The Associate Pastor is one who is elder qualified and who aspires to pastoral ministry, has sought to cultivate his gifts for advancement of the Kingdom, and who is actively living out the Great Commission and Great Commandment. He has a passion to equip the saints for the work of the ministry within a multigenerational setting. He has a zeal for the Word of God and a desire to teach with conviction and confidence, leading members of the congregation towards Christlikeness. The Associate Pastor casts a vision for the ministries under his direction.
Detailed Job Description
A. Youth: The Associate Pastor will come alongside the youth of our church discipling them in the Word, equipping them to serve in the world.
– Discipleship vision: He will shepherd our high school and middle school youth toward biblical maturity. He will equip our students with a solid, biblical foundation prior to their graduation. His discipleship responsibility will include engaging, relevant biblical teaching.
– Equipping volunteers: He will train volunteers within the youth ministry to be disciple-makers.
– Whole church integration: He will encourage the youth and the church to be in community together. He will work with other leaders to provide opportunities for youth to serve and lead in church ministries.
– Encouraging parents: He will be an available and biblically reliable resource for parents and guardians. He will also work closely with adult discipleship leaders to help support parents and guardians to disciple their youth.
– Youth/family missions: He will oversee opportunities for youth to engage in evangelism and will mobilize our youth for missions both local and global.
– Relationship-building: He will seek opportunities to meet the youth, their friends, and family in the community, and to build bridges to Living Hope Church.
– Counseling: He will provide biblical guidance to parents and guardians, and youth. When needed he will assist the Senior Pastor with counseling.
– Administration: He will coordinate the youth group schedule, including regular meetings and special events. He will work with the Elder and Deacon teams to evaluate the budget needs of the youth group.
B. Pastoral Ministry: The Associate Pastor will serve in various ministry capacities according to his individual gifts.
– Elder Team: He will be a member of the Elder team, working collaboratively to guide and shepherd the church.
– Preaching: He will have regular opportunities to preach during the Sunday morning worship service.
– Leadership: He will be expected to give leadership in some area of ministry according to his gifts, passions, and personality. Examples may include: leading a small group, facilitating outreach, serving in the community.
Personal Qualifications
The candidate will be elder qualified.
Possesses personality, temperament, and interpersonal skills to relate and serve effectively within a multi-generational congregation setting.
Displays Christian character and servant leadership in the church and home/family setting.
Gives evidence of a spiritually-balanced life: prayer, Bible study, accountability, rest, worship, and financial stewardship.
Is doctrinally aligned with the EFCA Statement of Faith, and with the Mission, Vision, and Values statement of Living Hope Church.
Demonstrates a strong work ethic and personal integrity.
Education and Skills
Able to teach the Bible and other biblical-based material faithfully and engagingly.
A maturing leader, comfortable with equipping volunteers to express their God-given gifts in service of the Kingdom.
Demonstrate knowledge and ability to guide a seeker to become a baptized disciple of Jesus.
Knowledge and ability to use the Bible to guide a new disciple to ongoing spiritual maturity.
A college degree. A Masters of Divinity would be welcomed.
An openness to pursuing additional education if lacking a M.Div.
Possesses or is willing to seek ordination within the EFCA.
A track-record of ministry experience, in either a volunteer or official capacity.
Hours and Benefits and Expectations
The Associate Pastor will be classified as a full-time employee with a salary based on education and experience. Benefits offered will be consistent with the current policy for insurance, paid time off (PTO), and holidays. This is a minimum 40-hours-per-week position. The Elder team will provide formal feedback and job assessment at regular intervals. He will submit to a police background check and child abuse clearance check.