The pastor will be the leader of the church. He/she will be responsible for the Sunday worship services including planning the services (with input from Music Director and Worship Planning team), writing, and delivering the sermon, and leading various other aspects of the worship service, such as Communion. The pastor will be the moderator of the session. The pastor’s relationship with the church will be a partnership. We don’t expect the pastor to do it all. We need them to develop leaders in the church. We expect him/her to be involved in some of the Bible studies as a leader at times and as a participant at other times. He/she will be sure that teams (committees) are functioning properly. Our church has been a leader in our community in organizing community events. The pastor should choose and organize effective activities that will connect with the community. In some cases, this will require taking a risk. The pastor needs to work with the congregation to inspire growth spiritually and in numbers.

Worship is central to the life of the church. The formation of a worship plan which flows smoothly along with a coherent Bible-based message can be a well-designed experience of people meeting with God. The pastor needs to be a good teacher through sermons and in smaller, less formal settings. The pastor needs to show spiritual maturity. We, as a congregation, need to know that their actions agree with their words. This would include showing compassion to all congregants in times of difficulties.

The pastor needs to be a good communicator in the spoken word and in the written word. A good communicator must also be a good listener.

Our leader must have a vision and a strategy. They need to focus on a long-term goal and work towards it. This person needs to be able to get a group to work together for the success of the entire group. We must feel the pastor is available to advise us. The pastor needs to be able to acquire the necessary resources. They must be willing to take risks to fulfill the vision. When successful, this will build the faith and confidence of the congregation and allow them to take on other challenges.

The pastor needs to have personal resilience. When failure occurs, they must learn from it, admit any mistakes, and move on. When changes need to be made, he/she must adjust to the new situation. Changes need to be made while maintaining the unity of the congregation. Different cultures, worldviews and theological positions need to be respected.

We need a pastor who seeks God first, and as our leader will direct us in the paths the Lord has set before us. The pastor will be the leader of the overall effort and guide us in the most effective and efficient way of achieving our goals, inspiring us forward and encouraging us along the way.

The best leadership for FPCD will be able to connect relationally with our congregation and help us become the people God made us to be in our community.

In order of priority, we need a pastor who will:
1. Hold the deep truths of the Bible
2. Nourish us with the Word. Inspire us to keep walking closely with God. Do it in ways that connect well with our diverse congregation, valuing originality in Christian expressions and ministry approaches.
3. Identify with our community in all its diversity, understanding their fears, hopes, and priorities.
4. Direct and focus our energies so that we help each other and get the most from being a body. Help us choose the right things to do (not too many) so we make the best difference we can.
5. Personally model ministry. Mentor individuals and leaders from among the congregation.
6. Keep the peoples of the world in mind as God does.
7. Build on the historically good connections we have with our city, its businesses, schools, clubs, and ministries.

View the full job description here: https://clc.pcusa.org/mdp/10121/view/

Website

www.fpcd.org