Religious | Southern Baptist Convention
5501 E Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy
St Cloud, FL 34771
https://www.gracestcloud.org
Full-Time
Posted: Apr 26, 2022
Application Deadline: Jul 16, 2022
Description
Grace Community Church (GCC) is an elder led congregationally governed church of approximately two hundred people (and growing) located in Saint Cloud, Florida. With a population of fifty thousand plus and growing fast, St. Cloud has all the amenities of a larger city while retaining a small-town feel. One of the fastest growing populations in our county (Osceola) is the Hispanic Community. This is driving a desire for GCC to serve this community through the planting of a Reformed Hispanic Church.
We are affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and are members of the Reformed Baptist Network.
The Statement of Faith of Grace Community Church is the Abstract of Principles (1858) and the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession of Faith.
For more information about our church please visit our website: https://www.gracestcloud.org
Job Description
- Participates in the leadership, instruction, and shepherding of Grace Community Church and oversees various ministries of the church, with particular focus on discipleship, evangelism, outreach, and church planting.
- Works closely and openly with the other shepherd-elders, especially the other vocational pastor, as an equal member of the elder council.
- Develops and executes a plan for commencing a Reformed Baptist church plant in Osceola County, Florida within three years through a core group and substantial funding from GCC.
- He will oversee and coordinate, unless otherwise decided by the elder council from time to time, the following ministries of GCC, in consultation with the elder council and others given oversight responsibility, for the purpose of equipping the saints for the work of service:
Discipleship – Primary oversight of the educational ministry of the church including volunteer recruiting, curriculum development, event management, and team management.
Evangelism and Outreach – Primary oversight of the evangelism and outreach ministry of the church.
Church Planting - Primary oversight of the church planting ministry of the church as follows:
This position is designed to be a transitional position that gives the candidate experience in a plural-elder church ministry context with the goal of developing and commencing a church plant within three years.
He will work with the elders to develop a plan, a location, a core group, the necessary funding strategies, and all other requirements in order to plant a sister plural-elder, Reformed Baptist church in the Osceola County area.
With the number of Spanish speakers in this area, we expect this church plant to be bilingual. Thus, he needs to be bilingual and able to preach, teach, and shepherd comfortably in both Spanish and English.
He must have a strong desire and ability for such a church plant and for the regular preaching and teaching of the word of God in both Spanish and English, as this will be one of his primary roles in the church plant. In preparation for this, he will be expected to preach on Sunday mornings 6-12 times per year and hone his preaching skill through mentoring by the other elders. He may also be called upon to preach on Sunday evenings.
He must participate in a church planting assessment, in close communication with the elders, as a pre-requisite for employment.
General Pastoral and Oversight Responsibilities – Share the responsibility for general oversight of, and ministry to, the needs of the congregation
Salary: Undisclosed
Requirements
Position Qualifications
Character
- He must meet the Scriptural qualifications for elder (1 Timothy 3:2-7 ; Titus 1:6-9)
- He must be a man of integrity in his private and public life, so as to be an example to the church (1 Timothy 4:12-16).
- He must have a gentle shepherd’s heart and diligent work ethic in his ministry:
- He must have a passion to see the people of God mature as followers of Christ.
- He is committed to joyfully, tenderly, and eagerly feeding, caring for and protecting the flock of God at Grace Community Church (1 Thessalonians 2:7-8).
- He shows humility and transparency and must be able to receive and give correction graciously (2 Timothy 2:24).
- He demonstrates a personal love for God and for His Word that overflows into diligent serving, guiding, and instructing the flock as a steward of God (1 Peter 5:1-3; 1 Tim 5:17; 1 Corinthians 4:1-2).
- He embraces a vision for God’s glory that encompasses the whole world, and is able to provide leadership in outreach (Matthew 28:19-20).
- He must have a patient ability to work graciously with other elders and volunteers through sometimes-tedious tasks, difficult circumstances, and abrasive personalities in ministry.
- He must be humble, open, co-operative, and accountable with his fellow elders in their joint oversight of the church (Acts 20:28; Proverbs 18:1; 1 Corinthians 13:4-5).
- He must be committed to prayer and maintain a vibrant prayer life (Acts 6:4).
Education and Experience
- A Master of Divinity Degree or its equivalent from a recognized seminary is preferred
- Sufficient experience in ministry to attest to his character, calling, and effectiveness
- At least two years of experience serving in a church leadership position
Doctrine
- He must fully embrace the doctrinal and organizational distinctives of Grace Community Church as reflected in the church documents (Abstract of Principles, 1689 London Baptist Confession, Mission and Vision Statement, Constitution, Bylaws, and the Church Covenant). This includes several key priorities:
- Baptistic and Covenantal Reformed theology
- Plural-elder leadership of a local church and the equality and parity of each elder on a church’s elder council, both vocational and non-vocational.
- With an awareness that there has been historical disagreement between sincere believers over certain doctrines within the believing community, he should be able to distinguish between those doctrines that are essential to the faith, those that are essential to the function and identity of the local church, and those that may coexist peacefully within the local church. He should demonstrate wisdom, patience and respect in dealing with those inside and outside the church, always “speaking the truth in love.”
Skills
- Fully bilingual in Spanish and English.
- He must be highly organized with clear problem-solving skills and excellent written/oral communication skills.
- He must be mature in his understanding of the Christian faith and scriptures and be capable of teaching them with accuracy, clarity, and power.
- He must be an effective manager of his time, especially in the following areas:
- Adequate study and preparation for his preaching/teaching ministry
- Availability at the church office for the regular business of the church
- Availability for unscheduled ministry needs/opportunities
- Ability to give sufficient time and attention to his family
- Ability to maintain sufficient time for rest and personal devotion
- He must demonstrate the ability to manage the administrative details that are necessary for the effective and faithful execution of his ministry.
How to Apply
Please respond via email.
Primary Contact: Darrol Lockhart
Email: darrol_lockhart@wycliffe.org
Phone: 704-243-5285