Description

Lead Pastor Job Description

First Presbyterian Church of the North Shore (FPC)

The Lead Pastor of FPC shall meet the New Testament requirements for the office of teaching elder as listed in 1 Timothy 3:1-7.

For more details on the history of FPC, our mission, and our congregation please review our Church Profile as well as a current Ministry Focus created by our Elders (the Session) of FPC in early 2021.

Responsibilities / Duties

The Lead Pastor shall be responsible in concert with the Session of FPC to provide spiritual leadership and oversight for the congregation and her members at FPC. This consists of the following elements:

1.     Worship: FPC seeks to worship God in spirit and in truth. The Lead Pastor will strive to inculcate a posture of worship in the congregation in all that we do throughout our lives. In addition, in conjunction with the Session, the Lead Pastor will be responsible for the overall tone, content, and focus of worship services and is expected to work in conjunction with participants to create a worshipful context consistent with our vision of “More People, More Like Christ.”

• In conjunction with the Worship Committee, plan and lead Sunday morning worship services as well as other worship services of the church.
• Oversee the ministry of the Preaching the Word of God on the occasions established by the Session.
• Provide leadership for the preaching schedule to include pastoral staff, interns, and guest preachers.
• Oversee the Celebration and Administration of the Sacraments: Lord’s Supper (1^st Sunday of each month) and Baptisms.
• Oversee admission of new members

2.      Preaching and Teaching. FPC loves preaching. The Lead Pastor will be the primary preacher for Sunday morning worship and is expected to be exceptional at exegetically uncovering truths in Scripture and challenging and comforting the congregation with those truths. FPC has a long history of strong, Reformed, exegetical preachers and we expect to continue that tradition. 

·        Provide exceptional preaching, demonstrated by strong exegesis and exposition, timely, interesting and relevant illustrations, strong and clear actionable applications of biblical truths to our lives, and persuasive challenges/comforts to the congregation.

·        With relative frequency, lead adult Christian Education and Profession of Faith classes and other educational programs of the church. 

3.     Discipleship/Leadership development. The Session of FPC seeks to be more intentional in our ministries with a renewed focus towards transforming lives through formal and informal discipleship. The Lead Pastor will play a key role in the development and implementation of this focus.

·        Work with the Session to develop and implement a plan for deeper discipleship and transparency as outlined in our Planning document.

·        Lead FPC toward a culture of pouring ourselves into each other’s lives. We desire everyone to be discipled, particularly members, and to be discipling others.

• Work with the Session to identify those in our congregation with leadership calling and gifts at each stage of their lives.
• Oversee leadership training and development for congregational leaders.
• Ensure that we are all on mission by consistently communicating the church’s vision and goals to the leaders and the congregation as agreed upon with the Session.

4.     Evangelism. FPC needs to better develop a culture of evangelism. The Lead Pastor must be personally and actively involved in multi-faceted evangelism.

• Engage the congregation in personal one-on-one evangelism.
• Encourage a culture of actively reaching out to those who do not know the Lord.
• Oversee formal and informal training programs in evangelism.
• Lead by example.

5.     Global Missions. FPC has a long history of involvement in Global Missions. The Lead pastor is expected to be supportive of that focus.

·        Take an active role in working with the Global Missions Team (GMT) to plan the annual missions conference and work with the GMT in developing the next phase of global missions.

·        Actively support the Faith Promise Initiative for funding of Global Missions.

·        Emphasize and model the importance of global missions to the congregation.

6.     Pastoral Care. The Session of FPC seeks a Lead Pastor who will play a leading role, in conjunction with the Session, in biblical counseling, spiritual comfort, and intercessory prayer for the needs of the congregation.

• Counsel families and individuals in the church and refer people to professional counselors when needed.
• Contact prospective members and inactive members inviting them into the community of the church.
• Provide couples with premarital counseling.
• Officiate at weddings and funerals.
• Visit the sick and injured in homes and hospitals.

7.     Session. The Lead Pastor will personally invest in the spiritual lives of the Elders through informal and formal means.

• Engage in spiritual relationships (mutual discipleship/accountability) with fellow teaching and ruling Elders.
• Shepherd the Elders’ families.
• Serve as Moderator of the Session; including setting the agenda, task delegation, etc.., in conjunction with the Elders.

8.     Church Staff. FPC seeks a culture of mutual support, accountability and cooperation among its staff. The Lead Pastor will oversee all church staff.

• Act as chief of staff, leading and moderating weekly staff meetings of church employees.
• Oversee and assist in the Associate Pastor’s ministerial development.
• Manage staff responsibilities and oversee personal spiritual development.
• Work with Session to recommend roles and staff changes (additions or terminations).
• Provide annual written performance reviews of staff.
• Ensure all staff with supervisory roles are providing annual written performance reviews to those under their care.

9.     Broader Community. The Lead Pastor will have a presence in the community, both specifically in Ipswich and the surrounding communities.  

• Cooperate with local churches in appropriate ecumenical efforts and witness.
• Collaborate with and support the work of local community agencies and programs as appropriate.
• Serve as a leading advocate for Congregational outreach efforts.

10. Presbytery, General Assembly. The Lead Pastor will be the main point of contact between the congregation and the different denominational entities.

• Pledge to uphold the standards of the PCA and Book of Church Order (BCO).
• Participate in the required meetings/duties/ministries of Presbytery and General Assembly (GA).
• Report to the Session about the topics before the Presbytery and GA, and congregation as needed.

Desired Attributes and Demonstrated Skills

·        A personal life characterized by holy living and an intimate walk with the Lord.

·        A rich personal prayer life.

·        A strong emphasis on the gift of preaching and teaching, applying the truth, wisdom, discernment and relevance of God’s Word.

·        An unwavering commitment to, and a history of discipling others.

·        An aptitude for leading corporate worship and marshalling all components (music, confession, prayer, sermon etc.).

·        A heart for evangelism (both local and global)

·        A commitment to pastoral care, with strong interpersonal skills, and an ability to work well and collaborate with others.

·        A strong, organized workings style, with a demonstrated ability to delegate tasks and manage results by working through others.

Requirements

How to Apply

Primary Contact: Russell Queen

Email: FirstPresMASearch@gmail.com

Phone: 978-509-1136