Worship Pastor/Director

Mission of Real Life Community Church of the Nazarene:

Encountering God, Embracing Community, Embodying Mission

Context: Real Life Community Church is in Portage, IN and is a part of “The Region.” The Region is a unique area Southeast of Chicago in Northwest Indiana. Known for steel mills, blue collar work ethic, sand dunes, and growing diversity, the Worship Pastor/Director will be challenged to embrace this unique culture as well as be creative in embracing the growing diversity of the area. The Region is experiencing demographic changes and contains well known communities such as Gary, East Chicago, and Hammond. The Worship Pastor/Director is someone who will choose to love The Region proactively and be a student of the culture and uniqueness of the area to better serve people.

Summary of Position: The Worship Pastor/Director will serve as the primary leader of the worship and media arts ministry and potentially the communications ministry of Real Life Community Church of the Nazarene. This position requires the individual to serve not just solely as a musical and technical manager and coach, but also as the spiritual leader to the people who serve as part of the worship ministry. In partnership with pastoral leadership and ministry staff, this individual will develop a worship ministry that is reflective of the mission and vision of the church through developing and nurturing a community-based/discipleship-focused approach to worship. In addition, there is potential this individual could be considered to also manage the online and in-person communication strategies for the church at large if it is a fit.

Description of Position

Worship:

• Provide strategy and leadership for the worship ministry to sustain and nurture a healthy culture of unity and accountability in life of the church.
• Lead and Develop the Worship MAT (Ministry Action Team) with the goals of strengthening relational health in the team, gain perspective on ways to develop the ministry, collectively recruit and train new volunteers, and (most importantly) model a culture of worship and discipleship that is in-line with the overall MAT strategy and mission of Real Life Community Church.
• Collaboration with Pastoral staff to design corporate gatherings (Sunday services, concerts, special events, etc.) that nurture congregational participation (praise/thanksgiving, acknowledging and giving back to God, confession/surrender, receiving grace and truth from God’s Word and sacraments, embracing the unity and mission of the Church.)
• Provide pastoral care for the volunteers of the worship ministry.
• Oversee the roles, song selections, text selections, and all other elements that go into a worship gathering in cooperation with the message, series, and vision of the Pastoral staff.
• Lead and develop Media/Tech volunteers/roles to accomplish responsibilities within the ministry.
• Develop an annual budget and plan (with MAT) for ongoing needs of the ministry.
• Seek to encourage and resource the volunteers of the worship ministry for continual development in their current roles/gifts, potential roles/gifts, and, most importantly, their relationship with Jesus and pursuit of Christlikeness.
• Seek creative ways for the worship ministry to further engage the church and surrounding community to fulfill the mission to Encounter God, Embrace Community, and Embody Mission.

(POSSIBLE IF A FIT) Communications:

• Improve the quality and regularity of our creative communication both in-person and online.
• Manage the distribution of livestreams, recordings, and media content on social media, websites, and content distribution sites.
• Manage the Media/Tech ministry areas, including equipment/system management.
• Manage, design, and distribute physical/digital/social media communications to relay important information about the vision, mission, and operations of the church.
• Develop the announcement “newsreels” or similar with updated information each week.
• Create content as needed under the direction of the Lead Pastor and Executive Pastor.
• Proactively involve others in this ministry area.

Accountability:

The Worship/Communications Pastor will ultimately be responsible and accountable to the Lead Pastor and subsequently, the church board.

Philosophy of Leadership:

A successful leader is one who nurtures relationships with those he/she leads and creates a team approach to ministry. It will be expected that the Worship/Communications Pastor will not only model but nurture professional and spiritual relationships with those they lead.

Our Staff Values:

We are MOTIVATED by what MATTERS. What MATTERS is the MISSION.

GIFTS without GRACES lead to ego. We elevate the Fruit of the Spirit.

We practice the art of FUN because none of us take ourselves too seriously. SERIOUSLY.

We lead PEOPLE, not MINISTRIES.

We are a team that puts WE before ME.

We are AUTHENTIC and people outside of our ministry areas know us.

We keep SHORT ACCOUNTS with one another.

We PRAY for ONE ANOTHER.

We GET to do this!

Candidate Requirements:

• Confession of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
• In sympathy and support of the polity and practices of Real Life Community Church.
• Faithful attendance and maintaining high financial integrity and stewardship.
• Self-motivated, exercising personal initiative.
• Strong work ethic.
• Must be qualified musically.
• Experience working with worship teams and in a church setting.
• Ability to communicate effectively with a wide variety of audiences using various communication mediums.
• Comprehensive knowledge of theories, concepts and practices and ability to use in complex, difficult and/or unprecedented situations.
• Understanding of or education in worship music.
• Ability to effectively communicate and interact with and develop musicians.
• Ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality in managing sensitive situations.
• Behavior, speech, and attitudes that represent a high standard of holiness.
• A strong fit for the culture of The Region, the mission of the church, and the staff work ethic and values.

The following a plus…

• Experience developing, modifying, and updating worship experiences and trends in worship music.
• Experience using computers including word processing, spreadsheet, email, and presentation software.
• Experience operating audio / visual technology, including introductory troubleshooting skills.
• Experience with mediation or conflict management.
• Pastoral skills such as home and hospital visitation and congregational care.
• Experience using Ableton or similar DAW programs for music production.
• Articulate clear call to vocational ministry, specifically the position in this context (The Region).
• Engaged in or completed educational path pertinent to fulfilling the needs of this ministry position.
• Interpersonal skills, authenticity, energy, enthusiasm, and passion for people.

Additional Pastoral Staff Expectations:

• Participation in community engagement that fits within the vision and mission of RLCC.
• Consistent participation in a Life Group.
• Consistent participation in the functions of the Pastoral Care ministry based on needs/gifts.
• Flexibility based on current needs of the church and personal skills.
• Keep careful records for all activity related to his/her ministry assignments.
• Participate in all Leadership Collectives and leadership/ministry meetings as requested/available.
• Seek out opportunities to further education/training (conferences, degrees, trainings, etc.)

NOTE: Final candidate(s) and incumbent must successfully complete a thorough background check, motor vehicle check, physical abilities check, and/or any other relevant check(s) related to the conditions of employment and be determined to be position qualified as per RLCC policy.