Description

Church Planting Pastor

Purpose of Forestgate

Forestgate Presbyterian Church (Forestgate) exists to glorify God and make disciples of Christ in northern El Paso County:

• By Exalting our Lord in joyful Biblical worship
• By Encouraging each other to love and good deeds
• By Equipping each other for service
• By Engaging the culture around us

Position Summary

In general, Forestgate Presbyterian Church (a member of the Rocky Mountain Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in America [PCA]) is a church that believes one of the best methods for church growth is to plant new churches.  To that end, Forestgate is a member of the Western Church Planting Network (WPCN), and over the past 15 years, has planted two PCA churches in the greater Colorado Springs area.  The church is interested in planting another church in the vicinity of Monument, CO, a town just north of Colorado Springs.  Forestgate’s modus operandi for launching a new church is to hire a Church Planter (CP) for Forestgate, and bring him to Forestgate for a two- to three-year residency as an Assistant Pastor (AP) prior to launching the new church.

During the residency the CP will help the Senior Pastor (SP) and the Session of Forestgate in shepherding the flock toward accomplishing the church’s stated purposes, while at the same time gaining experience in the multitude of functions that occur in a thriving and growing church.  The CP will work closely with the SP and Session in leading, evaluating, managing, and refining various areas of responsibility assigned to him as directed by the SP and Session.  In addition, he will work alongside the rest of the staff to complete designated day-to-day activities of the church while participating in long-range planning and program development.

Expectations and Duties

While the CP should embody all the core competencies any pastor would need (teaching, shepherding, leadership, hospitality, humility, marital faithfulness, theological clarity, etc.) there are certain skills that they must demonstrate at a higher level of proficiency in relation to church planting.  Forestgate seeks to foster the growth and development of a CP in the areas below by assigning specific responsibilities for him to accomplish during his residency.

• Preaching: Early church plants don’t have much to offer other than the planter’s preaching so the CP must demonstrate preaching skills.  The CP is expected to preach at Forestgate at least six times per year as coordinated by the SP.  It is important that the CP have additional opportunities to develop and practice his own preaching skills.  The CP can expect to preach up to 4 times per year, or once a quarter, as pulpit supply to develop his skills and fill the needs of other churches within the Presbytery, as long as the CP is not needed for preaching at Forestgate.  Filling pulpit supply opportunities will be approved by the SP, and the Session will be notified of such occurrences.
• Calling: Due to the difficult nature of the church planting, the CP (with full agreement in his family) should feel called to church planting. The CP will seek out and take advantage of seminars, conferences, and other meetings which are offered to train and encourage future CPs.  Additionally, the CP should attend as many meetings of the WCPN as possible.
• Missional Living & Evangelism: Due to the evangelistic nature of church planting, the CP must lead the way in this area and have a track record of fruit in this area.  The CP will lead Forestgate efforts in outreach to the unchurched people of the local area and will chair Forestgate’s Engagement Ministry Team, which organizes Forestgate volunteers to accomplish the church’s outreach goals.
• Vision Development: Since church planting work starts from the ground up, the CP must be able to create a vision, communicate it, create alignment around it, and put structures in place to support it. While assigned duties at Forestgate will take up the bulk of his weekly schedule, the CP should also devote regular time to prayer and growing in the knowledge and wisdom of the Lord.  He is also expected to set aside time to step back from routine daily tasks in order to view the overall ministry of the church and subsequently provide suggestions for the staff and Session to improve and/or expand ministries to meet the evolving needs of the church.  
• Conflict Management: Due to the nature of planting with new people and no history of clarity of vision, the potential for conflict is much higher in church plants.  The CP should have experience in humbly resolving conflict between all sorts of people, and from time to time in the course of regular ministry, he will be tasked with various counseling needs that arise within the congregation.  Experience with church revitalization is highly valued in strengthening churches as the grow together in faithfulness.
• Disciplemaking and Leadership Development: A CP will be responsible for spiritual growth and leadership training in his church and should have experience in discipleship training and in helping others to employ their gifts in ministry.  The CP is expected to teach in various venues of the church on a regular basis including the following possible areas: Sunday School, Men’s and Women’s Ministries, Community Groups, New Member Classes, and Church Officer Training.  He is encouraged to find individuals in the church with whom he can work as fellow-workers in the gospel.

Over the course of the CP’s residency, it is expected that the division of his time spent on responsibilities at Forestgate compared to that spent on responsibilities of the church plant will change.  Initially, most of his time will be spent on learning and fulfilling his duties at Forestgate.  As time in the residency increases year by year, the proportion of time spent on Forestgate duties will diminish as time spent on launching the church plant increases.  The Session will make clear how this division of time will change during the course of the residency. 

Management Oversight

The CP reports directly to the SP.  The Session, with input from other church leaders, develops the vision for the church and the necessary strategies to carry out that vision.  The SP has primary responsibility for the overall management and leadership of the church on behalf of Session by overseeing and guiding staff and ministry teams to accomplish the vision set for them.  The CP is expected to work alongside the SP in these tasks by demonstrating servant leadership and by encouraging a spirit of respect, cooperation, and camaraderie.

Other General Responsibilities 

In addition to the above, the CP is to regularly pray for the congregation, staff, and leaders of the church.  Along with ruling elders, the CP is to lead worship and congregational prayer during church worship services on a regular basis.  The CP shall assist in the Session’s system of shepherding in which all teaching and ruling elders take proportionate responsibility for shepherding all member families or individual members of the church.  Shepherding occurs not just by visitation, but also through small group participation, classroom educational opportunities, and relational discipleship of members.  

The CP may also be called upon by the Session to assist the SP in providing leadership and training for other elders in how to effectively shepherd.  General church administration is an important skill for the CP who will assist the SP with church administration duties as needed.

The CP will attend all stated and called Session meetings as well as all scheduled congregational meetings.  In addition, the CP will attend Session retreats to assess ministry effectiveness, review vision for the future, and establish annual objectives and priorities.  He must be ready to support and encourage all ministries of the church through prayer, involvement, and advice.

When possible, the CP should attend Rocky Mountain Presbytery meetings, and in consultation with the SP, he may serve on Presbytery committees and commissions.  With prior approval of and coordination with the Session and SP, the CP may attend General Assembly.  

Accountability and Review

Since the CP’s responsibilities are demanding, it is expected that he will give priority to maintaining his personal walk with Christ, spending quality time with his family, carving out time for a restful Sabbath day every week, seeking personal accountability, and utilizing all vacation days.  The CP shall maintain regular accountability with the SP and collaborate with the SP in conducting quarterly and annual reviews of his ministry against this job description.  Although the CP reports directly to SP, he is accountable for his own time.  However, he must complete tasks assigned to him in a timely manner or explain to the SP why tasks have not been completed prior to their expected completion date.  It is estimated that his duties will require approximately 50 hours per week. 

Salary Range

$82-88k plus benefits; negotiable based on experience. 

Applicants

Please contact RE Dan Klute, Search Committee Chairman: pastorsearch@forestgate.org

Requirements

How to Apply

For additional information please see https://forestgate.org/careers

Primary Contact: Dan Klute

Email: pastorsearch@forestgate.org

Phone: 7194955672

Apply Online: View