Pastor Profile

Preacher/Leader: Candidate should be an individual who loves to study and teach the Word of God to the congregation. Candidate is a compelling preacher from the pulpit with inspiring and interesting messages that are biblically sound and encourage the congregation to apply God’s word in their daily lives. Candidate should aim to inspire and cast a vision to mobilize our congregation into the future. 

Spiritual Maturity: Candidate should have a deep, personal relationship with God and a profound and growing connection with their faith that goes beyond knowledge or rituals. Candidate should live out the teachings of their faith, exemplifying love, compassion, and forgiveness in their interactions with others. Candidate should have wisdom and discernment, guiding the congregation to meet contemporary challenges with biblical truth.

Moral Person: Candidate should be  a person of integrity, displaying humility, gentleness and compassion to all. Candidate should be seen within the community as a respected Christian leader.

Theologically Sound: Candidate should have a deep understanding of Christian theology and Biblical doctrine. Candidate should be able to teach the Christian faith to the congregation in a way that allows for their own personal growth and leads them to a better understanding of the Bible.  

Family, Children and Youth: Candidate should be capable and willing to engage with the children and youth, encouraging and guiding them on their spiritual journeys. Candidate will promote family involvement and be an advocate for children, youth and parent ministries within the church. Candidate would also look to equip those in the church with a gift and heart to lead these ministries.

Pastoral Care: Candidate will have a compassionate heart for people, visiting individuals in their homes, at the hospital, etc. Candidate is willing to pray with people and offer pastoral counseling. 

Worship: Candidate should have a burning desire to worship the living God and help the congregation encounter God in worship services. Candidate should nurture an instinct in God’s people to worship God wherever they are.  Candidate will work in collaboration with other staff and elected leaders to coordinate weekly worship services as well as other special services throughout the year (funerals, weddings, Holy Week, Advent).

Community Profile

Church location:  Newton, NC is 42 miles northwest of Charlotte, NC; 31 miles north of Gastonia, NC and 10 miles southeast of Hickory, NC.  The church is located in Newton at the intersection of Highway 321 and West 13th Street.

Hospitals: Catawba Valley Medical Center and Frye Regional Medical Center are both located in Hickory, NC.

Education: Catawba Valley Community College and Lenoir-Rhyne University are both located in Hickory, NC.  As of 2014, 82.7% of the residents in Catawba County age 25 and over have completed high school and higher whereas 21.5% of the residents aged 25 and over have completed a bachelor’s degree or higher.  There are three K-12 school districts in Catawba County: Catawba County Schools, Hickory Public Schools, and Newton-Conover City Schools.  There are a number of both private and Christian schools in the area, which include: Tri-City Christian School, University Christian High School, Hickory Christian Academy, Tabernacle Christian School, Concordia Christian Day School, Hickory Day School, Montessori at Sandy Ford, Christian Family Academy and St. Stephens Lutheran School. 

Travel:  Charlotte-Douglas International Airport is 38 miles away and Hickory Regional Airport is 12 miles away.  Major highways include I-40, US 321, US 70, NC 10 and NC 16.

Type of Community: Catawba County was established in 1842 and its name was chosen because of the Catawba tribe of Native Americans.  Catawba County is located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Newton is the county seat; was incorporated in 1855 and is the second largest city in the county.   Catawba County is renowned for year-round beautiful weather while still enjoying all four seasons.  A number of our residents work in Charlotte, Gastonia, Hickory and other out-of-county markets.  Like many Piedmont communities that relied heavily on furniture and textile industries as employment bases, we were affected by down-sizings and closures.  But we have seen a recent resurgence of previous industries along with the entrance of “tech firms” into our job market.   As of 2016, the most common industries in both Catawba County and Newton were manufacturing, construction, retail sales, accommodation and food service, wholesale and professional, scientific and technology services.

Population:  As of 2021, Catawba County had 160,320 residents with Newton having 13,187; Hickory having 43,532 and Conover having 8,421 residents.

Housing: The median household income in Newton in 2016 was $36,328 as compared to $50,584 for North Carolina.  Per capita income in Newton was $18,243 in 2016 and the cost of living in Newton was 87.3% of the average US cost of living.   The median cost of a house or condo in Newton was $120,310 while the median cost of a detached home was $214,516 and the median cost of a mobile home was $64,996.  The average monthly rent was $712. 

Area denominations within Catawba County include Baptist, Evangelical Denomination, Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopal, United Church of Christ, Assemblies of God, Seventh Day Adventist, Mormon, Jehovah’s Witness and Church of the Nazarene.

Community Agencies include Eastern Catawba Cooperative Christian Ministry, The Corner Table, Hickory Soup Kitchen, Safe Harbor, Exodus House, Salvation Army, Boys and Girls Clubs, Habitat for Humanity, other help agencies and support groups.

Arts include Hickory Museum of Art, Green Room Community Theater (Newton), Hickory Choral Society, Catawba Valley Community Chorus (Conover), Lenoir-Rhyne Concert Series, Catawba Valley Community College Show Choir, Lenoir-Rhyne Playmakers and Visiting Writers Series and the Western Piedmont Symphony.

Activities include Rotary, Kiwanis and Lions Clubs, Catawba County Science Center, Rock Barn Golf and Spa, Catawba Country Club and other golf courses, Hickory Crawdads baseball, Hickory Motor Speedway, movie theaters, bowling, parks and recreation centers, YMCA of the Catawba Valley (two locations), farmers’ markets, public libraries, historic sites, book clubs, garden clubs, bee keeper clubs and numerous volunteer opportunities.

Helpful websites:  www.hickoryschools.net; www.catawbaschools.net; www.nccs.k12.nc.us; www.catawbacountync.gov