Lead Pastor

The Christian and Missionary Alliance - U.S. Church Ministries; Elizabeth (NJ); On-site; USD 135,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Four weeks vacation

Study leave annually

Continuing education reimbursement

Sabbatical leave

Family health coverage

Matching retirement contribution

SECA reimbursement

Job summary

Long Hill Chapel, located in Chatham, NJ, is seeking a Christ-centered Lead Pastor to faithfully preach God’s Word, shepherd the congregation, and guide a healthy church into its next season of discipleship, mission, and Kingdom impact.

The next pastor will articulate a clear biblical vision, develop leaders, and invite the church to participate in deeper faith, meaningful community, and ongoing mission in a collaborative, Spirit-led environment.

Qualifications

• Strong preacher & communicator who proclaims biblical truth and equips others.
• Leader with vision who connects ministries to shared goals.
• Disciple-maker who fosters relational discipleship and spiritual formation.
• Leader-developer who equips volunteers and multiplies leaders.
• Missional catalyst who translates concern for the community into visible outreach.
• Collaborative & humble leader who strengthens existing strengths.

Responsibilities

• Preach and teach God’s Word faithfully.
• Shepherd people with wisdom and compassion.
• Lead a healthy congregation into its next season of discipleship, mission, and Kingdom impact.
• Clarify church-wide goals and connect ministry efforts.
• Develop and equip leaders and volunteers across ministries.

Skills

Preaching & Teaching

Leadership

Discipleship

Strategic Vision

Team Building

Job description

LEAD PASTOR PROFILE

Long Hill Chapel

Chatham, New Jersey

Current job opportunities are posted here as they become available.

A HEALTHY PERSPECTIVE TO BEGIN FROM

Long Hill Chapel enters this next season with a healthy and stable foundation and a sense of hope about the future. The church benefits from meaningful worship, biblical teaching, strong relationships, committed leaders and volunteers, and people who desire to follow Jesus and serve others. These are important strengths to recognize and steward as the church prayerfully considers what God may be calling us to next.

The next Lead Pastor will have the opportunity to build upon that foundation while helping the congregation take meaningful next steps. We recognize that health does not mean the absence of challenges. Every season of ministry requires discernment, adaptability, spiritual courage, and a willingness to respond faithfully to changing circumstances. The church seeks a pastor who will listen carefully, lead wisely, build trust, and help the congregation discern together where God is leading.

One of the most important opportunities ahead is cultivating a deeper and more intentional culture of discipleship. This will require more than strengthening programs or increasing participation. It will mean helping people understand more fully what it means to follow Jesus and creating relationships and environments where people are known, prayed for, challenged, spiritually formed, equipped, and prepared to disciple others. The next pastor will need to articulate a compelling biblical vision for discipleship, develop and equip leaders, and invite the congregation to follow Jesus into deeper faith, greater maturity, meaningful community, and active participation in His mission.

There are also opportunities to bring greater clarity to the church s direction, strengthen alignment among ministries, develop emerging leaders, and build upon the congregation s desire to reach and serve its community. This work will require both patient relationship-building and intentional leadership. Our church approaches this transition with gratitude for its foundation, realism about the work ahead, and hope for what God may yet accomplish. The next Lead Pastor will have the opportunity to steward existing strengths while challenging, equipping, and encouraging the congregation toward greater spiritual depth, clarity, participation, and Kingdom impact.

01 | THE OPPORTUNITY

A Healthy & Stable Church Ready for Its Next Season

Long Hill Chapel seeks a Christ-centered, spiritually mature Lead Pastor who will faithfully preach and teach God's Word, shepherd people with wisdom and compassion, and lead a healthy congregation into its next season of discipleship, mission, and Kingdom impact. This is a future-building role: the next pastor will honor what God has already established while helping the church become increasingly clear about its direction, more deeply connected in spiritual community, intentional about multiplying leaders, and visible in community mission.

Why Join Our Ministry Team

• Unique Opportunity: Lead a family-oriented, healthy and stable church committed to helping people grow in their walk with Jesus, developing future leaders, and continuing the work God has already begun.
• Ministry Context: Serve a relational community where families are valued and people are seeking meaningful connections, biblical truth, and opportunities to live out their faith together.
• Church Life: Build on strong worship, meaningful ministry participation, loving relationships, discipleship, youth and family ministries, and missional efforts.
• Supportive Community: Join a congregation, Elder Board, staff, and ministry team that values partnership, prayer, collaboration, trust, and the equipping of others.
• Growth Potential: Strengthen relational discipleship, clarify shared vision, multiply leaders, invest in young families, and translate existing missional instincts into coordinated community impact.
• Ministry/Life Balance: Serve in a welcoming community with strong schools and family-focused neighborhoods while practicing healthy rhythms of Sabbath, vacation, continuing education, and sustainable ministry.

Position Details -Lead Pastor

Location - 525 Shunpike Road, Chatham, NJ 07928

Denomination - Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA)

Church Size - Approximately 200-230 attendees

Compensation - Total package, including base salary, housing allowance and benefits: $135,000 to $160,000, depending on qualifications and experience.

Benefits - Four weeks vacation and two weeks study leave annually, continuing education reimbursement allowance, paid sabbatical leave (every seven years in lieu of study leave), family health coverage, matching retirement contribution and SECA reimbursement.

02 | PASTORAL SEARCH IMPLICATIONS

The Leader Long Hill Chapel Needs Next

Recently, Long Hill Chapel completed a comprehensive health assessment. The assessment supports a search for a future-building pastor rather than a caretaker or turnaround specialist. Long Hill Chapel needs a leader who can protect healthy strengths, listen before changing, and help leverage existing health to create greater future impact.

• Strong Preacher & Communicator: Worship is a defining strength. The next pastor should be a biblical, engaging, applicable communicator who faithfully proclaims the finished work and Lordship of Jesus and helps people follow Him in everyday life.
• Leader & Vision Caster: The church is well organized, but greater clarity is needed around church-wide goals and how ministries connect. The next pastor should create shared direction without diminishing healthy systems or unnecessarily disrupting what is working.
• Disciple-Maker: The clearest leverage point is deeper relational discipleship. The next pastor should help move people from attendance and activity into communities where they are known, prayed for, spiritually formed, cared for through real-life challenges, and developed as disciples.
• Leader-Developer: Gift-based ministry and teamwork are strong. The next pastor should equip and release people rather than becoming the center of ministry activity, asking consistently: "Who are we developing next?"
• Missional Catalyst: The congregation already demonstrates relational concern for people who do not yet know Christ. The next pastor should help translate that instinct into visible, coordinated mission and community engagement.
• Collaborative, Stable & Humble: The healthiest next leader will honor what God has already built, work well with Elders and staff, cultivate trust, listen carefully, and lead confidently without implying that a healthy congregation needs to be reinvented.

03 | QUALIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTS

Calling, Formation & Experience

• Spiritual Maturity: A clear calling to pastoral ministry and a growing relationship with Jesus Christ demonstrated through humility, integrity, prayer, dependence on the Holy Spirit, and commitment to God's Word.
• Holiness & Integrity: The Lead Pastor will demonstrate a life of biblical integrity, personal holiness, and accountability, recognizing that pastoral leadership carries responsibility both in public ministry and private life. The pastor will seek to live consistently with the moral and ethical standards of Scripture in personal relationships, marriage and sexual conduct, financial stewardship, communication and social media, and all other personal and public dealings. This includes a willingness to live transparently and remain accountable to the Elder Board and the established standards and expectations of Long Hill Chapel and the Christian and Missionary Alliance