Central Leadership Development Pastor

Willow-Creek-Community-Church-Inc; South Barrington (IL); On-site; USD 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, IL seeks a Central Leadership Development Pastor to craft development pathways for kids, students, volunteers, interns, residents, and staff, and to oversee internship and residency programs. The role builds systems to help people discover gifts, grow as leaders, and take next steps in their calling.

A primary focus is leading internship and residency efforts, while building a scalable development framework across the church.

Qualifications

• Experience building programs and systems that help people grow as leaders.
• Ability to develop internship and residency pathways and volunteer tracks.
• Pastoral leadership experience in a large church setting is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead Willow's Internship & Residency Programs by recruiting, designing, and overseeing programs that equip participants for ministry.
• Create Leadership Development Pathways to help various groups grow in their calling.
• Develop Volunteer Leaders by creating clear growth pathways from service to leadership.
• Lead the Development Operations Manager and oversee onboarding policies.
• Build Staff Development pathways aligned with internship and residency frameworks.
• Collaborate Churchwide with Campus Pastors and leadership teams to strengthen volunteerism.

Skills

Builder

Collaborative Leader

Developer

Learner

High Energy

Team building

Systems development

Volunteer development

Organizational leadership

Multisite experience

Job description

Description

Central Leadership Development Pastor

Central Ministries | South Barrington, IL
Full-Time | 40+ hours/week | Exempt | Pastoral Role

About the Role

At Willow, we believe everyone with influence is a leader—and everyone has a next step.

The Central Leadership Development Pastor will help make that vision a reality by creating development pathways for people across Willow—from kids and students to volunteers, interns, residents, and staff. This role will build and oversee systems that help people discover their gifts, grow as leaders, and take meaningful next steps in their God-given calling.

A primary focus will be leading Willow's internship and residency programs, from recruitment through completion, while building a development framework that can extend throughout the church.

What You'll Do

• Lead Willow's Internship & Residency Programs by recruiting, designing, and overseeing programs that equip participants with the character, skills, and vision needed for effective ministry.
• Create Leadership Development Pathways that help kids, students, volunteers, interns, residents, and staff grow in their God-given calling.
• Develop Volunteer Leaders by creating clear pathways for volunteers to grow from serving to deeper leadership and ministry opportunities.
• Lead the Development Operations Manager and provide oversight of volunteer onboarding processes, policies, and practices.
• Build Staff Development by creating a complementary pathway for staff growth based on the internship and residency framework.
• Collaborate Churchwide with Campus Pastors, Central Directors, and the Executive Team to identify opportunities to strengthen volunteerism and leadership development across Willow.
• Serve as a Commissioned Pastor, participating in pastoral ministry such as baptism, communion, prayer, teaching, weddings, funerals, and other pastoral functions as assigned.

Why This Role Matters

This role has the opportunity to shape how Willow develops people at every level—helping individuals understand who God has created them to be, discover where they can serve, and grow into the leaders God is calling them to become.

At Willow, we want to Love God. Love People. Change the World. This role helps equip people to do exactly that.

Requirements

What We're Looking For

We're looking for someone who is:

• A Builder who is energized by creating programs and systems that help people take their next step.
• A Collaborative Leader who can bring people together and lead through influence.
• A Developer who enjoys training, coaching, and equipping others.
• A Learner who welcomes feedback and continually seeks to grow.
• High Energy and passionate about developing the next generation of leaders.
• Experienced in team building, systems development, volunteer development, and organizational leadership.
• Experienced in a large, multisite church environment preferred.

The spiritual gifts especially suited to this role include leadership, discernment, exhortation, teaching, and shepherding.