Senior Pastor

Job Description

Dear Senior Pastor Candidate,

Thank you for your interest in the full-time position of Senior Pastor at Sylvania Church. Our church is seeking a pastor who is committed to passionately serving the Lord Jesus Christ and is gifted in preaching, teaching, shepherding, and discipleship.

We hope the church profile and job description you’ll find below will give you a deeper understanding of our church and what we believe is the role of a Senior Pastor at Sylvania. After reviewing this information, if you believe your spiritual gifting and passion for ministry would potentially be a good fit for our church, please follow the application instructions at the end of this document.

We sincerely appreciate your thoughtful consideration and prayers. If you have any questions or require further clarification, please reach out to .

Sincerely,

The Sylvania Pastor Search Team:
Chris Brody
Josh Garred
Paulette McKinney
Susan Middleton
Steve Mills
Laura Roberts

About Sylvania Church

Sylvania Church is a reformed Baptist church founded in the late 1950’s. Our purpose is to glorify God by gathering and equipping people to become passionate followers of the Lord Jesus Christ through expository preaching, bible teaching, relationship building, and missionary outreach. Theologically, our doctrinal positions closely resemble the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith. To learn more, see what we believe.

Our church is made up of approximately 135 households, and we average about 300 people in our Sunday morning worship service, including children. We are a multi-generational church with vibrant and growing ministries for toddlers, children, youth, women, and men. We strive for unity through understanding that we have differences in background, personality, culture, and ethnicity, as well as preferences in non-essentials of the Christian faith and practice. We generously support and engage in missionary efforts in our local community and throughout the world.

Our church government is best described as elder-led, congregation-ruled. We are governed based on a church constitution approved by the congregation. Our staff currently includes two full-time ministry staff members and two part-time administrative staff members. Our annual budget is approximately $700,000, and we have no debt.

Sylvania Church is seeking a Senior Pastor with a strong commitment to serving Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, who consistently maintains a growing and deepening relationship with Him. The ideal candidate for this role is marked by biblical preaching and shepherding. He will demonstrate a heart for discipleship and evangelism, will relate well with people of all ages, and will creatively adapt to new ways of impacting the congregation and the culture without compromising God’s Word. He will implement visionary leadership toward the mission of seeking to treasure Christ – together.

Primary Responsibilities of the Senior Pastor

Preaching and Worship:

— Prepare and expositionally preach God’s Word faithfully on Sunday mornings and for special services.
— Meet regularly with the Staff to coordinate the themes and content of the worship services and ensure complete preparation for weekly worship.
— Share in the oversight and administration of the sacraments with the Elders and Deacons.

Leadership and Administration:

— Bring biblical truth and a Christ-like example to all areas of ministry at Sylvania Church.
— Work with leadership, Staff, and the congregation to help fulfill the mission of Sylvania Church.
— Participate in Elder Board meetings as a permanent vocational Elder.
— Facilitate the operational collaboration of the church Staff and lead weekly Staff meetings.
— Work with the Elders to conduct annual reviews and meet monthly with Staff for check-in and goal setting.
— Provide leadership that equips, empowers, and encourages Staff and volunteers to most effectively impact the areas of ministry where they serve.
— Work with the Elders to provide directional and visionary leadership for the ministry of the church.
— Represent Christ and the congregation faithfully within our community and denomination.
— Defend and uphold the unity of the Body of Christ universal and local.

Congregational Care:

— Work with the Staff, Elders, and Deacons to discern and provide appropriate care to the congregation and community.
— Conduct pastoral care and hospital visits as needed and in partnership with the Staff, Elders, and Deacons.
— Provide individual short-term pastoral counseling for members as able/requested and make referrals to other helping agencies and counselors as needed.
— Administer weddings and funerals as able/requested.
— Work to develop deep, mutually accountable friendships among the people of Sylvania.

Discipleship and Evangelism:

— Provide leadership and equipping for adult discipleship.
— Along with the Staff, provide oversight for the discipleship of children and youth.
— Schedule and lead classes or seminars that help members and visitors deepen their faith in the Word and commitment to Sylvania Church.
— Emphasize and fan the flame of evangelism through prayer, preaching, leadership, and decision-making.
— Model personal evangelism through connections with unchurched individuals, visitors, and outreach efforts.
— Support the Ministry Teams that promote growth and outreach.

Personal Qualifications:

— Pursue growth as a disciple of Christ and engage in regular spiritual disciplines.
— Possess prior experience as a lead teaching/preaching pastor.
— Affirm the authority of Scripture, the Sovereignty of God, the Lordship of Jesus Christ and the Guidance of the Holy Spirit.
— Interpret cultural issues according to their philosophical and theological foundations and equip the congregation to respond within a Biblical worldview to impact the world without compromising God’s Word.
— Model and encourage a lifestyle of prayer and promote the importance of prayer.
— Welcome and embrace a diversity of people from all ages, ethnicities, socio-economic statuses, cultures, and spiritual gifts.
— Model integrity and responsibility in family roles and relationships.
— Model a Biblical work ethic.

Accountability:

— Maintain healthy boundaries and balance between family and work.
— Establish office hours and maintain a personal weekly schedule with flexibility as needed.
— Complete a formal evaluation once a year with the Elder Board.
— Regularly seek the wisdom and input of other Pastors and those who fill a discipling role.
— Utilize provided professional development time and funding for the benefit of the ministry at Sylvania.
— Utilize provided counseling time and funding for personal spiritual well-being.
— Participate in a network with other area pastors that meet regularly for support, resourcing, and encouragement.