Buffalo Prairie Church is a well-established, committed congregation that has been newly re-minted as an independent Community Church. We recently left the Evangelical Presbyterian Church to provide more theological freedom than just the Reformed perspective and to focus more on our community. The vote to leave the EPC was unanimous. We are seeking a full-time or bi-vocational pastor to lead us for the long term into the future as we become the church God wants us to be.

Buffalo Prairie is a multi-generational congregation, primarily consisting of people who are engaged in or support agriculture, although there is a growing percentage of professional people that are employed by businesses and schools in the surrounding cities and towns. Our church started in the 1860s, and our congregation is comprised of people who have been very resilient and committed. Over the decades our congregation has survived many struggles including complete destruction of the church building in a fire in 1950. We have a strong sense of community and family within the church and the desire, gifting, and ability to help and serve others. We have a history of commitment to both foreign missions and local ministries. We desire to use our strengths and gifting to be even more effective in bringing the truth of the gospel to our broader community.

We are looking for a pastor who has a heart for rural ministry and who can help equip our congregation to accomplish this vision. The right person should have a compassionate heart for God and be energetic for God’s word. We desire someone who has a contagious faith, and who is highly relatable to people in a variety of backgrounds and settings…whether in homes, professional occupations, fields, feed lots, or animal barns. The right candidate should have at least some level of formal Biblical training. Preferred strengths are teaching, leadership, and encouragement. We need someone who can equip us biblically, lead us as we reach our community, and encourage those inside and outside the church to live in the light of God’s truth.

A web search may show our church being in Reynolds, Illinois (this is our postal address) however our church is physically located in Buffalo Prairie, Illinois. We have a well-maintained facility with ample space for worship, classes, and events. We also have a small parsonage on the property. Buffalo Prairie is surrounded by fertile and rolling hills of western Illinois farmland. Our town has a bank, feed store, meat locker, and a deli. Within a 20-minute drive in one direction or another, one can find large commercial and industrial companies, professional businesses, grocery stores, retailers, restaurants, gas stations, hardware stores, home centers, theaters, and major interstates.

The area provides recreational pursuits including hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, and boating at nearby state parks or along the shores of the Mississippi River. Many people enjoy the adventure traveling the rural roads with all-terrain vehicles. For children, there are local activities including multiple sports for kids through the Rockridge School District, 4-H programs, dance, and gymnastics.

Buffalo Prairie is a quiet, peaceful place with no traffic jams except behind farm equipment with a relaxed pace of life and includes beautiful views of God’s creation: sunrises, sunsets, and the starry night sky.

If you believe God is calling you to lay down roots in a rural church that has a heart to make a fresh start in reaching our community with the gospel, please contact Buffalo Prairie Church info@buffaloprairiechurch.com

Please include a cover letter, resume with references and website links with samples of your preaching, if available. All application material will be kept confidential within the Pastoral Nominating Committee.