The Role: Lead Pastor
Meet Lower Manhattan Community Church:
Lower Manhattan Community Church is a non-denominational Christian church serving Lower Manhattan and the surrounding areas of NYC and beyond. The people who come here have all kinds of religious backgrounds, and some have none at all—everyone is welcome.
Our church reflects the community around us in every way. Families of all sizes and structures and couples and individuals of every age and ethnicity find a warm and inviting place to learn what it means to have a relationship with God and to be a part of His family.
Since our founding in 2003, LMCC has been helping people turn toward God and one another and understand the grace and truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
About the Lead Pastor:
The Lead Pastor at LMCC will provide a vision for the future, define the mission of the church, and shepherd the spiritual lives of the church community. This person will have a heart that longs to see Christ’s Kingdom be established in New York City and continually seeks God for direction.
The Lead Pastor works in close partnership with the Executive Pastor to lead the staff and ministry leaders. As a senior leader of the church in collaboration with the Team of Elders, the Lead Pastor is responsible for the spiritual leadership and welfare of the church and its members. The Lead Pastor provides leadership for and actively participates in worship, education, discipleship, and evangelism for the spiritual life and growth of members. This person will plan and preside over services of public worship and lead the pastoral ministry of the church.
The Lead Pastor’s Responsibilities Include:
Vision, Mission, and Strategy
Seek the Holy Spirit’s direction to develop the vision, mission, and strategy with the Team of Elders.
Execute specific strategic initiatives in response to the vision and mission cast by the Team of Elders.
Regularly communicate the vision, mission, and strategy of LMCC to staff and members.
Gather, monitor, and share data and metrics to discern success, and advise and implement strategies for course correction if needed.
Set regular short and long-term priority goals.
Assist with identifying areas of staff needs and providing targets and goals for the Executive Pastor to strategize.
Build unity and alignment amongst staff.
Provide spiritual care, and nurture spiritual growth for staff.
Adhere to best practices for the workplace and assist staff in meeting those expectations.
Staff Oversight and Development
Ministry Development
Assist in the development of long-term strategic planning for growth in all ministries.
Empower people to unite as a church family and to live out their faith calling collectively and as individuals.
Oversee ministry programs and services.
Work in collaboration with other elders, pastors, staff, and congregants.
Establish the preaching calendar and preach over 70 percent of sermons at LMCC
Identify and develop other leaders, preachers, and testimonies to exalt Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Participate in active outreach and evangelism.
Represent the church within the wider community.
Participate in the prayer team.
Maintain a clear focus on congregational care, dedicating a significant portion of ministry toward crisis care, counseling, coaching, weddings, funerals, relationship building, etc.
Preaching and Teaching
Congregational Care
Operations
Work with other staff to implement improvements to the systems and processes of LMCC.
Work with the Finance Team and Team of Elders to analyze and report on financial matters at LMCC.
Personal Professional Development
Read books, attend conferences, and develop relationships with peers and mentors, both inside and outside LMCC.
What You Bring:
The following describes many of the characteristics of the ideal candidate for the Lead Pastor:
Education & Experience
Divinity degree or other formal Seminary training, required.
Minimum of 5 years of experience leading ministry staff, required.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Possesses the gifts and passions needed to lead, care for, and equip God’s people and lead a church staff.
The Pastor must be a compelling, gifted public communicator with a blend of humility and zeal.
Practitioner of best practices in administration.
Ability to collaborate well with the pastors, staff, congregants, and community.
Ability to maintain appropriate confidentiality.
Able to work in an office setting in NYC and navigate NYC transportation for wider community work.
Able to lift 25 lbs.
Personal Characteristics & Qualifications
Conforms in public and private to the qualifications for leaders found in 1 Timothy 3:1-15 and Titus 1:6-9.
Leads as a servant in a team-based system.
Offers respect and grace to each colleague, setting the tone and example for team ministry.
Must be a person of prayer and of the Word, sensitive and obedient to what the Spirit is saying to LMCC.
Seeks to undertake their duties in the power of the Holy Spirit, undergirded with prayer, guided by the Scriptures, and manifesting the character of Christ for the glory of God.
What it’s Like to Live in Lower Manhattan, NYC, NY:
Lower Manhattan is the heart of New York — it’s the source of life, movement, and soul. The city derives its character from hundreds of smaller communities that feel like worlds of their own. Every corner reveals new historical sites, people to meet, and places to commune.
As a neighborhood of sky-rises, Lower Manhattan offers big-city opportunity with personal community. Parks and greenery color the city, constantly inviting you to enjoy the outdoors. Lower Manhattan leaves nothing to be desired when it comes to finding something to do with friends and family — take a walk along the waterfront, eat at an old-school steakhouse, or enjoy a coffee on 17th-century cobbled Stone Street. You can even enjoy a picnic at Battery Park City with a perfect view of the Statue of Liberty!
This electric city never has a dull moment. Lower Manhattan is designed to pull people together, which has earned it the title of “home” for so many.