Discipleship PASTOR SEARCH

We invite you to explore the opportunity for ministry with Bethany Grace Fellowship. We are part of the body of Christ that seeks to be a thriving church that imitates Christ, impacts community for eternity and is the unified body of Christ. Our mission is to introduce people to Jesus, love each other as family and to grow together in Christ.


Accepting applications from October 1, 2020

The review of applications will begin as soon as applications are received.

Bethany will be reviewing files on a rolling basis and reserves the right to close the search at any time when a high quality pool of candidates emerges.



  • A Brief Introduction to Bethany Grace Fellowship

    In 1957, six families joined together to form a body of believers that sought to distance themselves from the rules of men with the vision of a church that would teach the true Word of God. They called themselves the Blue Ball Mennonite Church. Adopting the name Bethany Mennonite Church in 1959, they continued in their growth and understanding of what God was calling them to as part of the body of Christ. In 1961, they moved to their present location in East Earl, Pennsylvania and embarked on several building projects, dedicating their current 375 seat sanctuary and fellowship hall in 2006.


    Having initially distanced themselves from traditional legalism in 1959, by 2001 the congregation was further concerned about the direction of the national Mennonite Church USA. As they grew, they felt it necessary to step still further away from both the traditional perception of legalism and, the more recent liberal interpretations of scripture by the Mennonite Church USA. For this reason, Bethany opted for a name change to further distance themselves from positions with which they disagreed and became Bethany Grace Fellowship.


    Today, the congregation at Bethany enjoys preaching that is biblically based, relevant to our time, centered on a firm understanding of grace, man’s need for redemption, and the need to develop a personal relationship with Jesus. We are blessed with talented and dedicated musicians who lead us in contemporary praise and worship. Bethany has an active Care ministry that supports people in need, both in our body and in our community. Bethany desires to continue developing a thriving children’s ministry, women’s ministry, and men’s ministry to strengthen each individual and family. Over the years, Bethany has benefitted from active volunteerism, and has a high percentage of families who have adopted children. The congregation of Bethany is made of up just over 300 men, women and children. Bethany has been blessed financially and operates on an annual budget of approximately $650,000.


    Mission and Vision
    In March, 2019, the congregation at Bethany engaged in a visioning process to deliberately study, pray and listen to where God was leading. In May the congregation affirmed a vision and revised mission for Bethany. Bethany's goal has remained true from the beginning: to preach and teach the whole Word of God, free from man-made rules, a church that seeks to impact community for eternity. Bethany wants to thrive as a body, not just exist. Bethany believes that the church is called to be unified, and that we function best for the cause of Christ when we are. Bethany recognizes that the family is under attack in society and so many people do not have a positive model of a Godly family. Bethany wants to embrace others as family and to grow together into a deep relationship with Christ.


    In November 2019, Bethany welcomed Steve Benedict, accompanied by his wife Pam and children, as Lead Pastor. A native of Pennsylvania, Steve attended Maranatha Baptist University and Missio Seminary. He and Pam have ministered in Pennsylvania from 1991-2001 and then in the greater Washington D.C. area from 2001-2019. Steve believes that God has already implanted a vision within each local church and assembles people to accomplish that vision. He believes that his role as lead pastor, along with his fellow elders, is to cultivate an environment of spiritual health and vigor that will discover this vision and unleash the people to accomplish the work of the ministry. It is by equipping people for ministry (Eph. 4:11-14) and the unhindered exercise of each member's spiritual gifts (Rom. 12:3-8) that the church fulfill's God's mission of reconciliation to the world (2 Cor. 5:11-21). Pastor Steve believes that servant leadership is not a model, but THE model for God's Kingdom (John 13:1-17) and Bethany seeks a partner to lead discipleship in our church community.


    Governance Structure
    Bethany recognizes the Lord Jesus Christ as the Head of the Church, and the Bible as the absolute and final authority. Under this authority, the Board of Elders is the governing body of Bethany Grace Fellowship and has the power and authority to act on behalf of the congregation and its spiritual condition according our constitution and bylaws. Today, Bethany is affiliated with the Alliance of Mennonite Evangelical Congregations (AMEC) but is not subject to the oversight of the authority of any denominational group. 



  • A note from our Leadership Team...

    As Elders at Bethany Grace Fellowship, we believe that God has entrusted the stewardship of the Gospel to the local church, and He chooses to work through the local church to bring mercy, conviction, reconciliation, healing, and hope to a lost and dying world.


    We believe a healthy church will be made up of people from all ages, backgrounds, ethnicities, and maturity in their relationship with Christ. As each part of the body works together in unity, we will see the local church thrive, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ impact those in the church and those outside of the church.


    We are seeking a discipleship pastor who is passionate about the Gospel message and the local church. The right  candidate will be a team player who can provide leadership for the church and church ministries, alongside an engaged group of Elders. He will be passionate about seeing people grow in their knowledge of, and love for Jesus. He will look first to the needs of the congregation, to strengthen the congregation for ministry and outreach, while also looking for ways for us to collaborate with other churches and organizations as part of the larger body of Christ, to move the Gospel message forward.


    We are excited about the future of Bethany Grace Fellowship, and eagerly anticipate God’s provision of a discipleship pastor to help lead us forward.


    The BGF Elder Team

  • Discipleship Pastor Job Description

  • How to Apply

    To be submitted by each candidate:

    • Letter of introduction to include; a brief account of why you believe Bethany might be a fit for your ministry, as well as a statement of how you see your gifting working to propel the mission and vision of Bethany GF forward.

    • Resume

    • List of References - 3 or more including board member(s) from most recent ministry. Please include current email and phone numbers.

    • Letters of recommendation that you might have in your possession

    • Personal testimony (2 pages or less)

    • Personal testimony of spouse (2 pages or less)

    • A personal statement of doctrinal position

    • Links to 3 recorded examples of preaching

    Candidates are asked to send the following documentation as a single pdf file (less than 5MB is possible) attached to an email to: pastorsearch@bethanygf.org

    Shortlisted candidates will also be required to submit FBI and clearances from each state that they have worked and lived in.

    Bethany Grace Fellowship will not reach out to references without the knowledge and permission of the applicant.

    Our Search Committee will narrow our focus to a small number of finalists as early in the process as possible.  A finalist candidate(s) together with their spouse (if applicable) will be invited to Bethany Grace Fellowship to preach, meet the congregation, and to engage in interviews with the Search Committee, Ministry Leaders and the Elder Team.