Associate Pastor Bear Cove Baptist Church

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Job Title:

Associate Pastor

Location:

Bear Cove Baptist Church, Sparta, TN ((Use the "Apply for this Job" box below).)

Employment Type:

Full-Time

Reports To:

Pastor/Elder Team

• Preach and teach at least monthly in worship services (we have a Sunday AM & PM service) and as needed in other church settings.
• Assist in pastoral care, including hospital visits, counseling, and crisis support
• Participate in the weekly staff meeting and within a team of pastor/elders for strategic planning
• Uphold and promote the church’s theological convictions as outlined in the Baptist Faith & Message 2000
• Keep regularly scheduled office hours and follow policies and procedures as outlined in the church’s governing documents

• Organize and direct the Children’s ministry programs (bus ministry on Wednesday night and Sunday programming).
• Recruit, train, and manage volunteers for children’s activities.

• Develop and lead weekly gatherings, Bible studies, and discipleship programs for middle and high school students
• Equip students to live out their faith at home, school, and in the community
• Organize retreats, mission trips, and outreach events that foster spiritual growth and fellowship
• Build relationships with students through mentoring, presence at school events, and personal engagement

• Organize and oversee all College ministry activities
• Recruit, train, and oversee volunteers for the College ministry
• Organize fellowship, conference, and mission opportunities for 18-25 year olds

• Support and equip parents as the primary spiritual leaders of their homes
• Provide resources, teaching, and counseling that strengthen marriages and family discipleship
• Lead the ongoing effort to reach the unchurched families of students and assimilate them into the Bear Cove family
• Organize family-focused events and seminars that promote biblical parenting and family unity
• Collaborate with all student ministry leaders to ensure a cohesive discipleship pathway from childhood through early adulthood

• Must be qualified for eldership as outlined in 1 Timothy 3, Titus 1, and 1 Peter 5
• A clear testimony of trusting Jesus for salvation and a call to pastoral ministry
• Ordained or pursuing ordination within a like-minded church
• Full agreement with the Baptist Faith & Message 2000
• Familiarity with rural ministry and a commitment to shepherding with humility and grace

• Bachelor’s degree preferred (Bible College given greater preference)
• Master of Divinity preferred

• More than five years of student ministry experience required
• At least two years of vocational pastoral experience preferred
• Strong teaching and communication skills with theological depth and clarity
• Relationally warm, extroverted, and able to connect across generations
• Organized, driven, and able to lead volunteers effectively
• Proficient in digital communications and social media platforms for ministry use
• Self-starter who actively pursues people and ministry opportunities
• Able to preach expositional, Gospel-centered sermons
• Competency in Educational Ministry, Recreation, or Missions is a plus

• A supportive church family with a deep love for Scripture and sound doctrine
• Opportunity to shape a growing ministry in a tight-knit community
• Salary and benefits package commensurate with education and experience
• “Iron-on-Iron Mentorship” and collaboration with the pastor/elder team

If you feel called to serve students and families with gospel-centered passion and pastoral care, we’d love to hear from you.

To apply, please send your resume and a cover letter (which includes an introduction to you and your family, your calling to vocational ministry, and your sense of God’s calling to this position in Sparta, TN) to . Final date to receive applications is November 15.