Associate Priest of Formation Church Cross Austin

Apply here:

We seek an experienced pastor to continue developing our formation opportunities and serve as a key member of our leadership team. A successful Associate Priest of Formation will be a disciple of Jesus who loves and obeys God (Mt 22:37-38; Lk 9:23), loves the Church, and longs for more people to know Christ. Animated by developing staff and laity to live into their calling, this person is passionate about communities and individuals being formed in the image of Christ, and could be described as warm, creative, flexible, and eager to know and love those who are different from them.

As a priest on staff, this person takes prayer seriously and has a heart for worship, including liturgical Anglican worship.

Church of the Cross Austin (COTC) is a vibrant and growing Anglican church of over 350 regularly active participants (adults and children). Located in Northeast Austin, COTC draws from a wide geographic area with growing engagement in its immediate neighborhoods. As a ten‑year‑old church, COTC is marked by creative and missional energy, an invitational culture, and the development of structures necessary for sustained growth.

The people of COTC are thoughtful, generous, and active, and engage enthusiastically in a variety of formation opportunities such as neighborhood groups and formation classes (J‑Terms). We desire to deepen our life in Christ, our life together, and our presence to our neighbors.

• Humility &
  
  Collaboration:
  
  We want to work together, and value opportunities to learn from and serve one another
• Honesty & Reliability:
  We love laboring on a team where we can trust and depend on each other
• A Desire to Grow:
  We embrace that we are unfinished, and are eager to lean into opportunities for personal and professional growth
• Contending for Joy:
  We follow in the way of Jesus, who “for the joy set before him endured the cross” (Heb 12:2)

• Neighborhood Groups:
  Provide pastoral oversight and support of group leaders with regular training, equipping, and care. Be the lead “face” of groups to the congregation, building groups as a place of consolation and transformation
• Newcomer Welcome and Coordination:
  Work with pastoral staff to connect with newcomers, following up personally where appropriate. Assist the rector in leading COTC Essentials (Membership) Class and Newcomer Lunches
• Supervision:
  Supervise and develop the Director of Children’s Formation and the Director of Student Formation
• Spiritual Formation:
  Partner with the rector to lead spiritual formation offerings and efforts in the life of the parish (e.g. Baptism preparation, J‑terms, other course offerings, confirmation classes)
• Men’s Ministry:
  Give particular leadership to men’s ministry, including the men’s retreat and men’s discipleship gatherings
• Other duties as agreed upon and deemed necessary by the Rector

• Preaches, celebrates, & baptizes regularly, as discerned in conversation with the Rector
• Provides pastoral care and presence to the broader COTC community
• Serves on the executive leadership team, alongside the Rector, the Associate Priest of Care and Mission, and the Director of Operations
• As a member of the staff team, leadership and participation are expected at significant moments in the life of the community, including:
  Fall Kick-Off, Parish Retreat, All Saints, Christmas Eve & Day, Ash Wednesday, Holy Week/Easter, Pentecost, & Creation Care Camp

• An ordained priest in the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), or has a seminary degree and is willing to be ordained in the ACNA
• Aligns theologically with the ACNA and our Diocese, as well as C4SO’s posture regarding women in leadership
• Wholeheartedly embraces the vision and values of COTC
• 5+ years of parish ministry experience, or equivalent, during which they developed ministries and lay leaders
• Supervisory experience highly preferred