Pastoral Residency - Mandarin

West Houston Christian Church; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 18,000 - 30,000; Part time

Job summary

West Houston Christian Church in Houston, TX is seeking a Part-Time Pastoral Resident to serve 25 hours per week, gaining breadth in church administration, worship, preaching, spiritual formation and community ministry under supervision.

The program includes rotations through different focal areas of church ministry and ongoing mentorship to prepare for a placement after internship, with supportive coaching from senior staff.

Responsibilities

• Support the Senior Pastor or assigned congregational pastor in the leadership of the churches’ teaching and worship services on Sundays, including planning, design and execution
• Assist with matters related to church activities, special events and projects
• Provide pastoral support to selected members of the congregations and communities of the churches, including phone and personal contact and visitation
• Participate in the development of and provide support to ministries such as adult education, pre-marital counseling, baptism or new member class, leadership development
• Deliver a sermon regularly in church
• Participate in meetings with the pastoral staff
• Participate in personal planning and scheduling discussions with the Senior Pastor or assigned congregational pastor
• Participate in mentoring and feedback discussions, including the rotation of topics for focus, discussion, and reflection
• Other related tasks assigned by the Senior Pastor or assigned congregational pastor

Job description

GOALS For the Resident:

• To gain clarity in the call into vocational ministry
• To learn from experienced staff, elders, and church leaders within a supportive and protective environment in which to transition into ministry amidst increasing rates of “burnout” among new clergy.
• To develop pastoral identity, theological frameworks, and habits of work and leadership that will contribute to a sustainable vocational ministry.
• To gain experience in a range of ministry opportunities crafted in consideration of both the church’s vision and the participant’s vocational goals, including the breadth of pastoral ministry (administration, leadership, preaching, spiritual formation & education, partnership and network development) and community ministry.

STRUCTURE

The structure of this proposed Pastoral Residency Program is as follows:

Resident

• The Part-Time Pastoral Resident will serve 25 hrs/wk and keeps formal office hours.
• Pastoral Resident adds capacity to continuing ministries of the church, including church administration, worship, church leadership and planning, preaching, teaching, community ministry, and church leadership.
• Pastoral Resident participates in all facets of pastoral care under the supervision of the Senior Pastor or the assigned congregational pastor.
• Pastoral Resident helps to initiate new programs in the growing ministries of our church. Possibilities include support and leadership of leadership development initiatives, and/or emerging community ministries and partnerships.
• Pastoral Resident gains a breadth of experience in pastoral ministry and leadership through a series of rotations through different focal areas of church ministry which may include but are not limited to: Church Administration, Congregational Care, Spiritual Formation, Community Ministry.
• Essential functions may include but are not limited to:

1. 1. Support the Senior Pastor or assigned congregational pastor in the leadership of the churches’ teaching and worship services on Sundays, including planning, design and execution
   2. Assist with matters related to church activities, special events and projects
   3. Provide pastoral support to selected members of the congregations and communities of the churches, including phone and personal contact and visitation
   4. Participate in the development of and provide support to ministries such as adult education, pre-marital counseling, baptism or new member class, leadership development
   5. Deliver a sermon regularly in church
   6. Participate in meetings with the pastoral staff
   7. Participate in personal planning and scheduling discussions with the Senior Pastor or assigned congregational pastor
   8. Participate in mentoring and feedback discussions, including the rotation of topics for focus, discussion, and reflection
   9. Other related tasks assigned by the Senior Pastor or assigned congregational pastor

Church

• The church provides salary and benefits as appropriate.
• The Pastoral Resident is supervised by the Chinese Pastor, which includes regular coaching sessions and evaluations. When a Pastoral Resident’s work focuses on the specific ministry area of a staff member, that staff member will work closely with the Pastoral Resident.
• The church as a whole will mentor the Pastoral Resident through various means of support.
• The church and the Senior Pastor will be an advocate on behalf of the Pastoral Resident in the direct proportion to the Intern Minister’s ability and competence in their search for a placement post Internship.