weekend office support person, and A/V & IT support.

Programs

Ministry programs at Olivet include Chaplains, Stephen Ministry, Food Pantry, Women’s Clothes Closet, an Evangelism Team, Family Ministry, Prayer Shawl Ministry, and a Card Ministry.

Olivet tithes 10% of its general offerings to many benevolence and social ministry programs.

Events

Annual events include the Harvest Supper, Operation Christmas Child, Cookie Walk, Marriage Night, Suds and Hot Air, Divorce Care, Recovery and support meetings. We also have numerous children's and youth events including MOPS and VBS.

Groups

Fellowship and Bible study groups are plentiful with active men’s and women's Bible study breakfasts, prayer groups, Bible book club, Monday prayer gathering, Life Group Bible Studies and several other in-home study and fellowship groups.

Youth

The youth are very active in the church. They participate in worship as greeters, musicians, and ushers, as well as readers of God’s Word. They have two additional opportunities to gather and worship besides weekend services. Confirmation classes meet on Sundays and youth night is held on Wednesdays with fellowship and food.

Students must accumulate 2,000 credits for Confirmation, which are earned by helping in services and attending other church-led events. We also host a “Second  Sunday” where every second Sunday of the month we meet up for fun events, including Life-Size Clue, Olivet Escape Room, Capture the Flag, and more! Anyone is welcome and many of our youth invite their friends.

La Crosse, Wisconsin

Affectionately known as “God’s Country,” La Crosse, Wisconsin is a vibrant place to live, work and play. Located on the mighty Mississippi River and nestled between the bluffs, La Crosse serves as a regional economic hub and boasts a population of 135,000 people in the metro area.

La Crosse has a diverse economic base and is home to Kwik Trip, Organic Valley, Logistics Health, Trane Company, and City Brewing Company (formerly G. Heileman Brewing). Outstanding regional medical care is provided by Mayo Clinic Health Systems as well as Gundersen Health Systems.

La Crosse is also a lively college town and home to three institutions of higher education — University of Wisconsin La Crosse, Viterbo University, and Western Technical College.

Historic Downtown La Crosse is a charming area with an array of shops, restaurants, arts and culture. Riverside Park is the gem of downtown and sits at the confluence of three rivers — the Mississippi, the Black, and the La Crosse Rivers. It is a venue for many local outdoor events and festivals such as Riverfest, Octoberfest, Moon Tunes, and Rotary Lights.

The local arts scene is thriving and home to the Weber Center for the Performing Arts, the Pump House Regional Arts Center, Artspire, and many musical and theatrical productions hosted by Viterbo University and UWL.

Outdoor enthusiasts love the abundance of recreational activities close to home. Boating, fishing, nordic/downhill/water skiing, kayaking, biking, hiking, running, and hunting opportunities abound. La Crosse is also recognized as a burgeoning mountain biking mecca.

The La Crosse area offers good schools, safe neighborhoods, affordable housing, a regional airport, and proximity to larger cities including Rochester, Madison, and Minneapolis. It is a wonderful place to live and call home.

Take a Tour

Apply to Olivet

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Basic Qualifications: Master of Divinity degree, adequate years of experience in a pastoral role, able to preach and teach with excellence, comfortable with Lutheran theological distinctives, and a demonstrated history of leadership and team building.

FEB '21 UPDATE: The application period has now been closed.