Lead Pastor at Saint James Brethren Church

I. Description

The Lead Pastor has the primary responsibility for preaching and teaching the Word of God and the sustaining of Biblical doctrines at Saint James Brethren Church. The Lead Pastor will be deeply rooted in God’s Word and able to competently discern and passionately communicate the Message in a fashion that is easily understood and compels life change. As the primary but not exclusive communicator for Saint James Brethren Church, the Lead Pastor will routinely connect the congregation to church leadership and its strategic direction, including ensuring awareness and understanding of leadership decisions, and motivating fulfillment of the Church’s mission and vision.

It is preferred the Lead Pastor remains in a long‑term ministry at Saint James Brethren Church.

• A clear testimony of faith in Jesus Christ.
• Acceptance of Biblical truths as described in the Word of God, the Holy Bible.
• Consistent spiritual and moral character and lifestyle.
• Agreement with the doctrinal statements of The Brethren Church.
• Commitment to abide by the Constitution and By‑Laws of Saint James Brethren Church.
• Effective leadership skills.
• Competent in organization, administration and interpersonal relationships.
• Strong in Biblical expository preaching.
• Master of Divinity degree from an accredited seminary is preferred.
• Minimum three years’ experience in a pastoral ministry; five years’ experience preferred.
• An Elder in good standing in The Brethren Church.

a) Preaching and Teaching

The Lead Pastor will devote sufficient time in leading the pastoral team in the areas of biblical preaching and teaching to communicate Biblical truth under the guidance and authority of the Holy Bible. It is expected the Lead Pastor will seek input from other ministry staff and/or ordained pastors in preparation for sermons. The Lead Pastor will also take a collaborative approach, involving other ministry staff and lay leaders, in planning the worship service, equipping and delegating teaching responsibilities to the ministry staff and lay leaders as needed.

The Lead Pastor shall count the number of Sunday’s out of the pulpit as part of vacation equal to the number of weeks of vacation agreed upon by the Board of Ministries. The Lead Pastor shall not count Sundays out of the Pulpit when he is physically present but has delegated preaching responsibilities to other individuals (guest speakers, youth Sunday, etc...).

Any additional Sundays out of the pulpit must be approved by the Board of Ministries.

b) Leadership for Ministry Staff and Lay Leaders

The Lead Pastor shall promote a team‑based ministry model with ministry staff, elected lay leaders, and volunteer lay leaders, setting the tone for a gospel‑centered ministry atmosphere, utilizing leadership skills to equip, support, encourage, motivate and organize other ministry staff and lay leaders to lead, plan and execute ministries of the church. The Lead Pastor will, along with the Saint James Brethren Church Board of Ministries, oversee discipleship programs and systems of the church including children/youth education, family, marital, adult education, as well as small groups and teams.

The Lead Pastor will conduct staff meetings, while collaborating with other ministry staff, in setting the agenda, for other ministry staff on a regular basis, a minimum of once a month or more frequently as applicable. The Lead Pastor will be responsible to create and revise job descriptions for other ministry staff with measurable responsibilities and ministry tasks. The Lead Pastor will also perform annual performance reviews on all other ministry staff with recommendations due to the Board of Ministries no later than August 31st of each year for merit‑based salary increases to be effective as church finances permit, beginning in January of the coming year.

c) Communicating Mission and Vision

It is expected the Lead Pastor will establish a regular schedule to study, research, and pray about where God is growing and taking Saint James Brethren Church, and subsequently lead in promoting the Saint James Brethren Church mission and vision to other ministry staff, lay leaders,…