Associate Pastor

Westminster Theological Seminary; Asheville (NC); On-site; USD 50,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Covenant Baptist Church in Asheville, NC seeks an Associate Pastor to join the Senior Pastor and elders in shepherding, teaching, and oversight of the congregation. The candidate should embody Christian character and be able to follow with discernment as described in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1.

The role includes general pastoral ministry, preaching, worship leadership, pastoral care, and coordination with elders and deacons, with a focus on biblical clarity and faithfulness to the church’s

Qualifications

• Must be a man of Christian character—one whom the congregation can follow with confidence and discernment.

Responsibilities

• General pastoral ministry, including public ministry and personal engagement with congregants.
• Preaching approximately 8–15 sermons per year, depending on giftedness and desire.
• Regularly leading corporate worship services and administering the Lord’s Supper; administering baptism as needed.
• Providing pastoral care marked by charity, compassion, and biblical clarity.
• Oversight of community groups and other group studies, in coordination with the elders.
• Participation in elder and staff meetings.
• Participation in meetings with deacons, including liaison support to the diaconate on behalf of the elders and staff.
• Teaching and/or leading in various settings (theological instruction, prayer meetings, and other educational opportunities).
• Engagement in necessary administrative responsibilities.

Job description

Associate Pastor – Job Description

Overview and Qualifications

Covenant Baptist Church seeks an Associate Pastor to serve alongside the Senior Pastor and elders in the shepherding, teaching, and oversight of the congregation. He must be a man of Christian character—one whom the congregation can follow with confidence and discernment, as described in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1.

Theological Commitments

The Associate Pastor must subscribe to the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith (1689), with the following permitted exceptions: (1) 22.8 on religious worship and the Sabbath Day—affirming the spirit and principle of the paragraph without subscribing to its specific scruples; and (2) 26.4 on the church—affirming that the papacy may be understood as a type of antichrist without requiring identification of the pope as the antichrist.

In addition, the Associate Pastor must affirm: confessionalism as a theological orientation (extra nos); a clear law/gospel distinction; a covenantal framework (covenant of redemption, works, and grace); the saint–sinner reality (simul justus et peccator); a strong commitment to the ordinary means of grace, particularly the ministry of the word and the sacraments.

The Associate Pastor must also not be in settled disagreement with the position papers published by the elders of Covenant Baptist Church.

Primary Responsibilities

1. General pastoral ministry, including public ministry and personal engagement with congregants.
2. Preaching approximately 8–15 sermons per year, depending on giftedness and desire.
3. Regularly leading corporate worship services and administering the Lord’s Supper; administering baptism as needed.
4. Providing pastoral care marked by charity, compassion, and biblical clarity.
5. Oversight of community groups and other group studies, in coordination with the elders.
6. Participation in elder and staff meetings.
7. Participation in meetings with deacons, including liaison support to the diaconate on behalf of the elders and staff.
8. Teaching and/or leading in various settings (theological instruction, prayer meetings, and other educational opportunities).
9. Engagement in necessary administrative responsibilities.

Experience & Disposition

Prior pastoral ministry experience is preferred. The Associate Pastor must be able to work collegially within a church staff setting and demonstrate professionalism, flexibility, and a shepherd’s heart.