An established church in the beautiful Alleghany Highlands of Virginia is seeking an engaging, experienced Pastor. We are looking for a godly man with a desire to build youth/family programs in our church, as well as a focus on local and global missions. Our ideal candidate is a man with strong interpersonal skills, a theologically sound background, and a teachable spirit who likes to minister to his congregation and teach them. Ideally, he should be capable of dealing with people from various socio-economic backgrounds in larger group settings as well as one-on-one. This pastor should show an aptitude in reaching out to the youngest baby in our congregation as well as to our large group of mature members. While we want him to focus on building our congregation, we also would like him to be involved in our community and be the public face of our congregation and engaged with people from other denominations as well as the unchurched because he is the public face of our congregation. We will enjoy his thought-provoking, timely sermons with meaningful applications to daily life, and we may often have questions about the Bible and subjects pertaining to our faith and beliefs as we strive to live godly lives. The vision of our church is to glorify our God and Savior, Jesus Christ, to make true disciples throughout all the nations by means of missionary activity and support, to minister the ordinances, to edify believers, and to do all that is sovereignly possible and biblically permissible to magnify the name of Jesus. We strive to live up to our church theme, “Love God, love people, make disciples.” Our church, which was recently labeled as “strong” by our BGAV field strategist, is located in the Allegheny Mountains of western Virginia at Covington, the independent city that serves as county seat of Alleghany County. While we live in a rural location, our area offers the necessary stores and businesses that are typical to most areas, including multiple grocery/general merchandise stores; 2 furniture/appliance stores; 2 new car dealerships and multiple used car ones; and many local businesses offering a variety of products. A home improvement center, 2 farm stores, and a farmer’s market are present. Several banks, a credit union, and 2 mortgage companies are also located here. Several restaurants of Italian, Mexican, Chinese, Jamaican, and Japanese origins offer ethnic foods, and we also have fast food chains and local sandwich shops, delis, family-style restaurants, and catering businesses. Our major industries include a papermill & converting plant, a carbon making plant, a railroad along with several other smaller industries. We can be easily accessed by Interstate 64 and two airports within 60miles. Amtrak also serves our area. Healthcare is provided by Lewis Gale Alleghany Hospital, which has emergency and surgical departments and contains imaging services, mental health and wellness, oncology, orthopedics, and multiple doctors’ offices. Other medical services are provided by Bath County Physicians, Carilion Clinic, and Greenbrier Physicians. Community Service Board provides in-person and virtual mental health, substance abuse, and crisis counseling. The area also has several physical therapy and rehab centers and home health care operations, 3 pharmacies, 5 walk-in clinics, 2 pain management clinics, and 4 nursing home/rehabilition centers. We enjoy a slower pace of life, lower crime rates, and a small-town charm with a friendly atmosphere. We show our creativity in the arts through the Alleghany Highlands Arts & Crafts Center and the Clifton Forge School of the Arts; with live performances held at the Historic Masonic Theatre and Amphitheatre, the River Rock Amphitheater, and by the Alleghany Highlands Arts Council. Mountain Gateway Community College offers 900-1,000 courses ranging from General Studies, to Nursing, CDL, Forestry, Technical education, and Hotel Management, etc. The college has a reference library and interlibrary loans for research, in addition to materials offered by the Alleghany Highlands Regional Library and the Clifton Forge Public Library. Four elementary schools educate younger children, with one middle school and one high school for older students. Two newspapers and one online journal provide local information, and two radio stations serve the area. Several parks and historical museums and centers are located in the Highlands, including the C & O Historical Society and Railway Heritage Center, the Alleghany Highlands Industrial & Technology Discovery Center, along with many pieces of historical information tht are housed at the Alleghany Historical Society and the Alleghany Highlands Genealogical Society. Several historic sites are located in the Highlands: the Humpback Bridge, Falling Springs Falls, Engine #701 at the Main Street Park, and Oakland Church and Cemetery; and 14 properties and districts are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with one National Historic Landmark, and 2 historic districts: Olde Town Covington Historic District and Rosedale Historic District. In addition, we are within driving distance of 60 miles to malls, award-winning resorts and restaurants, and other historical areas and travel destinations. Our geographic location offers wonderful outdoor opportunities. The Jackson River Scenic Trail covers 16 miles of hiking, biking, and horseback riding over both level and mountainous terrain. A smaller trail is located at the Jackson River Sports Complex, which is a 75-acre park boasting lighted tennis courts and athletic fields with ample bleacher seating; basketball courts, soccer and flag football fields, covered picnic shelters, a driving range and miniature golf. We are home to the Covington Lumberjacks, a team within the Valley League, a developmental league for collegiate baseball athletes. Moomaw and Douthat State Park and Lake offer camping, hiking and biking trails, fishing, swimming facilities, kayaking and boating opportunities, and picnic benches and shelters for small and large groups. The Alleghany Highlands YMCA provides classes and instruction, indoor sports, fitness activities, and indoor swimming. The Covington City Pool offers outdoor swimming with a diving area and children’s pool, shower facilities, and restrooms. Our area also has a bowling alley, riding stable, and an arcade/virtual reality family entertainment center. Two beautiful golf courses offer challenging play for both beginners and experienced golfers, and the Omni Homestead and Greenbrier courses are located within 30 minutes of driving. We live in a beautiful area with friendly people and pray for a pastor who is called to lead our church and embrace our community.