Official Title
Commitment Level
- Full Time
- Part Time
- Bivocational
- Affiliate
Job Description
Communitas International seeks a Planting Pastor to start and sustain a missionally-focused community of faith. Communitas has been planting churches worldwide for almost 50 years. The Planting Pastor will follow the proven methodology employed by the Communitas network of churches of embedding, initiating, practicing, maturing, hubbing, and extending to pattern the church and its community life, while also enjoying great flexibility to adapt to the specific cultural contexts of the area. The preferred candidate will have prior church-planting experience or extensive education in the areas of missional theology and practice. The efforts of the Planting Pastor will result in a thriving, self-sustaining, authentic, discipleship-oriented, outward-facing and reproducing community of faith in 3 to 5 years.
General Responsibilities
The areas listed below are a composite of the role of Church-Planter
General
- With the Area Director, prepare a list of performance goals annually, stated in measurable terms, to be used for planning, program development, personal improvement and positional efficiency. These goals will be used for reference during the annual performance review process.
- Develop a core leadership team and through the embedding process, discover the distinctive values and missional identity of the church.
- Provide ministerial functions, including serving in administrative capacities, visitation, and providing pastoral care (e.g. weddings, counseling, and hospital calling as needed).
- Be reasonably accessible to community participants for pastoral care and spiritual consultation. Facilitate regular leadership team meetings and retreats.
- Will become involved in a Spiritual Direction, TriAd or accountability relationship.
- Meet regularly with people for the purpose of practicing spiritual disciplines together in community.
Ministry Partner Development
- Raise funds for the start-up phase of the church-plant and to sustain the ministry vision of the community until it becomes self-sustaining.
- Receive training in fundraising and setting and managing a budget.
- Develop partnerships with local, regional, and national networks.
Training
- Meet regularly with directors, practitioners, and other church planters.
- Exposure to proven ministry methods from around the Communitas world-wide network. Opportunities to visit other churches to gain insight and perspective of the body of Christ in other cities.
- Study the church planting process from developing vision to planting daughter churches.
Strategy
- Develop the strategic missional outline for the church plant.
- Work with church plant coaching to develop a roadmap and a timeline for the church plant.
- Employ the Communitas “dynamic” approach to missional church-planting as presented in the Dynamic Adventure.
Assessment and Coaching
- Receive ongoing assessment and coaching. Meet regularly with the Area Director for accountability, training / coaching, and supervision.
- Explore and understand core strengths and weaknesses through formal and informal assessment. Build upon the MBTI, CQ, and Strengths Finder gleanings resulting from the Communitas onboarding process. (Couples will have one further assessment)
- Receive mentoring and coaching from Communitas staff. Establish mentoring and coaching relationships that become a regular rhythm of your ministry life.
Qualifications
Positional Qualifications
- Embrace and embody the vision and values of Communitas International; placing a high priority on your personal gospel life and mission. (practicing the values of the Kingdom) For more information visit http://gocommunitas.org/
- Passion to share life with others; an incarnational, missional approach to ministry, an understanding of group based ecclesiology, and the ability to identify with, understand and have an affinity for the next generation of “church.”
- An understanding of the issues, needs, and worldview of current postmodern culture, including the ability to relate to and communicate well within that culture.
- Capable of identifying, recruiting, training, equipping, encouraging and motivating future Church leaders in ministry development. This must include a passion for helping people emerge in ministry, both at the local level and beyond.
- Candidate will complete the Communitas onboarding and assessment process.
- Have a solid grasp of the Communitas Dynamic Adventure workbook and apply the embed, initiate, practice, mature, hub, and extend ideals to facilitate the initial and on-going life of the church.
- Demonstrated successful experience working as a member of a highly functioning team. A self-starter with a vision of what is needed to staff and direct life-changing ministry.
- An intense heart for discipleship along with the belief that small group ministry is one of the keys to a thriving community of believers.
- Experience in pastoral counseling/spiritual direction and mentoring/ coaching along with exceptional interpersonal and organizational skills.
- Competency in preaching/teaching.
- BA/BS preferred, advanced theological training or education a plus.
Funding
All of our Church Planter roles are support funded. Communitas will help with coaching and support as the Church Planter develops a support base. Once selected as a Church Planter, a Support Plan will be developed and the new staff member will be required to raise 80% of the support before launching into the above ministry related responsibilities of the church plant.
For more information, please contact Andrea Asher (aasher@gocommunitas.org) or fill out the form below.
Belief and Commitment
All staff need to maintain a strong commitment to our:
Statement of Faith
Statement on Gender Equality
Statement on Racial Equity
Communitas International seeks a Planting Pastor to start and sustain a missionally-focused community of faith.