Associate Pastor

ASSOCIATE PASTOR OF DISCIPLESHIP JOB POSTING

Located in the “North Hills” of Pittsburgh, PA, we are a community of Jesus-followers who are passionate about lost people and seeing their lives transformed by Christ. Since our first services in September of 2019, we have grown from a core team of 30 to a thriving community of over 200 people in attendance each Sunday. In the last year alone we have seen our little family grow by nearly 35%. We believe the next step in accomplishing our mission is hiring additional pastoral leadership to help with the growing needs of our church. 

MISSION AND VALUES 

OUR MISSION: Helping people discover Jesus and develop into world-changing disciples. 

OUR VALUES: Show Grace | Speak Truth | Share Jesus | Serve Generously | Seek Community 

For more details about our mission, vision, values and beliefs please take a moment to visit www.truenorthpgh.org. 

CULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT

We are passionate about worshiping God with all that we are. As Romans 12:1 says, we want to be a people who “offer our entire lives as a living sacrifice” to the Lord. We are driven by the gospel and the Word of God. We want every aspect of our church to ooze the gospel of grace while at the same time holding fast to the timeless truth of the Word. We are also passionate about loving people. We strive to be a community that cares for, encourages and keeps each other accountable. When you call True North “home,” you truly become part of a family. 

While we have a diversity of ages and backgrounds, our primary demographic is young professionals and young families. On any given Sunday our church is buzzing with kids and people will often linger long after our worship gatherings have ended just talking and building community. 

ABOUT PITTSBURGH

True North is located just five miles north of the city of Pittsburgh in Ross Township, PA. Ross is a family-friendly suburb and a popular place to live due to its close proximity(10 minutes) for commuters working in the city. The city of Pittsburgh itself can best be described as "a big city with a small-town feel." It has all the amenities of a big city (350k city limits, 2.3 million in the Pittsburgh metro area) like museums, concert venues, sports, zoos, restaurants etc., but it is not so big that it feels overwhelming. Over the last 25 years the city has gone through a major revitalization and transition from an industrial steel town to one focused on education, technology, banking and healthcare. From a religious standpoint it is heavily catholic and there is a huge mission field here of "unchurched" and "dechurched" people to be reached. The bottom line: we LOVE Pittsburgh and Ross Township. It is a great place to raise a family and God is moving in this city for his glory. 

JOB DESCRIPTION AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The primary function of the Associate Pastor is to assist in our mission by helping to develop and execute a holistic strategy for disciple-making within our church body. The role will be focused less on programs and more on a “grass-roots” approach to discipleship. Our philosophy is centered on True North members being equipped to “bridge the gap” within their families and communities to reach lost people and do the work of discipleship in an organic model.

The Associate Pastor will be responsible for overseeing various ministry leaders/programs within the church, but the focus will be less on building new programs and more on developing and multiplying leaders. This person will above all be a passionate disciple of Jesus themselves, and must possess strong gifts in the areas of leadership, teaching and the development of teams.

Primary Responsibilities

1. Discipleship Strategy, Development & Oversight 

• Lead the creation, implementation, and ongoing refinement of the church’s discipleship strategy, ensuring it is simple, intentional, and aligned with the mission.
• Oversee all aspects of the discipleship pathway, including:
• Guest assimilation (first-time follow-up, connection events, new member processes and membership)
• Groups (leader recruitment, training, support, and multiplication strategy)
• Next-step environments (classes, cohorts, spiritual formation opportunities)
• Ensure every ministry contributes meaningfully to helping people move from: 
• Connected → Growing → Leading → Multiplying
• Create clear systems that help people evaluate where they are spiritually and identify their next step.
• Promote and reinforce the “Follow, Fish, Form” rhythm throughout all ministry areas.

2. Leadership Development & Multiplication Culture

• Cultivate a multiplication culture where leaders are constantly being developed and deployed.
• Design and advance leadership development environments (e.g., discipleship groups, cohorts, training pipelines).
• Model the lifestyle of a multiplying disciple, continually investing in a small number of leaders and equipping them to do the same.
• Work with ministry leaders to implement effective coaching structures that ensure leaders are supported and reproducing themselves.

3. Teaching & Preaching

• Preach (8-10 times per year) during Sunday gatherings.
• Participate in sermon planning processes when invited.
• Teach in discipleship environments such as classes, leadership training, or growth experiences.

4. Collaboration With Church-Life Director

• Partner closely with the Church-Life Director to ensure that next-step systems are healthy, clear, and effective.
• Work together to track engagement, follow-through, and discipleship progress across ministries.
• Develop strategies to help attenders move from crowd → connection → community → contribution.
• Ensure consistent and meaningful follow-up processes that help people grow spiritually and step into serving and leadership roles.

5. Pastoral Care & General Ministry Responsibilities

• Provide pastoral care as needed (prayer, counseling, crisis care, visitation).
• Assist with weddings, funerals, baptisms, child dedications, and other pastoral functions.
• Represent the pastoral team in various ministry environments.

Qualifications

• A growing, personal relationship with Jesus; models daily obedience and intentional disciple-making.
• Alignment with the church’s theology, mission, and values.
• Demonstrated experience in discipleship, leadership development, and ministry oversight.
• Ability to teach and preach effectively.
• Proven ability to build teams, develop systems, and lead through others.
• Strong relational skills and a shepherding heart.
• Organized, strategic thinker with the ability to execute plans and evaluate effectiveness.

Key Competencies

• Leader of Leaders: Able to identify, empower, and release others to lead.
• Developer: Passionate about helping people grow spiritually and step into God’s calling.
• Multiplication Mindset: Consistently works to multiply disciples, leaders, and groups.
• Systems Builder: Understands how to design clear, simple pathways that move people forward.
• Collaborative: Works well with staff, volunteers, and ministry teams.
• Clear Communicator: Able to teach, train, and cast vision across all levels of the church.
• Minimum of 3-5 years experience in a similar or related role.

Success in This Role Looks Like

• A clearly defined and functional discipleship pathway that people actually use.
• Growing numbers of leaders being developed, equipped, and released.
• Discipleship groups multiplying regularly with healthy coaches.
• Guests becoming connected, engaged, and discipled through consistent processes.
• A growing culture where people live out the rhythm: Follow Jesus daily, Fish regularly, Form a few intentionally.
• Ministry areas aligned around a unified discipleship strategy.
• People consistently taking next steps toward Christlikeness.

SO, WANT TO JOIN THE TEAM?

At True North we believe God has called us to participate in the greatest mission in the history of the world. We’re striving to accomplish that mission every day with as much passion as possible and are having a blast doing it! If that sounds like something you would like to be part of we look forward to hearing from you!

Please send resumes/inquiries to: info@truenorthpgh.org  | Subject line: “Associate Pastor Role”

Sincerely,

The TNC Pastoral Search Team