REGIONAL PROFILE
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)-Pacific Southwest Region
1….. lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future… Ephesians 4:1-4 New Living Translation
The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the Pacific Southwest Region is a warm and vibrant church family open to new people and ideas. We are in the process of listening to God in the discernment of who to call as our next Regional Minister. If you are inspired by rich diversity in all of its expressions, we invite you to enter into this partnership with us of being one Church with many congregations.
The Pacific Southwest Region (PSWR) celebrates diversity as its greatest strength and its greatest challenge. Within our 99 congregations, at least six languages are spoken regularly in worship, and a tapestry of races, ages, theologies, immigration statuses, socio-economic statuses, gender/sexual orientation identities, and ethnicities are woven together. We have some congregations that have ministered in their communities for well over 100 years, and some churches that are trying creative models of ministry. We have growing congregations and struggling ministries of all sizes. Additionally, we have two nationally recognized Disciples-related institutions of higher education, one nationally-recognized mission site, and numerous community-based and other Regional ministries which are detailed here. Our love of God and our commitment to the underlying covenant between Disciples of Christ congregations calls us to the same Table. We have experienced the blessings and richness such diversity holds, and understand that true unity in the midst of such diversity can be hard and messy.
As part of the search process, an extensive effort was made to reach out and listen to the people throughout our Region via online surveys and in-person listening sessions. As detailed here, the Search Committee gathered information upon which this Regional profile and the position description are based from wide participation across the geography, ministries and congregations of the PSWR. In addition to diversity, the other greatest strengths identified by the majority of responding participants were unity, inclusion and pro-reconciliation/anti-racism efforts, financial resources and assets, youth and young adult ministries, and camp and conference facilities.
Currently, we operate with a leadership model that has Co-Regional Ministers. In addition we have Associate Regional Ministers for youth/young adults and various ethnic ministries. In the past, the PSWR had one person serving as Regional Minister with some deployed staff. We are open to God’s call for leadership of the PSWR, with no pre-conceived idea of the future ministry model.
The PSWR includes congregations in portions of California, Nevada and Hawaii. Five of the ten counties in California alone cover a large geographic area and are home to over 21-million people. In this part of the world, over 40% of households speak a language other than English at home. The Region has 9,243 participating members, with 6,117 attending worship on an average Sunday. These numbers reflect 4% and 6% growth during the last five years, respectively. Additional demographic information about the region and the PSWR can be found here.
Given the unique and vibrant qualities of the PSWR, we seek a leader who understands the diverse and changing context of the church and society, and who can offer a clear vision for ministry that draws all to Christ’s Table. The Position Description, found here, describes the qualifications, skills and experiences we believe our next Regional Minister needs to possess in order to be successful in serving this Region.