Venture Christian Church
venture christian church is looking to double their impact in their community over the next five years. they’re searching for a student worship resident.
Expected Work Hours: 25-30 hours weekly
Expected Monthly Pay: $1,000/monthly + housing
Following is some Q and A with Jake Smith, Venture’s Student Pastor:
What are your greatest hopes and dreams for the next couple of years for your church?
We are in a new season of getting after our mission and vision like never before. We believe our church will double its impact over the next five years. We are helping our people love their neighbors and be intentional about reaching their friends and family. It’s a great time to jump in with our team. We are excited about a new leader joining us during this season - what a time to start ministry!
Why did you choose to do a residency & what are you hopeful will happen through this process?
We have a growing desire to assure that there are well-trained and experienced ministry professionals to lead the church in the future. We know fewer people get in to ministry every year. We want to play our part in this and be the safe place where young leaders can start in a healthy way. We hope that a resident’s time at Venture will lead to a great contribution to the Kingdom – both in the short term through Venture’s ministry and the long term in the future of the church.
What is it like to work on staff there?
The staff at Venture truly enjoy each other. We come from a variety of backgrounds and generations, and we have fun together. Daily conversations around the lunch table are among our best attributes. Recently designated “flourishing” (4.41 out of 5) among the Best Christian Workplaces, our team staff has been self-designated as a healthy place to work (93rd percentile).
Does your church’s website state the mission, vision, values and key distinctives of your church? Please paste the link:
venturechristian.church/im-new/our-beliefs/
Please describe the current staff structure.
Venture is guided by our elder team as they provide overarching vision, strategy, and direction. Our Lead Pastor, Stan Killebrew, also serves as an elder and leads our staff in cooperation with our Executive Pastor, and the Leadership Team. The Leadership is represented by a pastor from each ministry area.
What qualities does it take to “win” on staff at your church?
At Venture, we urge our staff to be self-starters, not consumers. We believe that integrity is more important than charisma and we strive to do what we say we’re going to do. We are looking forward to adding a resident to our team who will come with ideas and will push us in how we do ministry. We know residency is a two-way street. A resident who is coachable will find that those around them are coachable as well!
Who will the resident report to? Will there be a different person acting as coach? What do you know about their personalities (enneagram, DiSC, Strength Finders, etc.) Have you given thought as to what type of personality will work best with them?
The resident will report to Jake Smith, Student Pastor. Jake is an enneagram 7 with a wing 8. Jake will also serve as the coach with our Executive Pastor, Daniel Shelton serving as the Resident Coordinator.
Are you affiliated with a particular denomination or tribes/association of churches? If so, what websites could one investigate to gain further understanding?
Venture is non-denominational with an affiliation with the Restoration Movement.
What are the key doctrinal and theological issues where alignment is essential?
Baptism by immersion and sexual ethics (defining a biblical sexual relationship between a married man and woman.) We’d feel comfortable interviewing applicants with other nuanced theological views outside of those two issues.
What is your average weekend attendance?
800
In general, what is your church demographic?
Venture is in a large suburb north of Indianapolis. The Hamilton County area contains great schools, a plethora of recreation and entertainment activities, and a high quality of living. Hamilton County and Venture has an abundance of families. Racially, there is less diversity both at Venture and the surrounding areas then other urban areas.
Is there more than one site or venue? If so, please describe.
No, and there are no plans to expand to a multi-campus strategy in the near future.
How many conversions has your church had in the past 12 months? (however you define this and whatever you count)
Venture celebrated 24 baptisms in 2024. This is a number we’re continually working on. Our first steps in heightening our evangelistic efforts is encouraging our people to invest and invite in their one – someone in their sphere of influence who has yet to express a belief in Jesus.
What percentage of people are involved in a small group?
Last fall we averaged 70% of our average weekly attendance regularly engaged in a small group.
What is your church known for in the community?
Venture is known as a church that is eager to roll up our sleeves and do the work. In a predominantly white collar area, we don’t hire our landscaping to be done – we mow our own grass! This illustrates our down-to-earth, authentic feel that is somewhat unique in our community.
How much are you planning on financially compensating your resident? Is it set or is it flexible?
We plan to pay them an hourly wage. Our aim is that the wage an hours results in roughly $1,000 a month. Additionally, we aim to offer a host home to help offset living expenses.
What are the expected work hours and what does a typical workweek look like for this resident?
Among the 25-30 hours, we would aim for Sunday to be a prime day with up to 8 hours worked. The remaining time would be split up among weekday time in/out of the office. This resident would likely have no formal responsibilities on Friday and Saturday.
What else would you say to a resident considering joining your team?
While we’re newer to the resident scene, Venture is a fun and health place to work. We pride ourselves on healthy time dynamics, work/life balance, and healthy (albeit real and sometimes messy) church life. You could help blaze the residency trail and serve with us as we aim to equip you well for a life-long career in ministry.
