Position Identification

• Title: Senior Pastor
• Responsible to: Elder Board
• Responsible for: Preaching, teaching and shepherding the congregation, church staff and ministry programs

Primary Responsibilities of Senior Pastor

Through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and under the direction of the Elders, the Senior Pastor will lead and unify the church in its purpose of moving people closer to God. As a servant leader and Elder, he will work with the Elders to develop a clear and compelling vision for our church.

Having a passion for people, he will work with our ministry team in preparing and sending people to serve both inside and outside the church, bringing glory to God. In addition, as our primary preaching and teaching pastor he will communicate the truth of the scriptures and our faith to our diverse, multi-generational congregation.

Characteristics of the Senior Pastor of Creekside Christian Church

As part of the Leadership Team, he will need to fit in five key areas:

1. Calling – Called to this ministry and is passionate about people knowing Jesus Christ
2. Chemistry – Committed to a collaborative leadership model and is theologically compatible
3. Character – Possesses integrity that is grounded in his faith and lives a life above reproach
4. Competency – Experienced in rightly dividing the Word of God and communicating his biblical understanding to the congregation
5. Culture – Demonstrates the ability to minister to a diverse congregation – age, ethnicity, spiritual maturity, education, financial position and worship style preference

Responsibilities                

1. Teaching/Preaching: Lead Creekside through an effective, practical pulpit ministry. This includes providing oversight and leadership of all worship services.
2. Vision/Vision Casting: Provide visionary leadership for all Creekside ministry and business activities in consultation with the Executive Pastor and Business Administrator/CFO.
3. Discipleship: Provide leadership and oversight for developing and maintaining biblical discipleship and lay-leader equipping/training.

Other Related Responsibilities

1. Provide shepherding of the congregation, ministry staff and lay leaders.
2. Build a mutually supportive and aligned ministry environment such that staff members can clearly see how their ministry area contributes to the larger vision and purpose of Creekside.
3. In consultation with the Executive Pastor, be responsible for the effectiveness of the ministry staff in fulfilling their portion of the vision of the church.
4. Encourage team building and a supportive work environment among the staff.
5. Effectively represent Creekside at community, regional and national meetings and North American Baptist Conference (NABC)/Northern California Association meetings and conferences.
6. Participate in a personal accountability group.
7. Responsible for overseeing the personal development of the pastoral staff.

Qualifications

1. Be a devoted and passionate disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ.
2. Maintain a life consistent with I Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9 and meet the other requirements of an Elder, as set forth in the Elder Board Policies and Procedures Manual.
3. Be an ordained minister of the Gospel with a Masters degree from an accredited seminary, or the equivalent.
4. Five or more years of experience in a leadership role at a church of a similar or larger size, diversity and complexity.
5. Without reservation adhere to, preach and defend the core beliefs of Creekside as detailed in our Statement of Faith.
6. Be gifted in preaching, teaching and evangelism.
7. Be experienced in working with and developing a strong team-oriented ministry and promoting effective communications among church staff, leadership teams (principally the Board of Elders) and other lay leaders.
8. Have a strong commitment to missions, able to inspire others to fulfill the Great Commission.
9. Have a heart for discipleship with a passion for maturing believers in their relationship with Christ.
10. Be committed to a long-term pastorate.