Lead Pastor

Portage Bible Church
2748 Portage, Indiana 46368 | View phone number on click.appcast.io| View email address on click.appcast.io
Interim Pastor Tracy McConnell | View phone number on click.appcast.io | View email address on click.appcast.io

Lead Pastor

Full-time

The Opportunity

Portage Bible Church is seeking a full-time Lead Pastor to guide a long-established, Scripture-centered church into its next season with clarity, conviction, and gospel purpose.

For nearly nine decades, Portage Bible Church has served Portage and Northwest Indiana. Our identity is expressed in three words: Faith. Family. Fellowship. We are committed to faithfully teaching God’s Word, helping believers grow spiritually, building meaningful relationships, and proclaiming the gospel.

The church has an involved congregation, an attractive and well-maintained facility, a blended worship tradition, and a meaningful commitment to prayer. Building on this foundation, our next pastor will help us clarify a compelling vision, strengthen preaching and disciple-making, expand evangelistic engagement, develop leaders, welcome and integrate new people, and move toward greater spiritual and ministry effectiveness.

About Portage Bible Church

Portage Bible Church is an independent evangelical church governed under the authority of Scripture and led in partnership with its elders and other recognized leaders. Our statement of faith affirms the inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture, salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, the eternal security of the believer, believer’s baptism by immersion, and the autonomy of the local church.

Our worship services primarily strengthen believers while remaining welcoming and accessible to those who are spiritually seeking. Worship includes traditional hymns and contemporary songs. Biblical preaching, spiritual formation, worship, evangelism, prayer, fellowship, and missions are all important parts of our ministry.

The church intends to grow and minister from its present location. We are also open to thoughtful partnerships and broader use of our facility to serve the people and communities around us.

The Community

Portage is an established Northwest Indiana community of approximately 40,000 residents within the greater Chicago metropolitan region. The city is near Lake Michigan and the Indiana Dunes, approximately 40 minutes from downtown Chicago, and connected to the region by major highways and commuter rail.

Portage’s stable, intergenerational population provides ministry opportunities among families, children and teenagers, working adults, and older adults. Effective ministry here will depend on earning trust, building lasting relationships, maintaining a visible community presence, and equipping believers to live and share their faith.

Primary Responsibilities

The Lead Pastor will:

• Serve as the church’s principal preacher and teacher, providing clear, faithful, and relevant exposition of Scripture. Portage Bible Church especially values verse-by-verse and passage-by-passage preaching.
• Work with the elders and congregation to discern a biblically grounded vision and translate it into understandable priorities and achievable ministry goals.
• Lead collaboratively with elders, staff, and ministry leaders while providing direction, making timely decisions, and cultivating shared ownership.
• Personally practice evangelism and equip believers to share the gospel through their relationships and the church’s ministries.
• Strengthen intentional disciple-making, spiritual growth, leadership development, and opportunities for members to serve.
• Help the church welcome guests and move people toward belonging, growth, service, and meaningful participation.
• Provide oversight for worship services, ordinances, prayer, fellowship, pastoral care, and major congregational ministries.
• Help the church steward its people, facility, finances, and ministry resources in ways that advance its biblical mission.

The Pastor We Are Seeking

Portage Bible Church seeks a spiritually mature pastor who:

• Meets the biblical qualifications for pastoral leadership found in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1.
• Is deeply committed to Scripture and capable of preaching it with clarity, conviction, and practical relevance.
• Combines the strengths of a visionary leader, preacher-teacher, and evangelist.
• Communicates warmly, builds relationships, thinks strategically, and turns vision into workable plans.
• Is proactive, dependable, self-disciplined, and willing to persevere through the challenges of long-term ministry.
• Motivates and develops others without being controlling.
• Values stability and sustained relationships while remaining willing to lead thoughtful and necessary change.
• Leads effectively in partnership with elders, staff members, and volunteer leaders.
• Is prepared to invest personally in the church and the Portage community.

Qualifications

Candidates should:

• Demonstrate a credible testimony of salvation, a clear call to pastoral ministry, and consistent Christian character.
• Affirm and teach in agreement with Portage Bible Church’s statement of faith and ministry convictions.
• Have at least a Bible school diploma or comparable formal biblical and theological preparation.
• Have paid church ministry experience demonstrating effectiveness in preaching, leadership, spiritual development, and working with ministry teams.
• Be willing to serve full-time and reside within the Portage area.
• Complete the church’s reference, background, and candidacy process.

Compensation

Portage Bible Church will provide a compensation and benefits package appropriate to the position, the selected candidate’s experience, and the church’s approved financial parameters.

Learn more about Portage Bible Church at