Information about Genesis Church and Mexico:
Genesis Church was started in 2015. We recognized that in Audrain County, approximately 70% of our population was not connected to a church. With the vast number of churches in our area, we understood that something had to change about the methods we were using to reach non-believers in our area.
We created Genesis Church with the specific goals of targeting these unchurched (never had a church home) and de-churched (haven’t been to church in 10+ years). This meant a shift in methods that made us unique in our area. We began intentionally using outsider-focused language to make sure no one felt confused, casual dress, modern music, small groups to connect people, and focused discipleship groups to make sure we were following God’s calling to make disciples in our area.
We made the decision to be an elder-led church after studying Scriptural leadership in depth. That means every major decision about the theology, mission, vision, and direction of Genesis Church is made by a group of men (currently 7) who have been thoroughly investigated and are believed to meet all Biblical qualifications for leadership. Our deacons also meet Scriptural requirements, and perform what we believe are the Biblical functions of a deacon: service and conflict management.
Genesis Church is growing rapidly. We experience this type of growth from the time we began until the COVID-19 pandemic, during which we experienced the same 30-40% loss as other churches. We used that time to press a “restart” button on Genesis, and since then we have been trending upwards, averaging around 250-300 people in all areas on Sunday mornings. As we targeted unchurched and de-churched people, attendance is often sporadic as some new believers can’t or don’t attend each week. This and other metrics lead us to believe we are closer now to a church of 500 total people. This has caused us to experience some growing pains as we only have 2 paid staff members: A full-time lead pastor (Jeff Stott), and a bi-vocational Worship and Children’s pastor (Chris Creech). Both of these helped start Genesis. Chris also oversees technology, which is why we are looking for a Student Pastor that can also take some of those duties, freeing Chris up to do more focused ministry. We are excited to see the change and push that another staff member can bring!
The goal for this position is to eventually make it a full-time position. Currently, the resources are not where they need to be to have three full-time staff members. However, that number is also trending up as more new believers see the value in worshipping through giving.
Our student ministry is currently in need of someone to build it almost from the ground up. Our first student pastor, Ben Schnipper, helped to found Genesis Church. During COVID, our finances were unable to support him and his family without a second full-time job. This was obviously difficult to balance, and he is now the student pastor at Union Hill Baptist in Holt’s Summit, MO. We are still on great terms with Ben, and he leads an annual mission trip that also includes Genesis. He is available for contact (contact us to request a contact with him) to confirm that we are a healthy, vibrant place to work! Since then, we have used a part-time youth director and two volunteer youth directors. With our growth, we know that we would be best served to hire someone who can devote more time and energy to this position and the development of our students.
Finally, a little about Mexico, Missouri:
Mexico has between 11,000 and 12,000 people, and Audrain County has about 23,000. As mentioned earlier, we are around 70% unchurched. It is the home of the Missouri Military Academy. Many of the cadets there choose to worship with us at Genesis. Mexico is also highly affordable, at 19% less expensive than the national average. We have a low unemployment rate with many employment opportunities to help with bi-vocational pastoring.