The Associate Pastor shall serve under the Senior Pastor and shall assist in carrying out the ministry of the church through providing leadership, pastoral care, training and teaching. He is accountable to the Senior Pastor and then the Elder Board.
This is a full-time position with an anticipated time commitment of 40+ hours a week, off on Saturday and one other day of the week agreed upon by Senior Pastor, except for emergencies and special occasions, to support the flexible needs of the ministry.
The main responsibilities involve:
Supporting the Senior Pastor by:
- Teaching/preaching on agreed upon schedule of Sundays.
- Assuming the pastoral role in Senior Pastor’s absence.
- Partnering with Senior Pastor to craft both short-term & long-term vision & strategy.
- Praying for & with the Senior Pastor, other staff members, volunteers, members & the church as a whole.
- Attending both Elder Board & office staff meetings.
- Assisting with making sure our communication to the congregation is clear & consistent.
- Providing biblical counseling to church members regarding spiritual matters. Refer to professional counselor when necessary.
- Assisting in developing & encouraging ministry servant-leaders through pastoral guidance, prayer, listening, regular accountability, & discipleship.
- Conducting funerals & weddings, when needed.
- Helping with administrative tasks, as needed.
Oversight of some of the following areas (each need attention post-Covid):
- Discipleship: How (Process) & What (Substance). Interacting & consulting with our ministry servant-leaders (Children, Youth, Young Adult, Adult) to enhance small group focus, by setting direction & selecting curriculum for discipleship teaching.
- Local Outreach: Ministry & connection with Holden & surrounding community.
- Worship: Oversight of Sunday teams & special events (Easter, Christmas, concerts, etc.)
- Young Adults: Foster engagement with adults, ages 20-40, including single, divorced, & married.
Other Requirements
- Read & agree with Holden Chapel Church Doctrinal Statement contained in Info Packet.
- 3 Years professional experience. If the professional experience is not in a church setting, at least 3 years of Christian leadership experience in an evangelical church.
- Not a recent convert
- Meet Biblical qualifications of an Elder, as laid out in Holden Chapel Bylaws Section 2.3 with the exception of membership at Holden Chapel.
- Seminary degree or 4-year Christian college (include transcripts).
For over 50 years God has guided Holden Chapel and has led us to a unique place of ministry. As an independent Christian church in Central Massachusetts, we have maintained unity of faith because of an emphasis on the inspired, infallible Word of God and the preeminence of Jesus as the Head of the church. Through the power of prayer and the leading of the Holy Spirit, we have many volunteer-led ministries, Bible studies and support groups. Our Pre-K – 8th Christian School draws families from many area churches. The beautiful building and grounds that God has blessed us with give us many opportunities to bless the greater church in our area.
As we move into the next half century of ministry, we are grateful for all His blessings and humbly want to use them as He directs. Our call is to make disciples, starting in our congregation from the youngest to the oldest, to reach out to our neighbors, to our region and to continue worldwide mission support. No man knows the future, but whatever it holds, at Holden Chapel we will fix our eyes on Jesus and trust only in Him as we walk into it.