Description

Pastoral ministry includes a wide range of activities, so we expect our pastors to participate in each of the following areas. However, there may be particular areas for which God has gifted a pastor, and we expect such areas will comprise a larger percentage of the pastor’s focus. In order to foster the greatest flourishing for the pastor and the church, annual expectations will be agreed upon at the beginning of the year with the senior pastor. In keeping with our vision/mission, we seek a candidate who will help us reflect the diversity of our location and congregation.

Preaching and Teaching: 

CWE Church puts a high priority on quality preaching and teaching of God’s word. We seek an assistant pastor who is able to effectively contextualize the gospel for a diverse audience, while also cultivating their own “voice.” We desire a diversity of styles in the pulpit that can effectively speak to the various backgrounds and cultural narratives of the city. We expect this pastor will preach at least once a month, with seasons of the year that could involve more than that. 

Pastoral Care: 

Caring for the spiritual well-being of the congregation is the calling of every church elder, including the assistant pastor. CWE Church seeks someone who will enter into this work with compassion, patience, wisdom, humility, and love. While our vision includes a significant portion of shepherding to occur in community groups, our pastors must be available to address specific needs in the congregation. We expect the pastor and spouse (if applicable) to participate in a community group. 

Leadership: 

CWE Church is a “team effort.” Our leadership and organizational culture centers around a collaborative approach that values trusting and empowering our team-members for their various ministry areas. While much of the vision and mission is spearheaded by the senior pastor, we desire an assistant pastor who will be engaged in the day-to-day and long-term ministry decisions of the church, working closely with the session, the senior pastor, and the rest of the ministry team with humility, tenacity, and relational maturity. 

Discipleship: 

At the heart of Jesus’ missional vision is the call to make disciples, so one of our primary endeavors is helping people learn how to follow Jesus as Lord and Teacher for every aspect of life. We are looking for someone who is passionate about spiritual formation, deeply involved in the life of the church, and eager to participate in the design and implementation of relationships, classes, and rhythms that will form our congregants in the way of Jesus. 

Evangelism and Outreach: 

The Central West End and surrounding neighborhoods are a unique context, and we seek a pastor who is able to engage the diversity of cultural backgrounds with the gospel in a way that is compelling, comprehensible, and saturated with grace and wisdom. We seek an assistant pastor who is passionate about reaching people with the gospel, and who will be involved in one-on-one relationships, exploratory classes, and other endeavors designed to reach out to our neighbors with the good news of Jesus. 

Justice and Mercy: 

Addressing the racial wounds and inequities of St. Louis is a core part of our vision and mission. We desire an assistant pastor who shares that vision, and is able to speak wisely and humbly into the racial challenges of our cultural moment, to build partnerships in the community that will lead to healing and justice, and along with the senior pastor, to provide leadership, vision, and discipleship to the church as we pursue God’s vision of shalom and justice for the city. 

Character: 

More than any competency, we seek above all a person of character: someone who is unshakeable in the pursuit of a life transformed by the gospel and an ever-growing (though always imperfect) manifestation of Christ’s holiness and righteousness in every area. In addition to spiritual maturity, we value emotional and relational health, and the commitment to self-awareness and differentiation of self that undergirds it. We desire someone who listens well, who pursues humility, integrity, and purity, and especially someone who is devoted to a life of prayer and abiding in Christ. 

Cultural Fit: 

In such polarized times as we live, CWE Church seeks to maintain an unwavering commitment to God’s word and a Biblical worldview as we engage our community. We are also deeply committed to doing so with as open and humble a posture as possible. In a fractured culture with multiple ideologies (and idols), we value the difficult art of affirming what is good in the various cultural narratives, while simultaneously critiquing them in light of the gospel. A significant part of the interview process will involve dialog around the candidate’s view of and approach to some of the more heightened issues in our culture (e.g. race, gender, sexuality, politics, etc.), and especially the candidate’s Biblical philosophy for engaging culture in general. While we want to practice liberty and charity toward our fellow Christians with different convictions, wisdom leads us to seek a candidate who aligns with the leadership of the church in its approach to the challenges facing our society. 

Requirements

How to Apply

Primary Contact: Eric Stiller

Email: eric@centralwestendchurch.com

Phone: -

Apply Online: View