Formation and Teaching Pastor

Formation + Teaching Pastor

Time: Full Time, Salaried (weekly and evening/weekend hours)

Reports to: Lead Pastor

Primary work relationships: Lead Pastor, Executive Pastor, Community Engagement Coordinator

Secondary work relationships: Lead Pastor (at our church plant), Administrative Coordinator, TLC Staff, Benevolence Committee, Missions Committee

Function:

The Formation + Teaching Pastor will oversee the Formation and Discipleship for the church and be a secondary teaching voice for TLC. They will have great passion for spiritual formation and helping people connect into biblical community for transformation. They will be passionate about Scripture and making it come alive to others through teaching/preaching. They will provide overall support, leadership and direction for other formational endeavors. This role is part of the TLC Pastoral Staff and works closely with the Lead Pastor and Executive Pastor of TLC and will interact often with the Lead Pastor of our soon to launch church plant.

Responsibilities

Formation + Discipleship

● Local Groups

● Recruit and support Local Group leaders.

● Train new group leaders and launch new groups twice a year (50-100 people).

● Maintain, invest in and equip current groups and leaders (currently 25-30 groups).

● Develop and cast vision for spiritual practices (Local Group curriculum/focus).

● Discipleship

● Oversee the Formation Pathway and how it is implemented within the church (growing and changing it where needed).

● Plan and implement various electives for the congregation that focus on discipleship and formation and be the gatekeeper to decide what and who should lead and teach these groups.

● Baptism preparation and follow up

● Pastoral Care (weddings, funerals, premarital counseling,

● Responsible for oversight of Local Guide Ministry and New Guest Pathway Ministry

Teaching

● Teach/Preach for main services at TLC every 3-6 weeks; including other teaching needs as they arise

● Help develop sermon series (organize and schedule teaching retreats) alongside the Lead Pastor.

● Provide input and help implement sermon series design work (with Live Design), write sermon series summaries and maintain yearly teaching calendar plan.

● Meet with Lead Pastor (and others as needed) for sermon review and input.

● Oversee and direct the Ministry Coordinator(s)

● Provide regular support through meetings/conversations/planning/trouble-shooting.

● Provide overall vision and give input and direction for ministry work.

Ministry Initiatives

● Ownership Process

● Oversee Ownership process; maintain and develop where needed.

● Organize and execute the annual survey and share results.

● Oversee the Baptism process and provide all needed preparation and follow-up.

● Provide Pastoral care where needed as part of the Pastoral Staff.

● Oversight of resources and special events for Church Calendar Seasons (Advent and Lent/Ash Wednesday specifically)

● Other ministry initiatives as needed.

Qualifications

Character

● A personal relationship with Jesus Christ that results in a life lived in obedience to the will of God as described in the Word of God, evident by spiritual fruit and the desire to grow in the Lord

● Is supportive and loyal to staff members and the church body

● Displays genuine servant-hood, faith-centeredness, and spiritual maturity

● Spiritual gifts of teaching, leadership, shepherding

● Desires to be around people and develop relationships with others

Chemistry

● Expresses flexibility, cooperation and teach-ability

● Forward thinker; self-directed; team oriented; organized

● Sense of humor, trustworthy and exhibits wise discretion

● Embraces the vision, direction and beliefs of The Local Church GR and has a heart for the Kingdom

Competency

● Self-starter, willing to run with projects and assignments, thinking ahead and planning accordingly

● Demonstrated ability to create sermons/series and teach regularly.

● Demonstrated ability to recruit, lead, and manage people (especially volunteers).

● Demonstrated ability to learn new software/technology and utilize it appropriately.

Experience

● Preferred Seminary education.

● Experience of 5-7 years of relevant ministry experience (with 1-2 years regular teaching experience).

● Experience working with teams and overseeing groups of people.

WE ARE A MULTIPLYING CHURCH HELPING THE NEXT GENERATION FALL IN LOVE WITH JESUS TO CREATE BETTER FUTURES.

We seek to be transformed by the Scriptures, love and serve the people in Grand Rapids. Our hope is modeled after Jesus' prayer, that God's will would be done in Grand Rapids as it is in Heaven. We are a church for the city. We believe the church isn't a building, but a people in a place, working and living out the Gospel each day in our lives, in our city. We gather together to open the Scriptures, pray, worship, listen to the Spirit, and experience the presence of God. It is our desire to make the Kingdom accessible to our families, friends, neighbors and entire city.

We believe Jesus changes everything. We are people committed to living out His teachings in the world. We seek to spend our strength on others and to take risks to see the Kingdom expand because we believe there is hope and life in Jesus for everyone. We're not perfect and we don’t have everything figured out, but that won’t stop us from humbly holding up the Bread of Life to a hungry world. One beggar, showing another where to find food.

For more information and to learn about our values visit our website at www.thelocalchurch.org.