UNITED OF CHRIST SUMMARY CHURCH PROFILE

Bethany United Church of Christ 3 Rockhill Street Foxboro, MA

Settled Ministerial Candidate Search June 18, 2018 Revised by PSC July 1, 2019

“God is able to provide you with every blessing, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:8)

LISTING INFORMATION Church name: Bethany Congregational Church, UCC Street address: 3 Rockhill Street Foxboro, MA 02035 Supplemental web links: https://bethanychurch.org/ Additional ecumenical affiliations: Not applicable. Conference: Association: Metropolitan

UCC Conference or Association Staff Contact Person: Rev. Wendy Vander Hart 21 Church Street Winchester, MA 01890 781-369-1396 [email protected]

Summary Ministry Description:

As a recently registered Open and Affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ, the Bethany Congregational Church of Foxboro seeks to be a “big umbrella” congregation whose primary is Christ’s love. We are committed to building Christ’s Beloved Community with open minds, open hearts, and open arms. We seek to be a healthy, effective, intergenerational faith community that aspires to live and serve with Christ’s courage and compassion, affirming our unity as God’s people while acknowledging with grace our many differences.

A traditional Congregational church since 1763, we have we have experienced a lot of change and transition over the past 25 years. Innovations have changed us for the better. Ventures have helped us to clarify who we are as a U.C.C. congregation. Difficult conversations,

1 planned and unplanned, have helped us grow in grace and understanding. Positive leadership and increasing attendance over the past year (+25%) have set the stage for our next Pastor to journey with us toward renewal and growth in Christ over the next 7-10 years. Come grow with us!

Photographs:

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What we value about living in our area:

Foxboro is a lovely New England suburban town of 17,000 people located at the junction of In- terstates 95 and 495, allowing its residents two-hour highway access to a wide range of south- ern New England destinations, from New Haven to the Berkshires, to southern and , to outer Cape Cod. Easy access to nearby Boston and Providence provides rich and varied opportunities for academic, artistic, athletic, culinary, cultural, historical, and spiritual enjoyment and enrichment. Boston’s world-class medical resources are second to none, as are the opportunities of being located near Boston’s robust economy.

Foxboro and its surrounding communities include a wide range of socio-economic groups, pre- dominately middle-class. We are proud of our highly regarded schools, community programs, and easy access to wildlife sanctuaries and parks, including Moose Hill and the Gilbert Hills State Forest. These many qualities combine to offer welcome opportunities for cultural, physical, and spiritual wellness. By and large, Bethany’s members and neighbors are kind, hardworking career and professional people, committed to a spirit of community. Foxboro is also the proud “home” of our beloved New England Patriots!

Current size of membership: 279 based on 12/31/18 Annual Report plus growth in 2019

Languages used in ministry (other than English): None

Position Title: Senior Minister/Senior Pastor

Position Duration: Settled

Compensation Level: Full Time

Does the total support package meet conference compensation guidelines? Yes.

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SCOPE OF WORK

Bethany views its Senior Minister/Pastor (hereafter “Pastor”) as a partner in ministry committed to building up the Body of Christ in the spirit of Ephesians 4:1-16. We want our Pastor to share leadership and responsibility with our congregation and its leaders. We therefore seek to call a Pastor who will partner with us to:

• Grow in the grace and truth of Christ, with courage and compassion. • Balance our long-term strategic needs and interests with immediate needs and interests. • Balance our aspirations for growth and service with healthy self-care, grace, and humor. • Help us grow into our new standing as an “open and affirming” faith community. • Plan, provide, and evaluate our worship ministry; and, offer thoughtful based on biblical tradition and collective wisdom, applicable to the challenges of our time. • Encourage faith formation and development for all ages, including post-literalist biblical understanding, critical thinking, and faithful living as Christ’s disciples. • Provide care for congregants, resourcing and referring as needed. • Discern and cast vision, establish strategy and objectives, and evaluate our effective- ness. • Equip and empower Bethany’s congregants for gift-based ministry and service. • Seek, employ, and support effective professional and support staff. • Resource and support boards, committees, teams, and auxiliary organizations. • Develop our stewardship and strengthen our financial position to expand our generosity and ensure our sustainability. • Develop our local, regional, and global mission engagement as a congregation. • Develop and maintain our relationship with the United Church of Christ. • Engage in, and with, the wider community. • Develop relationships with faith communities in and beyond our local community.

Core Competencies:

Bethany seeks to call a Pastor who will fully engage in our life together as a congrega- tion, help us focus on growth, discipleship, and worship, while fulfilling our commitment to be an Open and Affirming congregation to the community we love and are called to serve.

The Pastor is expected to practice healthy self-care by taking time for their physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual well-being; by setting reasonable appropriate boundaries regarding their availability and relationships; and, by maintaining balance between work and rest.

COMPENSATION AND SUPPORT

Salary Basis: http://www.macucc.org/compensation Benefits: Salary plus Benefits

What is the expected living situation for your next minister?

The congregation expects to retain a candidate willing to live nearby with a housing allowance.

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Comment on the residential/commuting expectations for your next minister.

Given the various roles of a settled pastor at Bethany, it is anticipated that our minister will live within a reasonable distance to meet our expectations for pastoral care, adult education, com- munity engagement for both Bethany and the greater Foxboro community and be available for growth and outreach endeavors in addition to leading worship.

State any incentives:

Will consider in accordance with UCC guidelines and based on experience of candidate.

Describe peer and professional supports available for ministers in your association/con- ference:

The Metro-Boston Association and the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ provides a wide range of year-round opportunities for professional enrichment through workshops, ecumenical outreach efforts, Clergy Community of Practice groups, and access to our Association Conference Minister, the Rev. Wendy Vander Hart.

If applicable, describe how your church will adopt part-time adjustments in the pastoral schedule to support a minister’s bi-vocational employment: Not applicable at this time.

WHO IS GOD CALLING TO MINISTER WITH US?

Describe the ministry goals you envision your next minister co-collaborating with the congregation to achieve.

• The growth of our congregation in spirit and service, resources and numbers. • Targeting and reaching out to people of all ages in our wider community who are most likely to seek and benefit from an open and affirming faith community. • Targeting and reaching out to people of all ages who are looking for safe, non-doctri- naire space to explore faith and doubt, express passion and uncertainty, and experience diversity and grace. • Develop and maintain effective and consistently maintained electronic media (e.g. web- site, social media) to communicate with the congregation and reach out to its wider pub- lic. • Equipping all of our members to serve. • Prioritizing and focusing our responses to local and global needs • Developing adult education and fellowship programming that fosters lifelong learning. • Strengthening our stewardship education to support a culture of generosity, sustainable ministry, and robust mission engagement.

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Describe how your vision of the minister you are now seeking will assist the congrega- tion in making an impact beyond its walls.

We are seeking a minister that will partner with us in developing and disseminating a clear min- istry vision. We are seeking pastoral experience in creatively attracting new members and re- focusing our attention from ourselves. We are prayerfully looking for someone who will guide us in deepening our affiliation with the United Church of Christ, opening new opportunities for our members to become involved in local and global ministry.

Specify language requirements or culturally-specific capacities preferred in a next minis- terial leader, and why those matter to the congregation’s sense of calling.

The racial makeup of the town of Foxboro is over 90% Caucasian with a ten-mile radius from Bethany being over 87% Caucasian. As such, no specific language requirements or culturally- specific capabilities are required. However, given Bethany’s past efforts in mission work in Mex- ico and other south and central American countries and the Caribbean, a knowledge of the larger world around us, and some proficiency in those cultures or a willingness to know more would be a plus.

Based on what you have learned about who your church is, who your church’s neighbor is, and who God is calling the church to become, describe four areas of excellence from The Marks of Faithful & Effective Authorized Ministry that your next minister will display to further equip the congregation’s ministry in these areas.

Bethany seeks a Pastor who:

• Exhibits a spiritual foundation, a life of discipleship, and faithful personal stewardship. • Builds transformational leaders and empowers the congregation for Christ’s mission through lifelong learning and faith formation across age groups. • Provides nurturing care and compassion for God’s Creation, engages in mission and outreach, builds mutual trust and interdependence, and practices the hospitality of God. • Exhibits strong moral character, personal integrity, and excellent communication skills, respects dignity of all, and understands human development across the lifespan.

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