American Protestant Church of the Hague Associate Pastor of Discipleship, Formation, and Mission

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Denomination: International Churches

Weekly Attendance: 260

Location: Den Haag, Netherlands

The Role: Associate Pastor of Discipleship, Formation, and Mission

Meet American Protestant Church of the Hague:

APCH brings together an international community of Christians from over 40 nations and almost as many denominations. Whether or not English is your mother tongue, you are welcome in our English-speaking community.  The congregation is Reformed in its historic roots, theologically diverse in its current membership, and committed to the core doctrines of the Christian faith.

Whether you are exploring faith or simply looking for a new spiritual home, APCH is the place to be.  

"In the essentials unity; in the nonessential, freedom, and in all. things, charity"

From its inception, APCH has been an international, interdenominational church, a 'home away from home,' for many. The dedication of our present church building took place in back in 1962

About the Associate Pastor of Discipleship, Formation, and Mission:

The Associate Pastor of Discipleship, Formation, and Mission works alongside the Lead Pastor/Head of Staff to carry out APCH’s mission by actively developing and nurturing specific ministry areas

The Associate Pastor of Discipleship, Formation, and Mission Responsibilities Include: 

• Discipleship and Spiritual Formation 

  • The Associate Pastor plays a primary role in leading, developing, and nurturing the church’s discipleship ministries that are charged with teaching, encouraging, and fostering Christian maturity and discipleship.

  • The Associate Pastor will work to refresh and/or recast an overall vision and clear implementation path for discipleship and spiritual formation at APCH. 

  • The Associate Pastor oversees, provides leadership to, develops, and works closely with the four Ministry Team Leaders (MTL) responsible for discipleship and spiritual formation in all phases of life, specifically: 

    • Adult Formation 

    • Young Adult Discipleship 

    • Youth Discipleship 

    • Children’s Discipleship 

• Missional Living

  • The Associate Pastor will work with the Missional Living Ministry Team Leader (MTL) to guide and support the team’s priorities “to equip and to serve, both locally and abroad to carry out the Great Commission of Jesus Christ.” This includes reimagining innovative ways for APCH to engage, partner, and serve locally (being missional) as well as actively engaging with ministry partners abroad (missions). 

• Supporting Responsibilities: 

  • Pastoral Care: 

    • Partnering with the pastoral staff and pastoral care team, the Associate Pastor engages in the pastor’s craft of congregational care, including home and hospital visitations, helping to support those in need (whether spiritually, physically, or financially), and assisting in managing conflict or crisis situations that may arise.

  • Preaching and Teaching: 

    • The Associate Pastor provides pulpit support, preaching 6-8 times over the course of the calendar year. Additionally, the Associate Pastor may regularly lead aspects of the Sunday worship service as well as lead or co-lead the administration of the Sacraments (communion and baptism) to the congregation. 

  • Worship Planning, Communications, and Digital Ministries:

    • The Associate Pastor may join the staff in planning Sunday Worship services to include music selection, liturgy, and audio visual complements. Also, the Associate Pastor will provide periodic support to the Communications MT and, ideally, will be energized by the opportunity to guide, support and enrich APCH’s digital capabilities.

What You Bring:

The following describes many of the characteristics of the ideal candidate for the Associate Pastor of Discipleship, Formation, and Mission:

Education & Experience

• 3 years of applicable experience 

• Master’s level seminary degree from an accredited institution rooted in the Protestant tradition 

• Preferred but not essential: ordination or ordination candidacy in a Protestant denomination 

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Significant competence in spiritual formation and related practices

• Strengths in the knowledge of liturgy and global worship desirable 

• Fully embrace the APCH Mission, Values, Covenant and Statement on Challenging and Divisive Issues (apch.nl/explore-our-beliefs) 

• Demonstrable living faith, grounded in Christ and the core tenants of the Reformation and the Christian church 

• Proven ability to work in an international, cross-cultural context

• Native or near-native English-speaking fluency with evidence or excellent communication and writing skills

• “Digital Native,” demonstrated comfort with utilizing and adapting to all things media and technology

Personal Characteristics & Qualifications

• Demonstrating strong character, integrity: emotionally and spiritually healthy

• Mature professionally, recognizing the gifts and the imperfections of the church, energized by the call of renewal to God’s people and church 

• Solid ministerial preparedness and credentials 

• A servant leader who is curious, vibrant, energetic, open to learning and seeks to grow in the craft of pastoring Christ’s church

• Reflects Christ’s heart

What it's Like to Live in Den Haag, Netherlands: 

The Hague is an international, intergenerational and diverse global community in the Netherlands. Home to a number of international governmental and non-governmental organizations, there are people from all over the world living here. English is widely spoken, thus making The Hague a place that is less onerous to transition to from abroad. As with most Dutch cities, the bicycle is a primary means of transportation--to work, to the beach, to church and to school. Public transportation is also widely accessible across the country.