Associate Pastor - Lead Pastor Succession Track

Crosswalk.com, Ltd.; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Crosswinds Church is seeking an Associate Pastor as part of a Lead Pastor succession track. The role emphasizes biblical teaching, pastoral care, and leadership development while mentored by the founding Lead Pastor.

The ideal candidate will have strong communication, relational, and organizational gifts, with a commitment to disciple-making and collaborative ministry within the Crosswinds community.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master of Divinity or equivalent theological education preferred.
• Strong gift to communicate clearly and practically; experience developing leaders is valued.
• Commitment to spiritual maturity, humility, and collaborative ministry.

Responsibilities

• Preach approximately 12–20 weekend messages each year and participate in sermon planning.
• Lead ministry areas, recruit and train teams, and develop discipleship opportunities.
• Mentor ministry leaders and help cultivate a healthy staff culture.
• Lead or support volunteer development, outreach, and adult discipleship.

Skills

Communication

Relational skills

Organizational

Leadership

Teaching

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master of Divinity (M.Div.)

Job description

# **Crosswinds Church**## **Associate Pastor –** Lead Pastor Succession Track## This position is intentionally designed as a potential succession pathway to the Lead Pastor role. The person selected will initially serve as Associate Pastor, with significant teaching, pastoral, and leadership responsibilities while being mentored by the founding Lead Pastor. While succession is not automatic or guaranteed, our intention is to identify someone with the character, the leadership competency and capacity, and the calling who could become Crosswinds’ next Lead Pastor.## **Position Summary**The Associate Pastor will lead ministry areas as assigned and be responsible to recruit, train, plan and lead teams. In addition, he will help create new development/discipleship opportunities within Crosswinds.As trust is established and competence, experience, and relational chemistry are demonstrated, it is our hope for this person to transition to the future role of Lead Pastor. The goal is not to find a “plug-and-play” replacement, but to develop a leader who loves Christ, loves people, and embraces the mission and culture of Crosswinds. Our goal is not only to hire, but prepare, the leader of our next chapter of ministry.---# Primary Responsibilities## Biblical Teaching (35–45%)· Preach approximately 12–20 weekend messages each year.· Participate in sermon planning, preparation, and evaluation with the teaching team.· Develop biblically faithful, Christ-centered, culturally relevant messages.· Assist in developing sermon series and teaching resources.· Teach in additional discipleship settings such as classes, seminars, counseling, and leadership training.## Pastoral Ministry (25–35%)· Provide pastoral care through counseling, hospital visitation, weddings, funerals, and care for those experiencing grief or crisis.· Build authentic relationships throughout the congregation.· Equip, encourage, and mentor ministry leaders.· Help strengthen the pathway that moves people from first-time guests to fully engaged disciples who worship, grow, serve, and lead.## Leadership Development (15–25%)· Participate in Leadership Team meetings as requested.· Help cultivate a healthy staff culture, strong leadership, and effective ministry systems.· Lead ministry initiatives as assigned.· Identify, mentor, and develop future ministry leaders.· Function and serve as a teammate.## Church Ministry Responsibilities (10–20%)Dependent on gifting, experience, and ministry needs, responsibilities may include leading or assisting with:· Volunteer development· Membership process· Missions and community outreach· Adult discipleship· Leadership training· Other pastoral responsibilities as assigned---# Desired Qualifications## Spiritual QualificationsThe candidate should:· Meet the biblical qualifications for leadership described in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1.· Demonstrate a vibrant and growing relationship with Jesus Christ.· Possess a genuine passion for making Christ known.· Lead with humility and a servant’s heart.· Be committed to prayer, personal holiness, and spiritual maturity.· Love people and value the church for its potential for community and effectiveness.## Ministry Qualifications· Bachelor’s degree required.· Master of Divinity (M.Div.) or equivalent theological education preferred.· A passion and gift to communicate accurately, clearly, and practically.· Demonstrated passion for developing people and leaders.· Strong relational, organizational, and communication skills.## ## Personal CharacteristicsThe ideal candidate will be:· Humble· Appropriately transparent· Teachable· Emotionally healthy· Self-aware· Collaborative· Team-oriented· Self-motivated· Responsive to authority· A lifelong learner· Excited to receive coaching and constructive feedback· Passionate about developing others rather than building a personal platform---# Philosophy of MinistryCrosswinds Church believes leadership is healthiest when it is shared rather than centered around one individual. We value collaboration, mutual accountability, servant leadership, and the intentional development of future leaders.The Associate Pastor will become a significant voice within the ministry while honoring the work God has built through the people of Crosswinds Church. Likewise, the existing leadership is committed to intentionally creating opportunities for this pastor to grow in his skills, influence, responsibility, and visibility.Healthy leadership transitions are built through trust, shared ministry, and faithful service over time.# Transitional Leadership StrategyCrosswinds Church desires a pastoral transition that prioritizes the long-term health of the church over the prominence of any individual leader.As the Lead Pastor approaches retirement, the transition will intentionally follow a simple philosophy:## **“More of him. Less of me.”**Rather than keeping the founding pastor as the primary public face of ministry, the church will intentionally increase the visibility, responsibility, and leadership of the Associate Pastor while the Lead Pastor gradually steps back.This approach allows the congregation to develop confidence in new leadership through a season of shared ministry rather than experiencing an abrupt transition.During this process, the Lead Pastor will intentionally:· Share the preaching calendar.· Share leadership responsibilities.· Publicly affirm and encourage the Associate Pastor.· Vision Cast, Celebrate, and Elevate the next generation of leadership.· Help launch a new era of healthy ministry.We believe healthy succession resembles a relay race. For a season, two leaders run together—sharing responsibility, building trust, and strengthening the church. When the time is right, the baton is intentionally and publicly passed so the next leader can run with freedom, confidence, and a full sense of support.Leadership responsibilities will increase as trust, effectiveness, and readiness are affirmed by the Leadership Team. There is no predetermined timeline for succession. The process will move forward as wisdom, discernment, and God’s leading become evident.The objective is not simply to replace a pastor but to prepare the community of Crosswinds Church for decades of faithful ministry beyond its founding generation.Ultimately, Crosswinds Church belongs to Jesus Christ. Every leadership transition should strengthen the congregation’s confidence in Him rather than dependence upon any one pastor.# What We OfferCrosswinds Church is a healthy, growing, financially stable congregation with a collaborative and capable staff, a committed Leadership Team, and a church family that values biblical teaching that relates to real life, authentic relationships, and making disciples.This position offers the opportunity to participate in meaningful ministry, teach regularly, develop as a leader, and potentially serve as the next Lead Pastor through a thoughtful, intentional transition process.We are praying for the right leader to help write the next chapter of what God is doing through Crosswinds Church.