Senior Pastor

Job Description:

The Senior Pastor of Woodlands Church provides overall leadership to the church and faithfully and effectively teaches the Word of God. We are seeking to discover who God has called and appointed to this position. Our current Senior Pastor of 33 years will retire in the spring of 2023.

SPECIFIC MINISTRY ASSIGNMENTS

PRIMARY ASSIGNMENT: OVERALL CHURCH LEADERSHIP

1. Monitors overall church ministries, systems and finances to ensure their alignment with the purpose and priorities of Woodlands Church.
2. Initiates new ministries and systems as needed to achieve church priorities.
3. Champions congregation implementing Spiritual Growth Plans, joining a Life Group, serving and modeling good stewardship as a means of helping people faithfully follow Jesus.
4. Sets the agenda for and leads the Elder Board. Leads the Executive Leadership Team.
5. Supports the Executive Pastor in leading All Staff, Ministry Alignment and Pastoral Staff meetings.
6. Supports the Worship Pastor in planning for Sunday services and evaluating previous services as part of the Production Team.
7. Supports the Care Pastor in methods to care for the needs of the congregation.
8. Works with the Executive Leadership Team to determine the annual budget of the church.

PRIMARY ASSIGNMENT: TEACH THE WORD

1. Serves as the primary preacher/teacher on Sunday morning.
2. Develops and delivers Sunday morning messages that are deeply rooted in Scripture, expositional, accurate, clear, engaging, relevant, practical and powerful. Ensures that others who teach on Sunday morning understand and adhere to these standards.
3. Determines the Sunday morning preaching calendar for the year with collaboration from the Creative Content Team.
4. Develops and oversees the Sunday morning teaching team.
5. Teaches the Word in other settings and ministries as needed.

PRIMARY ASSIGNMENT: CHURCH WIDE PROJECTS AND INITIATIVES

1. Works with the Executive Leadership Team to prioritize, develop and lead the projects and initiatives needed to take the next steps in fulfilling the purpose and priorities of the church.
2. Works with the Executive Pastor and Executive Leadership Team to prioritize staff roles and responsibilities considering available resources and priorities of the church and community.

SPECIAL ASSIGNMENTS:

Works in and assists with the leadership of church ministries where he has special interests, experience and passion.

CHARACTER

The Senior Pastor fulfills the biblical mandates of an overseer, from 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:1-9. He must be “above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable ...not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.”

The Senior Pastor’s character is marked by humility and graciousness. He has an approachable presence and relates well to people from different walks and stages of life. He is able to diffuse difficult and tense situations, and he chooses his battles wisely. 

COMMITMENTS

The Senior Pastor is committed to the centrality, inerrancy, and relevancy of the Bible. His preaching history demonstrates the high value he holds of the Bible as the authoritative source for knowledge, truth, and life. His preaching is theologically sound, and also focuses on understandable application.

The Senior Pastor has a history of personal spiritual growth, including a strong dependence on prayer. He demonstrates discipline in cultivating his personal relationship with the Lord. He opens his life to trusted close advisors for accountability. His close walk with the Lord allows him to be led by the Spirit.

If he has a family, the Senior Pastor is committed to discipling and leading them. His calling as a pastor does not cause him to lose sight of this commitment to his family. Per the biblical mandate of 1 Timothy 3:2-4, he is faithful to his wife and must manage his family “in a manner worthy of full respect.” His family is fully supportive of his calling.

The Senior Pastor is passionate about the mission of the Church. He is committed to evangelism and discipleship in “Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the far corners of the world”.

The Senior Pastor has a desire to be in the role for at least 10 years. His primary commitment is the leadership and care of Woodlands Church, not other personal ministry pursuits.

The Senior Pastor is committed to leading Woodlands Church to focus on its mission rather than specific programming or structures. He demonstrates confidence and clarity in biblical convictions along with flexibility in ministerial philosophies and methodologies.

EXPERIENCE

The Senior Pastor has a denominational background that is in doctrinal alignment with the EFCA. Additionally, his church and ministry philosophy is compatible with Woodlands’ Church culture. He also helps shape and grow the culture as he leads the church into the future.

The Senior Pastor has experience with the complexities and stressors of leading a larger organization. This might be in a multi-staff church or comparable experience in another organization. This experience includes working with a complex staff team, stewarding extensive resources, and interacting with a broad base of constituents.  

CULTURE

The Senior Pastor is committed to embracing our mid-sized, Midwestern community and accompanying culture.  

EDUCATION

The Senior Pastor minimally has a Masters of Divinity (or equivalent) and a ministerial credential.

SKILLS

The Senior Pastor has strong leadership skills that include the biblical characteristics of overseer, shepherd and equipper.

The Senior Pastor is gifted in biblical preaching and teaching. His sermons demonstrate consistent rigor of preparation, are targeted for his audience, and are Gospel-centered.

The Senior Pastor leads through teamwork, is a team player and consensus builder, understands good delegation, and has a heart for and track record of leadership development. 

The Senior Pastor actively listens and discerns the needs of the congregation. He casts a compelling vision for the church, communicates that vision, and then executes on that vision. He is not afraid to be innovative and take calculated risks, and also humbly make adjustments as needed.

OUR CHURCH

Woodlands Church is a vibrant, multi-generational, Evangelical Free Church located in Central Wisconsin. Over a thousand people take part in our weekend services either in our new Auditorium or online. As the largest church in our area, we are known for our quality scriptural teaching, vibrant worship and commitment to our community. We value local and global partnerships, regularly contributing people and financial resources. Small groups are part of our culture not only for our adult attendees but in our strong children’s and youth ministries as well. Since our founding 50 years ago, we have been committed to ministering to college students as a church and through supporting campus ministries. We promote a culture that embraces change and innovation. Challenges the last few years have refined our church community, and we have come out stronger. Our united Elder Board and strong staff of 30 (including 7 pastors) work along-side committed volunteers to live out our purpose “To be a Christ centered community, helping people faithfully follow Jesus both locally and globally.” Learn more about us on our website: woodlandschurch.org. Our statement of faith and the priorities we strive to live out can be found on woodlandschurch.org/who-we-are/.

OUR COMMUNITY

Woodlands Church is located in the heart of Wisconsin. The population of the Stevens Point Metro area is about 70, 000 (which includes Plover: 13,000 and Stevens Point: 26,000.) We are home to the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point (8000 students) and Mid-State Technical College (2700 students). Key industries include insurance, computer software, publishing, and food and drink production. The Wisconsin River, recreational trails, golf courses, local symphony and theater groups, and “The World’s Largest Trivia Contest” are just a sample of “what to do” in our area.

In 2017, the United Way conducted the “Local Indicators for Excellence (LIFE) Report”, an assessment that provides a comprehensive overview of the quality of life in Portage County. The report committee chair, Kathy Davies, states, “We have a community in which our residents feel safe and feel a strong sense of community. We have a wealth of natural resources, and an abundance of outdoor recreation activities as well as art and cultural activities. We have high quality, accessible health care, as well as excellent K-12 schools systems and higher education institutions--UWSP and MSTC. We also have a diversified economic base, and a generous community that gives of its time, talent and resources. The list goes on and on.”

TO APPLY

Please submit a cover letter, resume and links to 2 on-line sermons.