Associate Pastor Covenant Baptist Church

Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Inc.; Asheville (NC); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Covenant Baptist Church in Asheville, NC, seeks an Associate Pastor to work with the Senior Pastor and elders in shepherding, teaching, and oversight of the congregation. He must be a man of Christian character and align with 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1.

The role requires subscribing to the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith (1689) with certain exceptions, and a strong commitment to the ordinary means of grace, particularly the ministry of the word and the sacraments.

Qualifications

• Pastoral ministry experience preferred.
• Ability to work collegially within a church staff and demonstrate professionalism, flexibility, and a shepherd's heart.
• Must subscribe to the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith (1689) with the exceptions noted in the job description.

Responsibilities

• General pastoral ministry alongside the Senior Pastor and elders.
• Preach approximately 8–15 sermons per year, depending on giftedness and need.
• Regularly lead corporate worship services and administer the Lord’s Supper; baptisms as needed.
• Provide pastoral care marked by charity, compassion, and biblical clarity.
• Oversee community groups in coordination with the elders; participate in elder and staff meetings.
• Engage with deacons and provide liaison support to the diaconate.
• Teach or lead in theological instruction, prayer meetings, and other educational opportunities.
• Handle necessary administrative responsibilities.

Job description

Covenant Baptist Church in Asheville, NC, is a confessional reformed church. Below are five commitments that help explain what we mean by that, followed by a job description for the Associate Pastor position we are looking to fill.

1. Confessional
To be confessional means that our theology, piety, and practice are guided by a historic confession of faith produced during the era of the Protestant Reformation (16th–17th centuries).
At CBC we subscribe to the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith (1689) because we are convinced that it faithfully summarizes the teaching of Scripture.
Being confessional also reflects a theological orientation. The Reformers emphasized that our hope is found “extra nos”—outside of us. We do not look inward to our works, our sincerity, or our spiritual
progress as the basis of our standing before God. Instead, we look to the finished and objective work of Christ. Our peace with God, forgiveness of sins, righteousness, and eternal life rest entirely on what Christ has done for us. The gospel is the declaration that Christ has accomplished salvation for sinners.

2. Covenantal
We understand the Bible through the threefold covenantal framework taught in the Reformation tradition.
First, there is the covenant of redemption, established in eternity past among the persons of the Trinity—particularly between the Father and the Son. In this covenant, the Father appoints the Son to
redeem a people, and the Son undertakes the work necessary to accomplish their salvation. The Son’s reward for this finished work is his redeemed people, raised bodily and dwelling with him forever in the new heavens and the new earth.
Second, Scripture reveals the covenant of works made with Adam in the Garden of Eden. Adam stood as the representative head of the human race. Life was promised upon perfect obedience, while death—
spiritual, temporal, and eternal—was the consequence of disobedience.
Third, after the fall, God reveals the covenant of grace. In this covenant, God freely grants forgiveness of sins, righteousness, and eternal life on the basis of Christ’s work alone. Unlike the covenant with Adam, this covenant is not contingent upon our works but entirely upon the obedience and righteousness of Christ, which we receive by faith as God’s gift.

3. Calvinistic
By Calvinistic, we simply mean that God is the author of salvation. God saves sinners.
Salvation is not ultimately the result of human decision or cooperation with God’s grace. Rather, God acts directly upon the soul by his Spirit to bring dead sinners to life and to faith in Christ.
We also affirm that Christ’s work truly accomplished redemption. Jesus did not merely make salvation possible—he actually saved his people. As our substitute, he bore our sins, satisfied divine justice, and secured the salvation of those given to him by the Father. Christ came from heaven, sought his people, and finished the work necessary to save them.

4. Law and Gospel Distinction
We affirm the historic law and gospel distinction, which is essential for rightly understanding Scripture.
The law is the covenant of works principle that says, “Do this and live.” It reveals what God requires for righteousness and exposes our sin. The gospel, by contrast, proclaims what Christ has done: “Christ has done it—receive it and live in him.” The law says do; the gospel says done.
Everything God requires in his law, he provides in his gospel through the work of Christ. The law demands everything and gives nothing, while the gospel demands nothing and gives everything.
Wherever Scripture speaks of what we must do to be righteous before God, that is law. Wherever Scripture proclaims what God has done for sinners in Christ and freely gives to us, that is gospel. These two ‘words’ must be carefully distinguished—never confused or mixed—so that the gospel remains the good news that Christ saves sinners.

5. Ordinary Means of Grace
Finally, our life together is shaped by the ordinary means of grace in the local church.
While our salvation rests entirely on Christ’s finished work for us, God ordinarily applies that salvation through the ministry of the church. Christ is spiritually present with his people when we gather, and he ministers to us through his appointed means.
Faith is imparted and nourished through the preaching of Christ in the word. It is also strengthened through the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
Baptism is the sign of our union with Christ—our participation in his death, resurrection, and new life, and the washing away of our sins.
The Lord’s Supper is given for our ongoing nourishment and encouragement. As we receive it by faith, it confirms to us the benefits of Christ and strengthens us in him. The Supper is not for the perfect, but for the weak—for sinners who trust in Christ and need his grace.
Along with the word and sacraments, prayer and song in the gathered church are means through which God sustains and strengthens faith and shapes his people.
Through these ordinary means, the Lord continues to uphold, nourish, and sanctify his people in Christ.

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:

• 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.

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.