Associate Pastor Job Description
Overview—
The Evangelical Free Church of the Palouse is seeking to bring on an Associate Pastor with the view of having him serve alongside ournew senior pastor in a church that is actively growing and spreading the Gospel. The church is going through the transition of having the former Senior Pastor of 40 years gradually move to pastor Emeritus. Under the Title of Pastor Emeritus, we seek to have him continue ministering (at a slower pace) and sharing his wisdom on the Elder Board. Our current attendance averages in the range of 325-425 in a community where there are two state universities. Our mission statement is “raising worshipful, caring, disciple-making servants of the Lord Jesus Christ as we reach our community and the World.”
Thumbnail description of the Church--
For a brief history of the church see
EFCP has been a very stable congregation with devoted pastoral leadership from Elmer Hiebert, Jim Wilson, and for the last 40 years Doug Busby.
For the last five plus years EFCP has been in a church facility that the saints here helped construct as a vision to expand our ministry. This is “phase one.” When the remaining debt is retired, and the growth of the congregation is sufficient, “phase two” will be the construction of a room designed for worship, and the current one will become a multipurpose room for youth activities.
EFCP isa gathering of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ who have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and His death and resurrection. We are unashamedly Trinitarian and founded on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets with Jesus Christ as our Chief Cornerstone. See our Statement of Faith which is an essential component of the theological foundation of the pastor we are seeking. (website: efreepalouse.org About us Statement of Faith)
Complexion of our ministry
EFCP has a strong ministry to children, encouraging preparation for dedication of children to the Lord by teaching their parents a pattern of discipling their children in the home. We have both children's Sunday School and children's church classes. We do an outreach of VBS each summer (about 170 children involved this last June).
We have a ministry to youth seeking to enhance the ministry done in our homes as well as reaching out to those without good training in the homes. We have meetings for those in Middle School and High School. They have regular summer mission trips whether in a World Changer framework, or World View Academy experience, or other special outreaches. Outreach events like winter ski retreats where our youth can invite their friends are a regular feature.
We have an active college group made up mostly of students who attend the two state universities: Washington State University and University of Idaho. We provide them with fellowship, teaching on relevant issues for their key time of life: becoming mature adults who know how to function in the Bride of Christ (the Church), who know God’s design for marriage, who are strengthened in Scriptural foundations facing the challenges of secularism and atheism, relativism, etc.
We have an active outreach to international students made effective by a couple who have them out to their house for food, teaching in the word. Currently we have had between 20 and 40 Chinese Grad students attending.
EFCP has a "Life Group" ministry. This happens when the saints gather during the week in homes to meet with other believers in a setting where they can be real with one another, humbly growing in their faith as they encourage and support one another. Many of these are sermon based, with notes provided by our preachers to those who lead the groups. The ministry is designed to better shepherd the flock of God at ground level.
EFCP is mission minded. We have been used of God to send missionaries into several parts of the globe including those known to be very hostile to the Gospel. We have missionaries that are international, national and local. We participate in other local ministries like a crisis pregnancy center and an outreach to those who are unemployed and enslaved to various addictions.
EFCP hasa strong emphasis on worship.
We worship in songs, hymns and spiritual songs to express to God the worship He deserves led by a gifted Director of Worship. We have special communion services to celebrate Christ's birth, His death and His Resurrection.
EFCP has an effective array of classes for life discipling.
We have semester long classes to train adults in God's design for marriage (Marriage Architect) that are run once a year. We have a class for parenting children. We have classes for those who need the basics like the Connecting with God curriculum from Campus Crusade (Cru).
EFCP has been a sending and equipping church. It has been used in the past to send out mature leaders to found, establish and help lead churches and we hope to continue that impact.
EFCP promotesministries among our women and men including annual retreats over key issues of the Christian life as well as special Bible studies to help our men and women grow.
EFCP has recently developed a ministry to Seniors under the leadership of a deacon and deaconess. EFree is seeking to be a blessing to our older seniors
Thumbnail description of the communities from which the church draws
The EFCP sits in between Moscow, Idaho and Pullman, Washington. Each has a significant state university (University of Idaho and Washington State University) employing a significant percent of the work force in our area. The rolling hills of the Palouse region grow crops of wheat, barley, lentils, garbanzos, etc. so agribusiness is a key component. Schweitzer Engineering in Pullman employs over three thousand employees and markets its products in power transmission, fault locators, etc. to nations around the world. The towns have businesses of different sizes that one would expect in such communities.
The communities are quite religiously polarized from strong evangelical and reformed churches, to liberal churches that have lost the Gospel, to other religious groups like LDS (several wards in Moscow, and in Pullman), Muslim, etc. There is a very strong voice here from anti-theists with a predominant strain from evolutionists. Speakers are brought in by both universities to support that view.
Qualifications Overview for Associate Pastor
A clear evidence of being born again by the Spirit of God (John 3)
Has ongoing and growing evidences of salvation. (1 John).
Qualifies as a Pastor-Overseer-Elder according to the Scriptures
(1 Tim. 3; Titus 1; 1 Peter 5) Has a wife who is a committed supporter of her husband, and his ministry, helps shepherd their children well, and knows how to use her gifting in concert with the other women of the church.
Has successfully completed an MDiv or its equivalent
Commitment to a plurality of Elder Leadership of the church in which he is an elder with equal voting rights as other elders
He is to exercise the authority delegated to him by the elder board with the leading input from the Senior Pastor: over the deaconate, staff, and the congregation in general but to do so as an associate pastor, assisting the senior pastor. Where elders assume other areas of ministry that fall under his care, he also exercises pastoral supervision.
Theologically settled
Has a strong sense of the Lord's calling in his life to be in the ministry
Believes in male leadershipfor the positions of Pastor-Overseer-Elders as well as in the home
This does not exclude female leadership of pastoral ministries to women and children nor the role of deaconess in the deaconate, nor the understanding from Genesis 2:18ff where he leads yet sees his wife as giving him a viewpoint that is in some important ways, a completing- opposite to him.) His wife should be secure in his love and know her husband cares about her viewpoint.
Obviously loves people with a Christ-like love
Has a steady and vibrant prayer life and a heart to see it multiplied in the church
Is competent to help others grow in their Christian walks
Many face tragedies in the past, or present, or areas where they have been taken captive into destructive behaviors.
Works well as a team player, and works well with the Senior Pastor
Enthusiastically supports the SOF of the EFCP
Enthusiastically supports the Mission Statement of the Church, the vision for growing leadership, and the vision for growing EFCP in the years ahead.
Has an essential ability to defend the Scriptures from attacks from atheists, antitheists, cults etc.
An ability in Greek and Hebrew would be a desired quality.
Has a philosophy of long term stable leadershipfor a church
Yet he still knows it is God to whom we are first responsible. EFCP is not to be seen as merely a stepping stone to another position.
Has been tested by being the spiritual leader of his home under Christ, and by being active in effective ministry.
Together with his wife practices hospitality in their home
To both believers and unbelievers at a level that does not hurt the shepherding of their children, nor take away from their needed time together as husband and wife.
Gifting
Effective preacher/teacher of the Scriptures (The Holy Bible) to nurture the body to be strong in their faith and equip them for their ministries
Evangelism-- a heart to share the Gospel to those outside the body of Christ, both as they visit EFCP, and beyond the church facilities both individually and in gathering opportunities
Gift of governing-administrating --to help guide and shepherd a church staff
Biblical Guidance and Life Shepherding--to help the saints in their trials, troubles, and sins; and to help disciple the maturing to greater ministry.
Experience
Having a thriving marriage
Raising children (in/through teen years is desired)
In pastoring in some capacity in a growing church. A church size of 250 or more is desired. The experience can include being an assistant pastor of a larger church.
Ability to relate to an educated community, as well as to other segments of our community.
Responsibilities
Reports to the Senior Pastor
Become a member of the Elder Board and Church Board attending the regular meetings
Share in the ministry of preaching/teaching the Word from the pulpit, in Bible and discipleship classes, and in homes and venues where the saints and others gather
Serves as either Head Coach of the Life Group Ministry OR leads the College Ministry. This depends on gifting, calling and ministry load.
Be responsible for ministries under your leadership--This will include a selection from our various ministries: Children's Ministry, Youth Ministry, Worship Ministry and other ministries that we may develop
Special Issueswhere harmony of views is important.
Position on Baptism (believer’s?, infant?)
Position on Gifts of the Spirit
Position on the Calvinism-Arminian Issue
Position on role of women in the church and home
Position on divorce and remarriage
Position on the matter of gays, lesbians, transgenders, etc.
Position on the matter of church and state
Position on qualifications for leadership (elders, deacons, deaconesses)
Philosophy of child discipline
Philosophy of church discipline
Position on the creation-evolution issue
Position on the various versions of the Bible and their underlying texts
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