Associate Pastor

New Wine; West of England; On-site; GBP 31,000 - 33,000; Full time

Job summary

The Woodlands Church Family is seeking an Associate Pastor to lead and grow the Young Adults ministry, oversee the Discipleship Year, and contribute to Sunday services at Woodlands Central in Bristol. You will work closely with Central Senior Leaders and the WCF Academy Lead, with a focus on developing the next generation of young adults within a vibrant church community.

Candidates should be mature in ministry, strong communicators, and able to work well in a team, while maintaining

Qualifications

• Experience in church ministry and leadership roles.
• Strong communication and pastoral gifting.
• Able to work well in a team and with volunteers.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Young Adults ministry and guide volunteer leaders.
• Oversee the Discipleship Year programme with the Academy Training Lead.
• Support Sunday services and participate in service teams.
• Be part of the wider staff team to release church into ministry and mission.

Skills

Ministry leadership

Communication skills

Teamwork

Job description

Hours

Full Time

31,000

33,000

Description of Job

The Woodlands Church Family (WCF) is a vibrant, growing family of churches with eight sites located across the city of Bristol. Our vision is ‘to transform Bristol through the love and power of God’ as we create spirit-filled, visible communities of faith in neighbourhoods across the city.

Each congregation is distinct in their style, but we all share the same vision, mission and values to be communities which are welcoming of everyone, authentic in our faith, empowered by the Holy Spirit and expectant of all that God will do in us and through us.

We currently have an exciting opportunity for someone to join our team as an Associate Pastor. This role offers a unique opportunity to support our Central Senior Leaders Rachel Riddall and Nigel Savage with a focus on helping to lead our Young Adults ministry and investing in raising up the next generation of young adults and support and our WCF Academy Lead, Tim Dobson overseeing the WCF Discipleship Team.

Woodlands Central is a thriving city resourcing church, and we are looking for someone with a mature gifting in ministry, with strong communication skills, who is passionate about Jesus and loves the church. A secure and proven leader.

About the Role

This role will carry the significant responsibility of leading our Young Adults ministry. It will also involve helping to lead our Discipleship Team programme as well as helping us deliver Sunday services and events. Candidates should be highly motivated, enthusiastic, able to take initiative, work well in a team and be committed to see the church community grow in their faith and reach the city for Jesus.

Key areas of work for the position of Associate Pastor at Woodlands Central include:

1.Lead Young Adults Ministry – We have a large Young Adults community made up mainly of people in their 20’s and 30’s who play a vital part in our church. Our vision is to see many Young Adults come to faith, to disciple them in community and see them released into ministry and mission in the power of the Spirit. The Young Adults lead is to be a figurehead of this ministry and to lead through the many leaders we have within the community to fulfil this vision.

2.Oversee the WCF Discipleship Year – We run a Discipleship Year programme for young people who volunteer to serve the church and seek to grow in their faith. This role is about investing in them and delivering the programme, working closely with the Woodlands Church Family Academy Training Lead.

3.Resourcing Sunday Services - Support the smooth running of Sunday Services. This involves being a constant presence on Sundays at our services and joining a congregational service team.

4.Staff Team – Be part of the wider staff team to help release the church into ministry and mission.

When undertaking this role there may be times when you come across confidential information, therefore it is imperative that you are highly discreet and maintain confidentiality.

Find out more about the Associate Pastor role:

• This is a permanent, contracted full-time position delivering four days a week to supporting the Central Senior Leaders and Young Adults Ministry and 1 day to supporting the WCF Academy Lead overseeing the WCF Discipleship Year . We will also consider part-time applicants.
• The salary band for this role is £31k - £33k, depending on experience.
• The annual holiday entitlement is 25 days pro rata plus 8 days bank holiday pro rata.
• The role will be based at Woodlands Central and there is a requirement should the post holder relocate to Bristol they will become a worshipping member of Woodlands Church Family at Woodlands Central.
• The detailed terms and conditions will be contained in the post-holders Contract of Employment and the staff handbook.

Right to Work in the UK

We have a legal responsibility to ensure that all our employees have the legal right to live and work in the UK. Therefore, please only apply if you are eligible to work in the UK as we will have to verify this before you can start work.

The closing date for applications is midnight on Sunday 22nd November 2026. However, this vacancy will close once we have sufficient applications.

Bristol, Bristol, England, United Kingdom

The Woodlands Church Family is a vibrant, growing family of churches with six sites located across the city of Bristol and a vision to plant more.