St. Andrew’s United Church in Cairo, Egypt, seeks Pastor
St Andrew’s United Church, an interdenominational, international congregation in the heart of Cairo, Egypt, invites applications from interested individuals for the position of Pastor.
History and Profile
Established by the Church of Scotland in 1899 to cater to the needs of the British and Commonwealth military personnel based in Cairo, St Andrew’s has since evolved into an inter-denominational and international congregation that actively bears witness to God’s faithfulness in the heart of the city. In 1979, the congregation founded the St Andrew’s Refugee Services (StARS) to provide refugees from the Horn of Africa and Iraq with psychosocial and legal services. In addition, StARS also operates a full-day school to provide formal and continuing education to refugee children and adults, many of whom now come from Sudan and South Sudan. Today, StARS ranks as one of the best-performing refugee schools in the city.
St. Andrew’s has a congregational membership of between 40 and 50 members, mostly adults. Regular weekly worship services are held on Friday mornings. A contemplative service is held on Sunday evenings and is usually attended by working professionals in the area. The whole congregation is English speaking, although for some it is their second or third language. Friday worship services are often followed by Bible study where congregants are given the opportunity to deepen their spiritual growth.
The congregation has an active community life. Social gatherings are often held to mark special occasions and bring members together. In addition, the congregation frequently organises spiritual retreats outside of Cairo or visits to historic monasteries located outside the city.
St. Andrew’s is part of the Protestant Synod of the Nile. The Pastor is part of a monthly pastor’s fellowship, which includes local clergy of all denominations in Cairo (Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant). The pastors of the English Speaking International congregations (All Saints’ Anglican Cathedral, Heliopolis Community Church, Maadi Community Church and St. John’s Anglican and St Michael’s Anglican) meet several times a year. A joint Ash Wednesday service is held with the other English-speaking congregations.
A total of seven other congregations worship on the grounds of St Andrew’s as well, representing the diverse spectrum of Protestant Christianity in Egypt. They include one Nuer and two Dinka congregations from Sudan, a congregation of Ethiopians, the Cairo Christian Fellowship (an English-speaking Egyptian group), the Sadat Academy Fellowship (a Coptic Orthodox youth group), and the Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship.
More information about St. Andrew’s is available at our website: www.standrewschurchcairo.com
Job Description
The call committee has identified eight expectations of its future pastor for the care of St. Andrew’s congregation:
- Organizing and leading worship
- Preaching God’s Word and administering the sacraments
- Organizing Christian education for adults and children as possible
- Pastoral visitation and counseling
- Administration and committee work
- Developing our relationships with our partner congregations and the Synod of the Nile
- Maintaining relations with the wider community
- Relating faith to living abroad
Qualifications
The congregation, meeting in retreat last fall, identified five priorities for its future minister:
1) Having a heart for people – conscientious, fully committed to the pastoral ministry at St. Andrew’s.
2) Offering leadership – identifying, raising up, and empowering others to action.
3) A learning and sharing style of teaching, capable of drawing out insights from people in their diversity, while still having his/her own vision and being clear in his/her Christian confession.
4) Creative and imaginative in a) reaching out to other English speakers who could become part of our community and b) making connections with non-English language congregations and refugees who are part of our context.
5) Able to live and minister in complex, confusing, and sometimes alarming matrix of situations that make up Cairo today.
It would be preferred that the minister be ordained, have earned a Master of Divinity degree or its equivalent, and have had some prior international ministry experience. He/she should demonstrate cultural sensitivity and interest in the Middle East. And it would be an advantage if the individual had some knowledge of Arabic, though this is not required for service in the congregation itself.
The Pastor is expected to commit himself/herself to a minimum of two years with the congregation.
Renumeration
This pastorate has an historic relationship with the Presbyterian Church in the USA (PCUSA), the Reformed Church of America (RCA), and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), but is no longer financially supported directly by any of them. The congregational offerings are sufficient to cover operating expenses, but not enough to provide pastoral renumeration. Consequently it must be considered a volunteer position. The church will facilitate low-cost missionary housing for its pastor through the PCUSA, and the use of a car through the ELCA. The Pastor will be supported by an accountant, a gatekeeper, part-time custodial staff, and a part-time sacristan.