Lead Pastor - Lexington, Kentucky

The Christian and Missionary Alliance; Lexington (KY); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

The Christian and Missionary Alliance is seeking a Lead Pastor for First Alliance Church in Lexington, Kentucky. This role involves providing spiritual, pastoral, and strategic leadership while fostering congregational care and outreach efforts.

The ideal candidate will meet biblical qualifications for pastoral leadership and possess a graduate-level theological education. Additional priorities include preaching, teaching, and developing a culture of discipleship within the church.

The position will help to guide the church in its mission and vision as it moves forward into the future.

Qualifications

• Meets the biblical qualifications for elder/pastor.
• Aligned with the doctrine, mission, and polity of the Christian & Missionary Alliance.
• Demonstrates a life marked by prayer, humility, integrity, and dependence on the Holy Spirit.

Responsibilities

• Provide spiritual, pastoral, and strategic leadership for First Alliance Church.
• Serve as the primary preacher and teacher of the church.
• Shepherd the congregation with humility and approachability.

Skills

Biblical preaching

Spiritual leadership

Vision casting

Organizational leadership

Discipleship development

Outreach and evangelism

Education

Graduate-level theological education (M.Div., M.A. in Theology)

Job description

First Alliance Church, a vibrant, multigenerational church located in suburban Lexington, Kentucky, is prayerfully seeking its next Lead Pastor—a spiritually mature, visionary shepherd who can lead its next season of ministry and local and global impact for the Gospel.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Lead Pastor serves the body of Christ at FAC by providing spiritual, pastoral, and strategic leadership for First Alliance Church, giving general oversight to the church’s ministry, staff, and mission.

• Preaching and Teaching
  • Serve as the primary preacher and teacher, handling the Word of God with biblical depth, clarity, and practical application.
  • Teach in a way that forms mature disciples, calls people to faithful obedience, and shapes the theological direction and spiritual tone of worship.
  • Work with appropriate staff to plan worship services that are biblically grounded and spiritually formative.
• Spiritual Leadership and Shepherding
  • Shepherd the congregation with humility, warmth, approachability, and spiritual maturity.
  • Give strategic oversight to congregational care while empowering staff and lay leaders to provide direct care.
  • Lead in a way that reflects a deep, visible, and contagious walk with Jesus, helping the church build trust, heal from transition, and move forward with unity.
• Vision and Strategic Direction
  • Work with the Leadership Board and staff to clarify and advance the church's next season of ministry, casting vision clearly and consistently.
  • Help move vision from discussion to action through clear plans, priorities, and follow-through.
  • Lead with prayerful discernment, wise decisiveness, and a willingness to evaluate and refine ministry goals as needed.
• Staff Health and Organizational Leadership
  • Build, empower, and release a healthy leadership team by delegating leadership, not only tasks, to qualified staff and ministry leaders.
  • Clarify staff roles, reporting relationships, expectations, and accountability rhythms.
  • Develop and mentor key staff and leaders, helping establish healthy systems for goals, feedback, evaluation, and growth.
• Churchwide Discipleship and Leadership Development
  • Strengthen a culture of discipleship throughout the church by identifying and developing emerging staff, lay leaders, and volunteers.
  • Equip leaders to disciple, develop, and empower others through healthy leadership pipelines.
  • Help connect spiritual formation, ministry service, and leadership development into a unified culture of growth.
• Outreach, Evangelism, and Mission
  • Champion local outreach, global missions, and evangelism as central to the life of the church.
  • Support and empower the Pastor of Outreach and Missions, encouraging pathways for people to share their faith and serve their neighbors.
  • Keep the church focused on reaching neighbors, the nations, and the next generation, welcoming new believers into community and discipleship.
• Board Partnership and Governance
  • Report regularly to the Leadership Board, working together to establish long-term goals, priorities, and measures of success.
  • Support healthy communication and alignment between the Board, staff, and congregation.
  • Receive feedback with humility, participate in regular accountability, and help the Board identify major ministry opportunities, challenges, and staffing needs.
• Personal Health and Accountability
  • Maintain a growing personal relationship with Jesus Christ, pursuing healthy accountability with trusted people inside and outside the church.
  • Demonstrate humility, self‑awareness, teachability, and integrity in all areas of life.
  • Protect personal, family, spiritual, and emotional health, leading from maturity, humility, and integrity.

Qualifications and Expectations

• Spiritual and Theological
  • Meets the biblical qualifications for elder/pastor.
  • Fully aligned with the doctrine, mission, and polity of the Christian & Missionary Alliance.
  • Ordained or willing and able to pursue ordination with the Christian & Missionary Alliance.
  • Demonstrates a life marked by prayer, humility, integrity, and dependence on the Holy Spirit.
• Educational
  • Graduate‑level theological education preferred, such as an M.Div., M.A. in Theology/Ministry, or equivalent.
  • Demonstrated ability to preach, teach, and apply Scripture with depth and clarity.
  • Commitment to ongoing theological, pastoral, and leadership development.
• Ministry Experience
  • Significant pastoral leadership experience in a local church.
  • Experience preaching and teaching in a congregational setting.
  • Experience leading staff, ministry teams, or key leaders.
  • Experience in a growing, multi‑generational church preferred.
  • Experience working with boards, elders, or governing leadership teams preferred.
• Reporting Structure
  • Ongoing direction and performance evaluation are provided by the FAC Leadership Board.
  • Accountability for pastoral licensing and church polity comes from the Ohio Valley District of the Christian & Missionary Alliance.

This position requires licensing with The Christian & Missionary Alliance. To learn more about The Alliance and requirements for licensing, please visit our website.