Senior Pastor or Interim Pastor

Job Description

Contact: Send your résumé along with additional materials described below to the Pastoral Search Committee ().

Preliminary: In the main, we request that you submit a few important items for review:
• Cover Letter – We ask that you express your interest in the position, and offer a response to our Statement of Faith.
• A Curriculum Vitae/Resume – This should include your education, ministry experience/responsibilities, and publications.
• Three References – Please include their contact information. Among these, we request that one represent a longstanding friend/colleague.
• Statement of Philosophy – Please include a brief statement of your personal testimony and call to ministry. We also ask that you include a statement of your philosophy of ministry (approx. 1,000 words). With regard to the latter, we request that you address five fundamental issues: (1) preaching, (2) discipleship, (3) prayer, (4) community, and (5) missions.
General Description
Living Hope Bible Church is a multi-cultural, Gospel-centered church in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago. Doctrinally we are Reformed Baptists, holding to the New Hampshire Baptist Confession of Faith. The person we are looking for would first and foremost be a passionate preacher of the Gospel.

Though not required, we would welcome someone with a background in multi-cultural ministry. We want to model the Antioch church in the book of Acts which had ministers from various cultural backgrounds.

Concerning the following job description, it should be noted, that these are general guidelines. We hope that the man God calls to this position will be an ambitious, self-motivated person that will in many respects fill out his own job description.

Personal Skills:
1. Leadership – the Senior Pastor should be able to lead in a variety of contexts (individual, small groups, large groups) in such a way that Jesus Christ and his gospel are central. He should be a self-starter and an initiative-taker.
2. Relational – the Senior Pastor should have a heart to care for people, not just manage systems. That drive should manifest itself in the appropriation of time.
3. Administrative – while seeking mainly to shepherd people, the Senior Pastor should have the skill set and ability to effectively manage the various administrative tasks with the position.
4. Preacher – the Senior Pastor should be an effective preacher who is able to rightly handle the Word and joyfully engage in expository exultation personally. He should be ready to preach the majority of Sundays in the year.
5. Teacher/Equipper – the Senior Pastor should be able to effectively “equip the saints for the work of the ministry.” This begins with being a leader to the elders and deacons and then to the rest of the congregation, giving every opportunity for every member to be equipped and serving somewhere in the ministry of the church.
6. Communicator – the Senior Pastor should be able to clearly and concisely communicate the vision of the church to the elders and the members of LHBC on a consistent basis.
7. Peacemaker – the Senior Pastor should be able to tactfully and winsomely unite people with varying perspectives to advance harmony and love and to achieve common goals.

Essential Ministry Responsibilities:
The Senior Pastor shall…
1. Possess godly character by growing in grace and knowledge of God…
• By meeting the qualifications of 1 Timothy 1 and Titus 3.
• By maintaining a devotional life of prayer and meditation on the Word.
• By faith-enriching reading and study.
• By engagement in personal and corporate worship.
• By upholding the church’s statement of faith, constitution, covenant, and by-laws.
• By glad participation in mutual care and accountability with other believers.
2. Administrate
• By leading the church from the Scriptures so that all members of LHBC would learn to pray, grow in their knowledge of the word, evangelize, and make disciples.
• By preparing the notes for the monthly elders’ business meetings.
• By preparing notes and the calendar for the annual planning meeting in late fall.
• By communicating well with the elders regarding various difficulties and crises so they may help lift the burdens of the Senior Pastor.
3. Shepherd God’s flock…
• Preach and teach on a weekly (generally) basis.
• Organize the music ministry of the church (or delegate to proper person).
• Provide regular updates to the council of elders.
• Engage in shepherding, counseling, and at times crisis response.
• Train up leaders in the Spanish church.
• Carry out special projects (Bible institutes, various conferences).
• Participation in all regular church services as well as pastoral elders’ meetings and other pastoral staff events will be normally expected.
• Other pastoral duties as appropriate.
4. Participate in all regular church services: Sunday school – 9:30am, Sunday worship – 10:30am and Life groups.
5. Organize and participate in the annual church planning meeting.
6. Other administrative duties as appropriate.