Position: Associate Pastor of Youth and Family
Ministry Focus: Family Ministry and Discipleship
Reports to: Lead Pastor
Position Status: Full Time, salaried
The Associate pastor is, first and foremost, a pastor meeting the requirements of an elder/overseer found in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 & Titus 1:5-9. He must view his calling not as a job to be performed but as a mission to be obediently lived out.
He must be sure of his calling both in vocation and location. He must understand his position as an elder yet be willing to follow leadership. He must be unshakable and determined yet flexible and teachable.
He must understand that the development of skills is secondary to the development of the heart, Yet he should pursue both to the glory of God.
Purpose:
The role of the Associate Pastor is to work in harmony with the Lead Pastor, Deacons, staff, and volunteers to accomplish the vision and mission of Cooper River Baptist Church. Specifically, this position will focus on Family Ministry, providing oversight and development of the children and youth ministry to “equip the saints for the work of ministry” (Ephesians 4:11).
Areas of responsibility include equipping members for ministry, overseeing the administration, communication, ministry structures, ministry teams, and family ministry.
Responsibilities:
Primary:
1. Lead, develop, and oversee our growing children, youth, and family ministries.
2. Develop and implement strategies for effective parent discipleship.
3. Build and develop structures to implement the vision and mission of Cooper River Baptist Church
4. Lead and develop ministry teams.
5. Recruit and train ministry volunteers.
6. Lead and execute effective church-wide communication in partnership with staff and ministry volunteers.
Secondary:
1. Develop and maintain church policies (risk management, volunteer guidelines, etc.)
2. Begin and teach a young family’s small group to facilitate relationship building and parental involvement within the church.
3. Help to plan and oversee outreach events.
4. Preach as needed.
5. Help plan and implement a leadership pipeline to train elders and deacons with the pastor.
6. Assist with leading the weekly worship service.
7. Be willing to assist in other duties the pastor assigns.
8. Assist in the further development and success of the Pastoral Residency program
Qualifications:
The associate pastor will be a maturing Christian with a passion for ministry. He should hold a bachelor’s degree and must be theologically trained from a biblically faithful college or seminary. He should have 2-5 years of church leadership experience. He will closely align with our church’s theological emphasis, vision, and ministry philosophy. Also, his spiritual gifting and personality should complement that of our Lead Pastor and staff to form a strong ministry team.
The associate pastor will be self-motivated and driven to be productive. He must possess good communication skills, listen well, and be tempered with grace. Equally important will be a strong sense of confidentiality, decorum, and eagerness to serve as a team member.
About our Church:
Cooper River was planted in 1955 by Charleston Heights Baptist church. Cooper River’s attendance and membership considerably grew from the 70s into the late 80s to around four hundred people. Like many churches in this area, this growth did not continue, and the church began to decline to our current membership number of around 85 people.
Cooper River is considered a revitalization work. However, we are thankful that every generation is represented, and we have a growing number of young families with children and a small but faithful group of teens.
Revitalization is hard work. It takes someone who wants to be part of something bigger than themselves. It takes a person willing to till the broken ground for the hope of future fruit. There are two types of pastors, and both are essential. There are those pastors who maintain the fruit tree that others have planted to ensure that fruit continues, and then there are those who plant the tree knowing that others will one day enjoy the fruit of it. Revitalization is, in many ways, planting a new tree in an old garden. Sometimes, one must be willing to carefully sacrifice the things that once bore fruit but are no longer viable to give the new tree room to grow and thrive.
One must also understand the labor of love that the now non-viable plants were planted with and the pain their removal may cause to those who planted them.
It is a balance between doing what is necessary, acknowledging the pain of change, and loving people through the pain of change. One must be willing to be patient and persistent, knowing that one day God will bring the fruit.
Ministry philosophy:
We believe the church is a gathering of people training to do the kingdom’s work. We want our members to not fall in love with our programming or services but instead with God and His mission. We aim to train people to be missionary-minded wherever they live, work, and play.
We believe the hope of this world is not found in creating clever marketing campaigns, better experiences, or ornate church services but rather in the proclamation of The Word and the Gospel of Christ. We believe The Word of God is powerful and will do its work when faithfully proclaimed to the world.
However, we strive for excellence in all things. We believe the gospel is simple, and the church should model this simplicity. Yet our God is worthy of our best in every area, and our ministries should proclaim God’s worth.
Theological Position:
Are we reformed?
No, we do not take a specific theological position on this issue. We believe in doing so; we would have to selectively focus on certain scripture passages while ignoring others, which we believe is inappropriate. Rather than relying on man-made systems or theological theories to interpret scripture, we focus on preaching the text and accepting the mystery of God's ways. We elevate and recognize God's authority and control when it is evident in the text, and we also acknowledge the reality of free will when the text suggests it. While our views may not align with the two main theological camps, our primary goal is to faithfully teach the text and avoid unproductive debates. We humbly say these things, recognizing that some mysteries are beyond human understanding. Ultimately, our mission is to create disciples and send them out into the world, and we do not see how this particular debate affects that mission. Applicants would be expected to hold to these values as well.
Location and Community:
We are in the heart of the Park Circle community in North Charleston. Our rapidly changing neighborhood is diverse in both ethnicity and socioeconomic status. This area has been revitalized and is now a very sought-after charming community in which to live. It has a classic small-town feel in the middle of a large city. Hallmark has used our parking lot as a staging ground to film a recent movie(as have other movie companies) on our street. From the church’s front doors, you can see, hear, and smell the up-and-coming trendy restaurants with outdoor seating and live music less than one block away. Yet behind the church are several large neighborhoods with many young professionals and families.
Our community is considered post-Christian, with 78% of the population without church affiliation. At the same time, this community is friendly and open to meeting new people and holding conversations. There is a great amount of lostness and resistance to the gospel. For this reason, we believe that God has allowed Cooper River to be planted and to continue to exist for the last 68 years. God has placed us in this place for such a time as this. We believe there are exciting days ahead!