Senior Pastor

Newark Community Church is a healthy, loving, grace-filled, Christ preaching, Bible based congregation searching for a pastor who has a shepherd’s heart and desires to preach the whole counsel of God’s Word over the long haul.  We are prayerfully seeking a full-time pastor to equip the body for works of service and to mobilize the church in reaching the lost and making disciples locally and globally.

The ideal candidate for NCC is a gifted leader who passionately loves Jesus and God’s Word, and inspires others toward the same.  With a heart of evangelism, the right fit for NCC will effectively preach God’s Word with accuracy, passion and inspiration, drawing the message from scripture rather than just apply scripture to his message. Ideally, the right candidate will be gifted to relate biblical truth to the realities of the current culture in a way that is relevant to both the biblically mature and the spiritually curious.  The selected candidate will have experience recognizing potential and developing leadership in both existing and future staff and volunteers.  He will foster pathways that equip people to use their gifts

Preferred Candidate Qualifications:

• Have evidence of implementing a clear discipleship process that has produced lasting fruit (Matt 28:19,20, 1 Cor 3:12,13)
• Demonstrate a love for the church with patience, compassion, and conviction
• Talented and skilled in preaching/communication with a preference for a relevant, expository style
• Theological alignment, support and agreement with the EFCA and its statement of faith (found at www.efca.org).
• A theological Master’s Degree is strongly preferred, though not required if sufficient Senior Pastor experience is present

Character

The ideal candidate, first and foremost, must meet the biblical criteria for leadership in the church as expressed in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9.  Senior pastors have to keep the bar at the highest level when it comes to integrity.  Character that reflects the fullness of Christ is the standard (Eph. 3:19).  It only takes a single slip to bring down a lifetime of hard work (Ecc. 10:1).  Our pastor’s character will inspire confidence and challenge others to follow his example (1 Cor. 11:1; 1 Tim. 4:15,16).

He should...

• share Christ’s love for the church and the lost (Rom. 13:8; 1 Cor. 16:14; Luke 19:10).
• be under the constant guidance and teaching of the Holy Spirit (Jn. 14:26).
• live the truth of God’s word with a clear conscience (Acts 24:16; 1 Tim. 3:9).
• have joy and confident expectation for God’s work in him and through him (Phil. 1:6;4:4,5). 
• be approachable, engaging, personable, and relational (Col. 4:5,6).

Role:

We believe a Senior Pastor’s primary role is to shepherd the flock of God at NCC (1 Peter 1:1-3).  There are 4 primary components to this role: Feed, Protect, Lead, Care

Feed – The most visible job of our pastor is in teaching Biblical truth to mature the congregation in their faith and effectively prepare God’s people for works of service (Eph. 4:11-13). The Senior Pastor must be able to teach from scripture effectively (Titus 1:9), using expository preaching where possible, and bringing all believers to maturity in Christ (Col 1:28).  The Senior Pastor must also be able to effectively train shepherds and raise up elders from within the congregation (2 Tim 2).  He must have exceptional knowledge of the Bible with disciplined study habits and a continual hunger to learn (Ps. 119:18; 2 Tim. 2:15).

Protect – The Senior Pastor must be able to protect against false shepherds and false teachers (Acts 20:29) and be preaching the Word of God faithfully, continually, and accurately.  He must also be able to correct errant theology within the congregation with gentleness and love.

Lead – He should be a leader of leaders, working strategically to build effective leadership in key areas critical to fulfilling the vision of the church (Acts 6:2-4). He should be an effective communicator of the truth that God guides him to teach though it may not be what itching ears want to hear (2 Tim. 4:2,3). He should not be the “Lone Ranger”, but have the ability to work together with other pastors and leaders to impact the greater community of Newark and the tri-cities area (Col. 1:6).

Care – In all of this, the Senior Pastor must care more about the people than the programs, be able to counsel with love according to the truths in scripture (1 Thes 5:14).

Inquiry Process:

If after reading this description you have interest in the Senior Pastor Position at Newark Community Church and you feel you meet that qualifications for the role, please send the following information to pulpitsearch@newarkcommunitychurch.org

1. Your resume or CV (In Word or PDF format only)
2. Your personal Statement of Faith
3. Electronic links to at least three video or audio messages
4. Results of any personality or strengths assessments you have taken in the last three years

Five references including one supervisor or overseer (could be a board member), two or three staff associates, with at least one from someone you have supervised, and one or two personal. These references will be contacted later in the process and only with your prior approval.