When it comes to church staffing and the breakdown of the roles within a church, no one church does it the same. Some churches have the typical hierarchy with the senior pastor at the head and then the executive pastor, discipleship pastor, family pastor, and so on and so forth. Some churches have a senior pastor with some elders and deacons. We will reiterate what I said in the previous article and probably what I will say in every article which is that it is important to remember that each church does it differently. So whatever job you may be looking to apply for and get, just be sure to always ask questions. Questions never hurt and it is always important to understand the structure of the church that you are applying to.
Structure is important to understand for your church as structure not only gives you the groundwork for the church and shows you the ins and outs of how the church works but it also shows the purpose and mission statement of the church as well. Structure is important for anything in life. You need structure for your job, your finances, your home, your family, your faith walk, and anything else that you can think of. However, as Christians, the most important part of structure for any part of our lives is to build up that structure and lay the groundwork with Christ and with scripture.
Matthew 7:24-27 in the ESV says this: “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
As seen in the verse above, those that build their lives or their “house” on the solid rock of Jesus Christ will stand strong and not fall when the tests and trials of life come but those who build their lives on the things of this world will fall every single time.
In the same way it is important to know the structure of the church you are looking at. The churches that will be fruitful will be the ones built on Jesus Christ and the ones that will wither away are the ones built on worldly things.
Overview
Here’s what you guys can expect from this article. I’ll be providing a breakdown into church staffing and the differences between each staff role and how each church staff role comes together and works together to serve the community. For those of you looking into a future in a pastoral position or for those of you dipping your toe in the proverbial “water” of ministry then this is the perfect article for you.
Why Defining Staff Roles is Important
Defining church roles is important to have within a church. You can’t just hire on someone as a pastor but not define any kind of role or responsibilities for them. That would be like giving someone a brand-new house but not giving them the key to get into it. Knowing what your role and responsibilities are part of defining structure in your life and in the same way knowing what your role and responsibility is within a church helps to keep the church running for the glory of God.
We will specifically be looking at a short description of each role, key objectives of each role, and the daily responsibilities of each role. Lastly, we will be talking about how each role works together like a fine-tuned machine and how they are built to come together to serve the community.
It should be of note that the information for these church staff role descriptions and other information about each role are coming from two main sites which are mobaptist.org which is the website for the Missouri Baptist convention and christianitytoday.com which is an evangelical periodical magazine focused on advocating for churches everywhere and bringing light to how the gospel is transforming lives. Both sources provide in depth job descriptions of each role within the church where I will be pulling some of what they use into these descriptions combined with some personal opinion and things that I’ve seen in the church.
Now I will say that I am no expert in this, but I do have some personal experience in the roles of the church. My dad was an executive pastor for 4 years growing up and saw how each of the church staff roles worked and how they all worked together. I also interned with a church in Charlotte NC under the student ministry and being a part of the staff of a church really opened my eyes even more to the functions of church staff roles. So, let’s get started then, shall we?
Breakdown of Staff Roles
Senior Pastor
Description
The role of a senior pastor is to be the lead pastor and spiritual leader of the church. They are the one that you typically hear teach on a Sunday morning. A senior pastor is also responsible for any kind of pastoral care necessary to those needing it within the church and help to establish, lead, and live out the mission statement of the church. They are also in charge of all the church staff and oversee church operations in all areas within the church. As the spiritual leader and overseer of the church the senior pastor must always be committed to the great commission and making disciples of Jesus
Key Objectives
The key objectives of a senior pastor are to be an advocate for the gospel, Jesus, and the church, a leader committed to presenting and sharing the gospel to others, and to disciple and shepherd the congregation of the church. The senior pastor must be someone always committed to these key objectives and must also work with the other church staff to accomplish these objectives in every area of the church.
Daily Responsibilities
The daily responsibilities of the senior pastor include some of the following: Working on creating teaching content through sermons and sermon series, providing pastoral care and assistance to those in need, hold and oversee counseling services and function as a counselor themselves for those who need them, officiate wedding ceremonies and be there to speak at funerals, supervising and leading the other staff in their duties, and do other things for the members of the church like holding visits and holding fund-raisers for the needy.
Worship Pastor
Description
The job of the worship pastor is one that is clear cut in terms of a description. The role of the worship pastor is to lead and facilitate the worship and music of the church and the congregation. They are more than simply just musicians and are often more involved than just getting up on stage to play the music. Usually, the role of the worship pastor also includes the planning of the sets for the worship, the gathering and supervision of the worship team, the holding of practices of the sets, and coordinating with the tech team that runs the cameras and lights during worship.
Key Objectives
The primary key objective for the role of the worship pastor is to be an advocate of the gospel, Jesus, and the church through the music and worship of Christ by the church. The key objectives of the worship pastor in the church are to primarily lead and facilitate the worship of the church services and provide a place for the congregation to come together and worship Christ and in this complete the second key objective which is to share the gospel through song to those who don’t know Jesus.
Daily Objectives
The daily objectives of the role of worship pastor include the writing and planning of the sets for the music to be played for any service including those on Sundays and any special events the church may have such as a night of worship and the overseeing of the worship team in gathering them and practicing the planned sets with them. Some more daily objectives include the coordination of all the non-preaching sections of the church services and working very closely with the tech/media team to help in the recording or broadcasting of the service. They also may be called upon for any pastoral duties such as visits to the hospital or to a home of someone in the congregation.
Student Pastor
Description
The role of the youth pastor is to be actively engaged and involved with the youth of the church through the planning and holding of events specifically for the youth of the church. They oversee the planning and execution of curriculum designed especially for the students of the church and the planning of different programs to keep the students engaged in the youth group of the church.
Key Objectives
The primary key objective of the role of youth pastor is to first and foremost be an advocate of the gospel, Jesus, and the church in spreading and sharing the gospel to the students and youth of the church. Their other key objective is to maintain the safety of the students by implementing procedures and policies that will highlight the safety of the students in the church.
Daily Objectives
The daily objectives of the role of the youth pastor can include several things. They are tasked with the creation and execution of sermon series for the students while also tasked with creating and maintaining a fun and creative atmosphere that keeps students engaged and wanting to come back to the church weekly. They are also tasked with planning events for the students which include summer camps and seasonal retreats.
Children’s Pastor/Director
Description
The role of the Children’s Pastor/Director is to lead and plan the ministry of the children of the church usually incorporating ages from pre-school to elementary school. The children’s pastor is directly involved with the children in working with them, overseeing the volunteers who help to teach the children, and the creation and implementation of the curriculum of teaching for the kids. They are also heavily involved in the outreach effort of the church to reach and serve the local community.
Key Objective
The key objectives of the role of the children’s pastor/director are to first and foremost be an advocate of the gospel, Jesus, and the church to the young children of the church. Another key objective of the role is to establish safety and security of the children by the implementation of policies that will keep the children safe and the parents comfortable. Other key objectives would be to plan and coordinate events for the children and their parents of the church and for those not involved in the church as part of the outreach effort of the church.
Daily Responsibilities
The daily responsibilities of the role of children’s pastor/director include the planning and implementation of current and up to date curriculum, the planning of events for the children’s ministry (things like summer camp and VBS), plan events catered specifically to the parents of the children, coordinating with other staff to ensure the care of the younger children like the preschoolers and toddlers, and also oversee and bring on a group of volunteers who have a passion to work with the kids of the church and help to teach them the gospel.
Missions Pastor
Description
The role of the missions pastor is to be dedicated to the planning and carrying out the missions trips that the church will do. They are focused on how the church can serve the countries outside of the United States that need help and aid, how the church can spread the gospel to these communities, and how the church can build long-lasting relationships with these communities outside of our nation. They are also in charge of the local missions within the community the church is in and anywhere in the United States.
Key Objectives
The key objectives of the role of the Missions pastor are to first and foremost be an advocate for the gospel, Jesus, and the church in the local community and outside of the United States. Their other key objective is to enable those within the church congregation to serve in missions with the church and spread the gospel to those in the community and outside of the community and to also plan and partner with organizations focused on spreading the gospel locally and across the globe.
Daily Objectives
The daily objectives of the role of missions pastor may include any kind of pastoral duties such as meeting with people of the church congregation and holding counseling sessions while also being tasked with the planning of missions trips and the fund raising of missions trips to ensure that they can be successful. In this they are also tasked with finding volunteers willing to serve the local community or communities outside of the church to help spread the gospel through their service to others.
Family Pastor
Description
The role of the family pastor is to oversee and lead the families of the church and bring aid and wisdom to help parents in every stage of their lives whether that is through pre-marital counseling, parenting seminars for newborns, toddlers, children, and teens, and holding other familial counseling services dedicated to serving the families. Most of the times, the family pastor may also aid in the overseeing and leading of other roles that involve families directly such as the children’s pastor and the youth pastor.
Key Objectives
The first key objective of the role of the family pastor is to first and foremost be an advocate for the gospel, Jesus, and the church in their assistance of the church families. They are tasked with making sure that the gospel is laid as the groundwork in all scenarios that they must face. Their other key objective is work with the other areas of the church in pinpointing families that need assistance.
Daily Objectives
The role of the family pastor has several daily objectives. They may be tasked with normal pastoral duties such as visiting those of the congregation or attending weddings and funerals. But more so their daily objectives fall more on the counseling side of things. They may be tasked with the pre-marital counseling of a couple getting ready to be married or they may also be tasked with martial dispute counseling or with familial dispute counseling.
Church Communications Director
Description
The role of the church communications director is another cut and dry role to explain. The communications director of the church is to simply do just that, direct the communications of the church. This includes the overseeing of the media team as they work in recording and broadcasting the services to those who are unable to leave home due to extenuating circumstances so those who cannot be there physically can still be a part of and actively participate in the culture of the church.
Key Objectives
The primary key objective of the role of the communications director is to be an advocate of the gospel, Jesus, and of the church by providing a place for those to hear the gospel who cannot physically be in the church building. Their other key objective is to work closely with the rest of the church staff to help ensure that everyone has access to the messages given at the church and to work with the tech volunteers to ensure that the service runs smoothly.
Daily Objectives
The daily objectives of this role are to ensure that the messages are recorded and actively broadcasted live to those who want to watch it live or watch it at another time. They are tasked with overseeing the volunteers of the media to ensure a service without technical difficulties to the best of their ability. They are also tasked with working closely with the other staff to advertise events for each part of the church that may be holding events.
Administrative Assistant
Description
The role of the administrative assistant is to aid the pastoral staff in the more business aspect of the church. This may include the HR staff or financial staff in charge of the finances of the church and ensuring that the finances are used appropriately and responsibly. They mainly function to complete and run the non-pastoral functions within a church.
Key Objectives
The primary key objective just like all the rest of the roles within the church is to be an advocate for the gospel, Jesus, and the church in the work that they do. The other key objective is to work closely with the pastoral staff and other church staff to ensure that the church is a fine-tuned machine that can run without any difficulties.
Daily Responsibilities
The daily responsibilities of this role may include as mentioned in the description things like HR reps and financial staff who work closely with the finances of the church ensuring that they are used responsibly. They may also do other things such as aiding in basic upkeep of the church or things like archiving files for the church or dealing with tax information of the church. They may also be the ones getting in contact with local businesses or organizations to help sponsor events the church puts on.
“I am the vine; you are the branches.”
In scripture in John 15:5 in the ESV it says “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” Each role is a different part of the branches connected to the vine that is Jesus Christ and the gospel. As I’m sure you noticed in each job description, they have a shared primary key objective which is to be an advocate of the gospel, Jesus, and the church.
The base of each role is Jesus and as such each role is a different branch that absolutely cannot function without the vine of Christ for without the vine the branches will wither and die bearing no fruit. Christ Jesus is the unifying factor among the branches and each branch works together to serve the community and glorify Him in all that they do.
While each role may be different in what they do on the daily and the situations they may handle they all have this primary function in common: to share the gospel in any way they can. This takes on different shapes as each role’s responsibilities are different from one another however they all come together to accomplish the same goal and serve the community together as one unified in Christ.