Pastor of Discipleship and Care

The Pastor of Discipleship and Care reports to the Senior Pastor and is responsible for day-to-day operations and oversight for adult discipleship and pastoral care at Vertical Church. This person will provide leadership and support for the discipleship vision and core values at Vertical Church as they build a strong small group and mutual ministry culture.

They will coordinate with the ministry staff and small group leaders regarding various discipleship needs and opportunities within our church family. High emphasis will be put on promoting in-depth discipleship and a biblical soul care ministry within the context of community life. Finally, this role will include oversight of several volunteer ministries related to weekend worship services.

We are looking for a person who is a natural connector with a high relational IQ–willing to be used by the Holy Spirit to shepherd members and attendees of Vertical Church in taking the next step in following Jesus Christ. This person should be energized by working with people (extroverted)--while having competency in building ministry infrastructure that enables other leaders in the church to minister more effectively as well.

Note: Biblical Soul Care is a holistic model of discipleship for the local church aimed at facilitating and integrating Gospel-centered life change via Small Groups, specialized Freedom Groups, and biblical counseling with advocates. Dr. Garrett Higbee developed this model to empower a biblical culture of mutual ministry and intentional multiplication in the local church. For more information, visit soulcareconsulting.com.

Essential Roles & Responsibilities:

• Work with the Senior Pastor to execute the BSC Vision and Core Values, as you model it in personal participation
• Primary responsibility given for oversight, supervision, training, development, and coaching of the small group ministry team
• Empower and enable a culture of biblical mutual ministry within our small groups (called Grace Groups in our church)
• Oversee and engage in various Pastoral Care needs of members and attendees
• Implement and train our church family using the Transformed training resources (levels 2-6), helping implement Biblical Soul Care (BSC) discipleship model within our church family
• Consult discreetly with BSC leaders and staff on difficult counseling cases
• Oversee the coordinators of Freedom Groups and teach as needed
• Provide goals and strategies for BSC team growth; Maintain regular meetings with BSC staff and volunteers. Serve as the ambassador for BSC and must be able to cultivate leaders
• May be asked to engage and inform the elder board based situational needs
• Oversee various volunteer teams and encourage the team leaders

Work Experience Requirements:

• This position requires five years of experience or more in developing a healthy church-wide small group ministry in conjunction with providing pastoral care, discipleship, and counseling.
• We are looking for a proven leader and multiplier who can inspire and share their passion for helping people. This includes training leaders within our small group ministry on how to build a culture of intentional mutual ministry and disciple-making in their groups–balanced with other forms of personal discipleship and formal pastoral counseling.

Other Skills and Qualifications:

• Personal, growing relationship with Jesus; a strong capacity with the Word of God and committed to prayer.
• Must meet the spiritual and character qualifications of a deacon or elder as found in 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and Titus 1:6-9 and to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit as found in Galatians 5:22-23.
•  Must be a member of Vertical Church or become a member upon employment
• Possess a deep love and commitment to the local church and be excited to see the church family grow
• Must have strong relational skills, energized by discipleship at all levels
• Collaborative team player within a staff culture of humility, hard work, and humor. Willingness to join the fantasy football league is a plus
• Good presentation skills–able to represent ministries from the stage
• Be a self-starter with drive, passion and initiative