Lead Pastor

LivingWaters Church

A grace-filled community growing in Christ and glorifying God

LivingWaters Church is a multi-generational church in Lakeville, Minnesota, committed to loving God, loving others, and growing disciples by bringing the refreshing message of Jesus Christ to all people. We seek to be an authentic, grace-filled, life-giving community where people can know Christ, grow in faith, build meaningful relationships, and serve others.

Position Description

The Lead Pastor shepherds our elders, pastors, staff, and faith family to see our lives and our community transformed by the power of the Gospel. The Lead Pastor models the Christ-like character qualifications of an elder outlined in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9. The Lead Pastor is responsible for casting and leading the church’s vision, caring for the people, and equipping the church to fulfill its mission and unique purpose in our community.  This includes four main areas: leadership, preaching, shepherding and leadership development.  The Lead Pastor will report to the Elder Board and working together they must lead and guard the vision, values and ministry initiatives of LivingWaters Church.

Qualifications:

• A vibrant, mature, and growing walk with Jesus Christ, displaying the qualities of an elder as described in 1 Timothy 3:1-6 and Titus 1:6-9
• A commitment to the practice of prayer and personal spiritual formation
• A demonstrated evidence of gifting and growth in leading, preaching, shepherding and teaching  
• A people-oriented person with good relational skills; able to make, build and keep strong relationships 
• Unreserved agreement with the LivingWaters Doctrinal Statement, Core Values, and Vision Statement
• Must value diversity, multi-cultural ministry and desire to reach all nations, peoples, tribes and tongues
• M. Div. or equivalent degree from an accredited Bible college or seminary is preferred

Specific Responsibilities:

Leading:

• Cast vision and direction for the church, ministry, and mission to further the Gospel
• Build mature believers by maintaining a Gospel-centered environment that supports spiritual development 
• Develop a strategic plan with staff and leaders to implement the vision
• Lead, mentor, and guide the staff for the day-to-day implementation of ministry
• Fosters a community-orientated church culture that prioritizes outreach and evangelism  
• Serve on the Elder Board meeting regularly for ministry management and shepherding initiatives 

Preaching:

• Prayerfully and purposefully determine the preaching focus for the worship services
• Be the primary preacher of Biblical and culturally relevant messages for the worship services through an expository preaching style which prioritizes verse-by-verse, exegetical exposition
• Establish a preaching schedule that involves the gifts of a diverse group of preachers/teachers
• Set aside time for prayer and study of the Scriptures to increase personal biblical knowledge
• Planning for creatively and effectively communicating the Gospel utilizing traditional hermeneutical methods

Shepherding:

• Being available to the congregation for counsel, weddings, funerals, child dedications, baptisms, etc.
• Leading counseling ministries and the development and equipping a team of lay ministers to help with specific needs (e.g. pre-marriage)
• Lead, develop, and equip a team of lay care-givers for the ministry of presence
• (e.g. hospital and home visits)

Leadership Development:

• Foster a leadership pipeline that encourages, equips, and empowers people to fulfill their calling
• Strengthen discipleship pathways by cultivating disciple-makers, mentors, and evangelists
• Develop, equip, and release a team of teachers for small group ministries

Reporting Relationship:

• The Lead Pastor is first and foremost accountable to God
• The Lead Pastor is accountable to his family
• The Lead Pastor will report to and work in partnership with the Elder Board
• The Lead Pastor will serve the people of the church modeling a humble, servant-leader’s heart

Salary: Commensurate with qualifications and experience

Pastoral Search Contact: Zach Hill, searchteam@livingwatersmn.com

Website: https://www.livingwatersmn.com/