Pastor of Discipleship & Families Description

Apr 22, 2008

MINISTRY DESCRIPTION FOR PASTOR OF DISCIPLESHIP & FAMILIES

PURPOSE

The Pastor of Discipleship & Families will provide staff support to shepherd and equip the saints of Whittier Hills Baptist Church to thrust them out as Kingdom citizens to shine in a dark world. He will oversee discipleship ministries for all age groups and give pastoral leadership to families. He will give special attention to children and their families as well as Life Groups and Adult Bible Communities. He will serve other ministries as needs and interest arise.

QUALIFICATIONS

  1. Must be a member of the church in good standing.

  2. Must live an exemplary life before those he serves, meeting the qualifications of an elder as delineated in I Timothy 3 and Titus 1. Humility, teachability, loyalty and personal holiness are of utmost importance.

  3. Must understand and support the church purpose, priorities, vision, and guiding principles. As a staff member, heart and mind must be committed to serving others, supporting the staff and cultivating team ministry.

  4. Must have the respect and support of the church membership and his family.

  5. Must demonstrate leadership, effective people skills and a consistent desire and ability to train and liberate others to minister.

  6. Must be a self-starter with motivation to follow through with limited supervision.

  7. Must be continually pursuing personal growth in Christ and exercise of personal gifts and abilities.

  8. Must be able to support the senior pastor and complement his ministry with enthusiasm and wisdom.

  9. Must be a real team player who thrives on interaction and works well with others.

  10. Must share the ministry vision and values already in place for assisting and equipping parents as they seek to disciple their children as well as for providing “substance” oriented programming for the children.

  11. Must have a heart for outreach and a passion to see both the people and the structures under his oversight reflect this passion in practical ways. He must see his primary calling as thrusting out Kingdom citizens to shine in a dark world and see his ministry as the means to accomplish this.

WORK SCHEDULE

Full-time staff are expected to serve the needs of the ministry without compulsion and with joy. As a guide, at least 50 hours per week should be customary. Still, appropriate time for family and stewardship of self (health, exercise, refreshment) must be kept within the priority structure. A regular plan of office time and "off" time will be made with the Executive Pastor.

PROSPECTIVE RESPONSIBILITIES

  1. The Pastor of Discipleship & Families will provide pastoral leadership and support for families, giving specific attention to equipping and encouraging parents to disciple their children wisely and well. He will give significant attention to providing counsel, resources and programming that will support them in this area.

  2. The Pastor of Discipleship & Families will provide leadership for major discipling ministries to adults. He will focus on casting vision, giving guidance, providing accountability, and recruiting & developing leaders for these ministries. The primary areas of focus will be Life Groups and Adult Bible Communities (ABC’s). a. He will help leadership of these ministries focus on the kind of disciples being produced, not simply on the kind of inputs they are giving in their ministries. b. He will help leadership of these ministries make practical adjustments to ministry to move people into engaging redemptively in the world.

  3. The Pastor of Discipleship & Families will provide strategic and hands on leadership for elementary ministries (including AWANA).
    a. He will continually develop and equip a ministry team to oversee all ministries related to this life stage and will have a strong presence with them in the ministry. He must see himself as a people developer, both in discovering/leading his ministry team and in the way he leads ministry to children and their families. b. He will make outreach to families a high priority in the ministry structures and will encourage it in the lives of the families who are already involved at Whittier Hills. c. He will develop the ministry vision to have a deep impact on the students, valuing “fun” yet focusing on “substance” in the overall programming. d. He will work closely with other ministries involving children and their families.

  4. The Pastor of Discipleship & Families will provide overall leadership and support for early childhood ministries, giving direct oversight and encouragement to the E. C. Director and partnering with her in discipling the children and their families in life-stage relevant ways.

  5. The Pastor of Discipleship & Families will provide overall leadership and support for Student Ministries, giving direct oversight and encouragement to the Jr. High Director and High School Pastor.

  6. The Pastor of Discipleship & Families will serve as a pastor/overseer “at large” and provide leadership, shepherding and support for the body at large as needed. He will serve as part of the pastoral and overseer ministry teams, with a heart for and eye to the body as a whole, not simply the functions that fall under his direct purview.

  7. As part of a greater ministry team, the Pastor of Discipleship & Families will cooperate and partner with other leaders and ministries and will enthusiastically contribute his help and leadership in other areas when and where needed.

REMUNERATION

This position begins with an annual salary as established by the overseers plus inclusion in our medical plan for the pastor and his family (includes dental). Provision is also made for life and disability insurance ($10/month and $1,000/year, respectively, toward self-held policies). A reasonable budget for personal expenses of ministry, books and subscriptions is also provided. Ministry related conferences and funding for further education will also be made available whenever the situation warrants. An annual review will be conducted with appropriate recommendations for salary adjustment made by the overseer staff review committee. After two years tenure, this position also includes participation in a retirement plan (according to policy).

VACATION

Three weeks per year of paid vacation will be provided, according to staff policy. Appropriate time for ministry training and conferences will also be provided with prior approval. Paid holidays are also given according to established policy (currently 10 per year).

ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS

The Pastor of Discipleship & Families is under the direct oversight of the Executive Pastor and ultimately responsible to the Senior Pastor and Board of Overseers. He is a voting member of the overseer board. He will interface and cooperate with a wide variety of other ministries and leaders.