Meet Abundant Life:
Abundant Life is a Christian church operating a year-round child care center and an academically challenging K-8 private school, reaching the greater Boston area and southern New Hampshire. We are a diverse, intergenerational church that experiences abundance in God’s presence together. We are more than just a place of worship, we are a home for anyone. We offer great programming in a tight-knit community that wants to help you grow in your faith and make an impact on the world. Throughout the week, our early childhood Learning Center and K-8 school deliver high quality Christian education in a loving, nurturing environment. Students have daily opportunities to engage in worship, Bible study and prayer to further their love and trust of Jesus Christ.
Mission
We exist to love God, love others, and make disciples. As we prayerfully connect and build relationships with people, we will show and tell the Good news of God’s loving forgiveness and help to guide people to an initial and growing relationship with God through Christ.
Vision
To glorify God by helping people become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.
About the Senior Pastor:
Abundant Life is seeking their next Senior Pastor. The Senior Pastor will work as a leader alongside the CEO and within the Senior Leadership Team (Director of Finance, School Principal, Directors of the Learning Center, and Director of Advancement) to help create an environment where Christ is first in all we do and all ministry components (church, school, learning center) are integrated to create opportunities for evangelism and discipleship. The Senior Pastor is responsible for the overall spiritual health and direction of the church, its ministries and the direction of the church. In accordance with the mission, vision, by-laws, charters and constitution of the church, the Senior Pastor will lead the staff and congregation to accomplish the Great Commission and the Great Commandment and to implement the goals of evangelizing, making disciples, assimilating new members, worshiping the Lord, and meeting the needs of the community. The Senior Pastor will also help the school and learning center integrate faith and the discipleship of students with academic development. They will help create a culture that naturally and readily accepts that academic development is a subset of discipleship and that developing students spiritually is as important as developing them academically.
This opportunity is a Senior Pastor Successor and will begin by working alongside the retiring Senior Pastor in the church’s ministry. He will share general pastoral duties working with the Senior Pastor, with the anticipation of becoming Senior Pastor in the summer of 2025.
The ideal start date for this appointment is August of 2024.
The Senior Pastor’s Responsibilities Include:
The Senior Pastor takes responsibility for the following key functions:
Strategic Responsibilities:
To develop and lead a strategy and plan to reach/connect with the unchurched next generation in a way that attracts and retains new and younger church attendees to ensure a growing church population and a thriving church community for years to come.
Support and align performance of position with the Purpose and Mission of the ministry.
Adhere to and behave in a manner consistent with the Statement of Faith.
Work within the organizational structure of the ministry and in accordance with the Elder Board and Administrative Board Charters.
Help create a culture and environment where congregants, parents and students accept God’s gift of salvation and help them grow in their faith through his personal witness and Christian role modeling.
Preach and teach the Word of God to lead people to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and to help them grow to spiritual maturity.
Equip attendees and leaders for effective ministry in God’s kingdom. Seek to challenge, develop and motivate new leaders by mentoring, teaching, and providing opportunities to serve, including preaching as appropriate.
Develop and ensure the implementation of a spiritual growth plan across the entire ministry.
Cultivate spiritual gifts within the church body.
Along with the Principal, develop and implement strategies and efforts to integrate small group programs in the school.
Create programs and efforts to integrate the programs and activities of the school, learning center and church to create an environment whereby evangelism and discipleship can flourish.
Seek to preserve the unity of the ministry, building a culture of love for one another and leading constituents and attendees through reconciliation when necessary.
Effectively manage a changing and growing ministry environment.
To lead change in a manner where we do not depart from our vision and mission.
To address today’s social issues in a loving manner.
To hold yourself and others accountable in a loving manner.
To grow all components of the ministry for the purpose of discipleship.
Tactical Responsibilities:
Help create, develop, and oversee the small group ministry in the church, and to lead by example in creating and leading a group.
Equip and train the Prayer Team to pray with empathy for attendees.
Ensure that a Bible curriculum is developed and implemented in the school.
Ensure the development and implementation of a robust chapel program in the school.
Ensure the development and implementation of mentoring programs in the school.
Direct the assimilation of new attendees into the life of the congregation.
Lead regular staff meetings.
Provide leadership for Sunday worship.
Watch over the spiritual welfare of the church.
Administer the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
Perform marriages, funerals, and child dedications of church attendees.
Instruct the attendees in true and practical Christian living.
Oversee and provide appropriate leadership to and management of the pastoral and administrative staff.
Overall management of the church departmental budget, and as the biggest cheerleader of the church, is responsible to help the church reach its annual budget goals by teaching Biblical financial truths to the congregation.
Lead by example in stewardship matters by supporting the work of the church through tithes, offerings, and regular teaching about financial and stewardship issues.
Maintain a good working relationship with the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference.
Oversee, with the Elders, all church discipline matters.
Ensure effective communications within the ministry and community.
Be the main spokesperson for the church in all external communications with the community through radio, news media, outreach communications, and social media.
Provide pastoral care to church attendees and make appropriate referrals when necessary.
Visit shut-ins periodically and either call or visit church attendees in the hospital (depending on the length of their stay).
Other responsibilities as assigned by the Elder Board.
What You Bring:
The following describes many of the characteristics of the ideal candidate for the Senior Pastor:
Qualifications
Preference will be given to candidates with a minimum of five (5) years as an Associate Pastor of a growing, Bible-believing church.
Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Bible, theology, pastoral studies, or ministry.
Demonstrable strength in leadership ability.
Confident, driven, and dynamic leader.
Demonstrable conflict resolution skills.
Superior verbal and written communication skills, and excellent interpersonal skills.
Proven ability as a manager of people.
Competencies & Expectations
In order to successfully respond to the challenges of the role, the Senior Pastor will be a highly motivated individual with superior relationship, management and interpersonal skills and should represent the following characteristics (both personal and professional experience):
Be a devoted follower of Jesus Christ, demonstrating Christlike character and the fruit of the Spirit.
Strong understanding of the ministry and a belief in and passion for its mission and vision.
An inspirational leader able to motivate staff to achieve objectives, operate with integrity and aspire to develop an authentic Christlike environment.
Ability to prepare and manage a departmental budget.
Strong relationship-building skills.
Maintains a vital personal relationship with the Lord through daily Bible reading and prayer.
Maintains proper priorities at home with his family.
Strong verbal and written communication skills.
A strategic thinker, able to cast a compelling vision that unifies the body and reinforces the mission and purpose of the church and its ministries.
Be an example of servant leadership.
Possess a growth mindset for the purpose of achieving the mission and vision of the ministry.
To be a change agent and manage the process of change in a spiritually mature manner.
Ability and willingness to work within the organizational structure, charters, and by-laws of the ministry.
Personal Characteristics
The Senior Pastor will have the following personal characteristics:
Humble
Collaborative
Passionate
Personable, approachable, and friendly
Strategic thinker
Trustworthy
Relational
Encouraging and inspirational
Possessing a heart of worship
Energetic and dynamic
Team player
What it’s Like to Live in Wilmington, MA:
Located about 17 miles from Boston, Wilmington is a quiet and friendly place to call home. The area offers its residents a small-town feel while also providing quick access to city life. It is very family-oriented with good school systems and a low crime rate. If you are a coffee lover, look no further as the town has a variety of options for everyone to enjoy.
Wilmington Town Common is a gathering place where fun local parades, summer concerts and community charities are often held. The Fun on the Fourth carnival and fireworks is an excellent community event. The beach at Silver Lake is also a highlight for many families. These combined with the great love for their neighbors, children, and public servants truly add to Wilmington’s small-town charm. If you would like to experience the big city, just hop on one of the railways that will take you straight into Boston, where the activities are endless.
Whether it is enjoying their famous lobster rolls, cheering on the Red Sox, Bruins or Celtics, going to the Boston Pops, watching Les Miserables or the Nutcracker at a theater, you will not run out of things to do! Ocean beaches, the mountains and all they have to offer are also not very far away.
