Job Description
Are you a spiritual entrepreneur and pastor? Can you knit together and build a community of spiritual skeptics, explorers and committed Christians? Do you recognize your own brokenness and are you able to pastor others who are also broken? Can you nurture and coalesce a band of believers and non-believers, wherever they are on their journey? Do you want to plant a church within a collaborative network of coaching, encouragement, community, and generous startup funding? If this quickens your heart, then we want to talk with you.
The Lake Forest Family of Churches, a 25-year-old growing multisite network of four congregations (in the Evangelical Presbyterian denomination) is seeking a pastor to plant its next church in the Cabarrus County area of Charlotte, North Carolina. The laser beam vision of LFC is reaching people who have given up on church but not on God. Our family of churches is privileged to serve and disciple roughly 3,000 people in and around the north Charlotte area. We are eager to love another area of our city with the gospel of Jesus Christ, in a local and contextualized way. The Concord/Cabarrus County area of Charlotte continues to grow rapidly.
Role Overview
· Church planter and eventual Lead Pastor of the Cabarrus County congregation
· Grow a natural love and gospel vision for the population God has placed in Cabarrus County
· Recruit, empower, and mobilize a missional launch team in the area (including some current LFC members)
· Identify, recruit, and develop key ministry leaders and teams, both staff and volunteer
· After launch of public worship, plan, lead, and preach the weekly worship services
· Raise up elders specific to the Cabarrus County congregation.
· Pastor the congregation to reach the unchurched and grow disciples (who make disciples), who reflect the mission and core passions of the Lake Forest Family of Churches
· Manage the staff and church budget with oversight from the Church Multiplication Team of LFC and Elders
· Work with other LFC Lead Pastors to cast and execute the Lake Forest Family of churches’ vision
Requirements
· A clear and compelling style of preaching.
· A heart for, and track record of, both/and ministry – discipleship and evangelism that has grown under leadership.
· Demonstrated fruitful preaching of God’s Word to God’s people and their spiritually exploring friends.
· An experienced track record of self-motivated startup and growth of ministry for the Kingdom
· Undergraduate degree and M.Div. (or M.Div. equivalency)
· EPC ordination, or a willingness to pursue it
Position Reporting
Reports directly to the Church Multiplication Team of LFC and works closely with the team of Lead Pastors. Note: The Lake Forest Family of Churches multisite model may briefly be summarized as: multiple churches planting new churches together, who each have their own Lead Pastor. All our churches are governed by one elder team (representative of each church), pursuing shared mission/vision/values, and preaching from the same Word of God on Sundays.
Application
If you feel called to inquire, please send your letter of inquiry with resume and any relevant preaching etc. links to [email protected] or mail your inquiry to:
HR Coordinator
Lake Forest Church
8519 Gilead Road
Huntersville, NC 28078
We invite you to find out more about us at www.lakeforest.org
Are you awesome? (Please continue.)
Do you think middle and high school students are awesome? (Great, keep going!)
Are you energized helping students discover faith and learn how to follow Jesus? (Well done. You’re almost there!)
Do you desire to work for and worship in a church community that takes Jesus and the Bible very seriously but doesn’t take itself too seriously? (We think you should check out the job description below.)
Lake Forest Church is seeking a passionate and faithful full-time Youth Pastor/Ministry Leader to join our young and growing church on the western side of Lake Norman in Denver, NC. This job is perfect for anyone who loves students – believers and non-believers alike – and wants to help them discover and live out their role in God’s story. If the idea of doing that excites you, we’d love to hear from you.
Our Story:
Founded in February 2014, Lake Forest Church -- WestLake is a part of the Lake Forest Family of Churches (www.lakeforest.org) in the N. Charlotte, NC region. We worship in two services with an average attendance of 800 each Sunday. In August of 2021, we moved into our brand new 18,000 sq/ft facility on St. James Road in Denver, NC. The strategic addition of this new role will aid us as we continue to grow and respond to the missional needs of the rapidly growing community around us and to disciple and care for the many students already a part of our family.
About the Role:
With solid faith, and an awareness of youth culture, the ideal candidate embodies a deep love for students and a desire to help them pursue Jesus. This leader will provide oversight and daily direction to all aspects of Youth Ministry for students grades 6-12. The Youth Pastor/Director will lead the way in modeling healthy relationships with students, while also helping the youth volunteers to do the same. This person must have the skills to lead teams, encourage and empower volunteers, communicate clearly with parents, have a strong drive, self-initiative, and relational capacity.
Lake Forest Church is passionate about the Sustainable Youth Ministry model, where student ministry is carried by committed volunteers and students are integrated into the whole life of the church. The Youth Pastor/Ministry Leader will work closely with Lake Forest staff team and pastors to work out the vision for youth set forth by the stakeholders in the youth ministry. With regular coaching and mentoring, this person will help to ensure that the vision and values of Lake Forest are finding fresh expressions in our strategies for reaching youth. While it’s not the primary role of this position, there are many additional and exciting opportunities to lead on a church-wide scale as he/she grows in his/her own gifts and calling.
Job Responsibilities:
1. Directs and leads all youth programming (e.g. - small groups, large events, mission trips, and retreats).
2. Builds volunteer teams through recruiting, coaching, and supporting of adult leaders.
3. Partners with parents through vision casting and consistent communication.
4. Works within the whole ministry of the church to help integrate students into the life & mission of Lake Forest Church.
5. Builds a culture of safety and family, where students experience the love Jesus and the support of spiritual friendship.
6. Champions the mission of reaching “one more student” to help them discover and live out their role in God’s Story.
7. Supervises the full-time Youth Coordinator who assists the Youth Pastor in ministry execution.
Reporting Relationships:
This person will report directly to the Pastor of Connection and Spiritual Formation. A collegial spirit is a must as the Youth Pastor/Director will work regularly with the other staff at LFC.
Hours/Compensation:
This staff position is a full-time position, qualifying for benefits in addition to salary. The salary is in keeping with regional salaries for similar roles in churches of our size.
Experience and Education:
A minimum of 3+ years youth ministry or direct work with youth is a requirement. Candidates should also have completed their college undergraduate degree. Seminary or Bible College training is a plus but not a requirement.
Does that sound awesome to you? If so, we’d love to hear from you.
Here is how to take the next step:
Email your resume to [email protected]
Subject: LFC Westlake Youth Pastor