Full-Time Lead Pastor at African Community Fellowship Church CRC (Kentwood, MI)

African Community Fellowship Church:

Pastoral Job Description

POSITION: Lead Pastor of the African Community Fellowship Christian Reformed Church

POSITION PURPOSE: The pastor is to provide spiritual and pastoral leadership to the congregation of the African Community Fellowship Christian Reformed Church. The pastor will serve the council with advice and assistance as the council fulfills its responsibility for the over-all executive leadership of the congregation as we seek to fulfill our mission and purpose as the body of Christ. The pastor will give primary leadership to the ministries of worship, education, pastor care, outreach, and administration will also offer advice and assistance to the deacons in their leadership in the area of stewardship.

SUPERVISION: The pastor serves under the supervision of the council of the African Community Fellowship Christian Reformed Church.

RESPONSIBILITIES: Subject to review and adjustment, in conjunction with the council, the following constitute the major responsibilities of the pastor:

I. WORSHIP

The African Community Fellowship Christian Reformed Church believes that the preaching of God’s Word is foremost in the life of the congregation. Every Sunday, the African Community Fellowship CRC has a morning service starting at 10:30 am and ends not later than 12:15 pm.

The pastor will:

• Lead these services, or delegate to the elders and deacons who know, or have experience of leading, and are comfortable in leading the service.
• The pastor is expected to preach and teach the Word of God and administer the sacraments when appropriate. He/she is also expected to regularly preach the Word of God as summarized in the confessions of the CRCNA.
• Plan and lead worship in conjunction with the worship committee, worship planners, worship team, musicians, the visual / sound tech teams, and any others involved with worship services.
• Lead worship on special worship days that do not fall on Sunday. Some worship services are combined with other local area churches and will also conduct funerals and weddings as requested.

II. PASTORAL CARE

The pastor will:

• Emphasize prayer in the congregation’s life, including leading weekly prayers on Wednesdays. 
• Along with the elders and deacons, call on the sick, the home-bound, those in care facilities and those hospitalized.
• Make family visits and involve elders whenever necessary
• Do the pre-marital counseling with those for whom to perform the wedding.
• Be available for private, confidential pastor care and counseling, and make referrals for professional counseling when appropriate.
• Meet with families for funeral planning, visitation at the funeral home and do follow-up grief care.
• Generally, socialize with the members of the congregation.
• Communicate with the shepherd elders and deacons about the care needs within their districts/Groups where they are assigned.

III. CONGREGATIONAL EDUCATION

In the eyes of elders, preaching and pastoral care are the highest priority for our pastor responsibilities. Recognizing that there are also other areas of responsibility, we want our pastor to use his gifts and passions in ministry. We also want to use the spiritual gifts and abilities of our leaders and other members. We are open to negotiations on who serves and leads in these areas.

The pastor will:

• Teach the profession of faith classes and the one-on-one reaffirmation and special situation pre-membership sessions as needed.
• Be involved with developing the curriculum plan for the junior youth/Middle School and high school youth catechism program with the approval of the elders and assist the other leaders in all our youth ministries in selecting the educational materials for their groups.
• Be active in the life of youth education ministries and support the leaders.
• Work with the youth and children pastor, and Sunday school teachers in finding the right teaching materials for the Sunday school kids. 
• Select/approve material for bible study groups and organize bible study groups by selecting leaders.
• Lead Discipleship - design, execute, and oversee pathways through which church members grow into mature, fruit-bearing followers of Jesus Christ.
• IV. CHURCH ADMINISTRATION
• The pastor will:
• In cooperation with the council president, be responsible for preparing the agendas and participate in the elders’, deacons, council, and congregational meetings.
• Make use of the elder/deacon handbooks in council meetings (Copies can be acquired from CRCNA FaithAlive publications).
• Attend to the responsibilities related to being part of Classis Grand Rapids North, manage priorities for congregation and classical, and seeklp from the elders when work becomes overwhelming.
• Work with the Administrative Assistant to ensure that Sunday bulletins and other publications are done on time.
• Represent the African Community Fellowship CRC in community forums organized by the Diaspora organizations, city, county, and other community institutions.

V. OUTREACH:

The pastor will:

• Work with the Outreach/Missions Committee to implement ministries that reach out to the unchurched locally and internationally. Locally, reach out to the new residents of our community with the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
• Encourage all other organizations and ministries of the African Community Fellowship CRC to carry out their work with an emphasis on welcoming others into the fellowship and encouraging everyone to participate in the outreach mission of the church.
• Attend, if time allows the monthly meetings of the Classis Grand Rapids North Ministerial Associations.
• Annually arrange for and schedule the home-service visits by the missionaries supported by the African Community Fellowship CRC.

VI. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:

The pastor will:

• Be encouraged to annually arrange for his own continuing education experiences.
• Be encouraged to take a 3-month sabbatical every five or more years while undertaking pastoral work at the African Community Fellowship CRC.
• Participate in the annual pastor’s performance review conducted by the council in January (could be a different month based on African Community Fellowship CRC Council but setting the performance review in January seems to be a good start).
• Portray a sense of calling to the ministry. 
• Devote themself to raising own family in the ways of the Lord. He/she needs to respect, nurture, love and give time to spend with their spouse and children.
• Attend to personal prayer and devotions.
• Be granted up to four weeks of vacation per year.
• Give priority to personal godliness in all relationships.
• Abide by safe church guidelines.
• Maintain loyalty/love/commitment to the Word of God, the Church, and the African Community Fellowship Church congregation.

VII. STEWARDSHIP:

The pastor will:

• Regularly challenges the congregation through biblical teaching to practice holistic stewardship, including the investment of time, prayer, finances, and spiritual gifts. Actively equips and encourages members to discover and cultivate their talents for service in God’s Kingdom.
• Be asked to serve the deacons with advice regarding the financial matters and the benevolence ministries of the congregation.
• Spend time semi-monthly, meeting with the deacons to help them: organize priorities, teach, conduct meetings, and encourage them through difficult or confidential situations.

VIII. QUALIFICATIONS

• Master of Divinity or its equivalent based in Reformed Christian theology.
• Pastoral ministry experience (5+ years) in a medium or large Reformed church, or another affiliate Bible believing Church.
• Demonstrated love of God and the church, and a person of prayer.
• Committed to ongoing personal, spiritual, and professional growth.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to relate to people of all ages and backgrounds.
• Dynamic preaching which is Biblical, clear, and relevant to both believers and non-believers.
• Visionary leader who can work with the Council, staff, and congregation to define and implement a vision.
• Pastoral heart: willing and able to come alongside comfort and counsel hurting, confused, and broken people.
• Ability to interact with people outside the church and to promote the mission and vision of the church.
• Experience pastoring immigrant church/ministries.
• Experience pastoring members from different denominations backgrounds. 
• Ability to support different ministries of the church including Sunday school, youth, women and men ministries. 

We believe that pastoral ministry is a sacred calling and partnership with God's people. Therefore, we invite qualified candidates who sense God's leading to prayerfully consider this opportunity to serve and grow with our congregation as together we seek to fulfill Christ's Great Commission. "Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be." — 1 Peter 5:2 (NIV)