Community Pastor

Life.Church; Des Moines (IA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid parental leave

Generous leave for vacation/sick time

Medical, Dental, Vision insurance

Life insurance 2x annual salary

Disability insurance (short/long-term)

Wellness and mental health benefits

Comprehensive 401(k) retirement plan

Development dollars for growth ($160)

Casual dress code

Job summary

Life.Church is seeking a Community Pastor to lead the Community ministry and develop Associate Community Pastors and Community Interns. The role focuses on LifeGroups, Local Missions, and Get Connected Space to grow community and service across multiple location churches.

You will coach volunteer leaders, foster partnerships, and plan growth strategies while ensuring pastoral care and spiritual transformation for attendees and volunteers.

Qualifications

• Requires High School Diploma or GED.
• At least 1 year of related work experience.
• Ability to articulate a clear vision and motivate diverse groups.

Responsibilities

• Lead the vision and direction for the Community ministry.
• Identify and develop volunteer leaders, including Community Coaches and LifeGroup Leaders.
• Connect people to LifeGroups and local volunteer opportunities.
• Form partnerships with like-minded non-profits in Families, Education, Well-Being, Justice, and Community Empowerment.
• Oversee operational areas such as group management, leader onboarding, benevolence, and event planning.
• Plan and execute quarterly ministry growth strategies.
• Identify trends to assess ministry health and opportunities.
• Develop Associate Community Pastors to eventually lead the Community Pastor role.
• Invest in the spiritual and professional development of Community Interns.
• Provide pastoral care and support to attendees and volunteers.
• Collaborate with and support all weekend ministries.

Skills

Vision articulation

Leadership coaching

People development

Communication

Strategic thinking

Time management

Decision making

Facilitation

Relationship building

Budgeting basics

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Job description

The Community Pastor serves to lead the overall Community ministry and develop Associate Community Pastors and Community Interns

Our Community team leads our church to follow Jesus and love our neighbors through the power of community. We accomplish this by focusing on three areas of ministry: LifeGroups, where we help people find community, Local Missions, where we help people serve their community and the Get Connected Space, where we help people get connected within our community.

At Life.Church, we exist to lead people to become fully devoted followers of Christ. It’s been our mission since 1996 and has guided us every day. Leading people isn’t just an expectation; it’s a necessity. It’s a cornerstone of our culture. That's why we’re always seeking leaders—leaders like you to bring your skills to life. We are one church meeting in multiple locations, and we want to help you become the person God made you to be.

What You'll Do

• Lead the vision and direction for the Community ministry.
• Identify and develop key volunteer leaders, including Community Coaches and LifeGroup Leaders.
• Connect people to LifeGroups and local volunteer opportunities.
• Form partnerships with and advocate for like-minded non-profit organizations making a significant impact in our communities in our five local focus areas: Families, Education, Well-Being, Justice, and Community Empowerment.
• Understand and lead through key operational areas of the ministry, including group management, leader onboarding, benevolence, and event planning.
• Plan and execute successful quarterly ministry growth strategies.
• Identify trends to understand ministry health and respond to key opportunities.
• Develop Associate Community Pastors to one day step into the lead Community Pastor role.
• Invest in the personal, spiritual, and professional development of Community Interns.
• Provide pastoral care and invest in the spiritual transformation of church attenders and volunteer leaders.
• Collaborate and support all weekend ministries.

Skills Needed to Succeed

• Exemplify a passion for helping people grow personally and spiritually.
• Articulate vision in large and small settings that motivates people to act.
• Coaching, managing, and developing leaders.
• Exhibiting clear verbal, interpersonal, and written communication.
• Problem-solving, time management, and following through on commitments.
• Thinking, planning, and acting strategically and relationally.
• Responding quickly and making independent decisions.
• Facilitating meetings and communicating to various groups.
• Relational skills that present harmony and genuine spiritual authority.
• Creating and stewarding budgets.
• Utilizing basic software and office equipment.
• High School Diploma or GED.
• 1 year of related work experience.

At Life.Church, we are passionate about reaching more people in more communities. We hire new team members to begin their journey at an existing Life.Church location so they can learn the culture and systems of our church from experienced pastors already on the team. Our hope is, as we continue to launch new locations, we can send pastors who are ready to lead on day one because of what they’ve learned at an existing location in preparation.

Check out the list of current locations and the cities we’re exploring or considering for future locations. We’d love to discuss which locations you are interested in.

Benefits We Offer

• Paid parental leave, including maternity, paternity, and adoption leave.
• Generous employer-paid leave for the use of vacation, sick time, and other qualifying reasons.
• Innovative and comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance that provides team members with useful resources and savings to navigate their holistic health.
• Life insurance policy provided for all staff members at 2x annual salary at no cost. Additional life insurance coverage is available to purchase.
• Short-Term and Long-Term disability is covered at 100% for full-time qualified staff members.
• Comprehensive wellness and mental health benefits allow staff to proactively invest in their physical and emotional health.
• Generous 401(k) retirement plan allowing a team member to have up to 12.5%(includingemployee contribution, employer match, and employer discretionary contribution) contributed into their account in their first year. It doesn’t stop there—the more years on staff, the greater the investment!
• $160 annually in development dollars for team members to invest in their professional growth.
• Casual dress and work environment.
• And much more!

Our Beliefs, Culture, and Commitment to Diversity

At Life.Church, every staff member, and intern is a minister and is expected to engage in the church's ministry fully. We consider ministry readiness and an individual’s capacity to represent Life.Church’s beliefs as a minister during the selection process for all staff and intern positions. An essential function within every position held by a staff member or intern at Life.Church is to uphold and represent the beliefs of Life.Church.

While we unite around our mission, we know unity doesn’t mean uniformity. Our calling is too great, and our mission is too important not to be intentional about strengthening our team through diversity. We know that diverse perspectives in race, ethnicity, background, age, and gender are essential to reaching the world for Christ. To learn more about how we strengthen our team through diversity, visit our careers page.

All data collected in our application process, from resume collection to application questions, is used for recruitment purposes only.