Associate Pastor – Sunflower Bible Church

Associate Pastor

The Associate Pastor serves and partners with the Lead Pastor in overseeing the spiritual direction, preaching, ministry, outreach, and worship services of Sunflower Bible Church. His particular focus is to grow and shepherd the church’s discipleship pathway, focusing specifically on youth ministry and small group ministry. He must be committed to equipping our congregation to sow abundantly, grow biblically, and pray always for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

• Next Generation: Develops and implements the church’s vision and mission for youth ministry—middle school & high school.
• Small Groups: Helps the Lead Pastor in developing and implementing a small group ministry that engages the local community.
• Church Ministry: Collaborates with church staff and volunteers to facilitate weekly church ministry as well as special events, such as local outreach, retreats, conferences, outdoor baptisms, memorial services, etc.
• Preaching: Serves as a primary teacher for youth ministry and preaches to the whole church during Sunday Worship services about once a month.
• Worship: If the associate pastor has any musical skills, he’ll be encouraged to occasionally serve alongside our Worship Director in worship planning.
• Outreach: Oversees local community partnerships, outreach initiatives, and mission work along with other church leaders and staff.
• Communication: Clearly communicates the church’s vision and values to the congregation and the wider community.
• Confession of Faith & Church Bylaws: Safeguards Sunflower Bible Church by upholding the church’s beliefs and non-denominational governance.

The following describes many of the characteristics of the ideal candidate for the Associate Pastor.

• Bachelor’s Degree from an Accredited Evangelical Seminary, Bible College, or Equivalent Training/Education Program.
• 5 or more years of ministry experience.

• Must have good preaching and communication skills, serving as the primary teacher for youth ministry and preaching during Sunday Worship services about once a month.
• Able to clearly communicate the church’s vision and values to both the congregation and the wider community.
• Must be skilled in leadership and team management, expected to be an excellent manager who develops strong teams and effectively assigns tasks to staff and volunteers.
• Possesses the passion and ability to develop and implement the church’s vision and mission for the Next Generation.
• Ability to help the Lead Pastor in developing and implementing the small group ministry.
• Must be motivated by relationships and has the natural ability to connect people to each other and to the ministry of Sunflower Bible Church.
• Ability to serve as a true second chair leader who helps create the ministry culture.
• Proficient in using Planning Center Online.

• Biblical Qualifications for Deacon as Outlined in 1 Timothy 3 and Sunflower’s Confession of Faith & Bylaws.
• Affirms The Gospel Coalition (TGC)’s Theological Vision for Ministry & Confession of Faith.
  • Key Distinctives:
    Affirms Christocentrism, Calvinism, Credobaptism, Complementarianism.
• Adaptable and Flexible:
  Must be adaptable, able to pinch‑hit in various ministries, and willing to grow with the church over time. Must be open and able to innovate based on context.
• Connector:
  Relationally motivated, eager to connect with people, comfortable going into people’s homes, and observant with strong emotional intelligence.
• Galvanizer:
  Will be excited to take the position and run with it to build something new and take ideas and make them realities.
• Authentic:
  Must show up consistently with authenticity and a genuine spirit.
• Teachable and Humble:
  Must be teachable and possess the overall humility valued and lived out by the leadership of Sunflower Bible Church.
• Visionary and Creative:
  Must be visionary, wanting to create things, and possess the freedom and creativity needed to help set the ministry culture.
• Ownership:
  Must take ownership of the church as a leader, and be willing to pitch in and help with any task to further the mission.
• Committed to Ministry as a Calling:
  Must view the position as a calling from God that flows from daily devotion, not just a 9‑to‑5 job.

We believe the position of a pastor at any church is more than an 8‑5 job: it’s a calling from God that flows from daily devotion to the Bible. The Associate Pastor will follow a 30/30/30 model: approximately 30% of time dedicated to preaching, worship, and evangelistic outreach; 30% to shepherding spiritual growth; 30% to leading the church through meetings. The role requires non‑standard hours such as evenings, Sunday mornings, Christmas, and Easter, with a healthy biblical rhythm of rest.