Senior Pastor

Evangelical Free Church of America; Atlantic (IA); On-site; USD 50,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A local church in Iowa is seeking a Senior Pastor to provide spiritual oversight and leadership. Key responsibilities include preaching, teaching, strategic leadership, and pastoral care. The ideal candidate must possess a Master's of Divinity or equivalent, have five years of ministry experience, and be ordained or willing to pursue ordination. Emphasis is placed on developing future leaders and maintaining a strong community presence. The church is committed to fostering spiritual growth and fulfilling the Great Commission.

Qualifications

• Must have a minimum of five years ministry experience in a local church setting.
• Ordained with the Evangelical Free Church of America or willing to pursue ordination.

Responsibilities

• Primary responsibility for weekly preaching of the Word.
• Lead prayer life of the congregation.
• Develop future generations of church leaders.
• Counsel congregation members and officiate ceremonies.

Skills

Irreproachable character

Commitment to prayerfulness

Ability to set compelling vision

Desire to be a lifelong learner

Education

Masters of Divinity or equivalent

Job description

GracePoint Church: an Evangelical Free Church

Reports To: Board of Elders
Exempt Status: Full-time Exempt

POSITION SUMMARY

The Senior Pastor is an ex officio member of the board of elders and has responsibility, in partnership with the other pastors and elders, for the general spiritual oversight of the congregation. He will preach and teach the whole counsel of God, equip believers to do the work of the ministry, counsel the needing and erring, lead and guide strategies and opportunities to evangelize within our community and the world, and perform all the functions normally associated with a minister of the gospel.

ESSENTIAL AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

Preaching & Teaching the Word of God
The senior pastor will bear primary responsibility for the weekly preaching of the Word. He will spend an appropriate amount of time in study to be equipped for teaching, preaching and encouraging the spiritual growth and maturity of the saints. He will also periodically teach in settings such as Adult Bible Fellowship and small group studies to build up the church body.

Prayer Life of the Congregation
The senior pastor will be a prayer-leader within the church. He will dedicate an appropriate amount of time to personal, strategic and intercessory prayer on behalf of the congregation.

Strategic Leadership
The senior pastor will work in concert with the other pastors and elders to seek the Lord’s will for our congregation and to implement a strategic vision for achieving what the Lord calls us to do. He will support and model our philosophy of ministry in regards to corporate prayer, worship, educational programs, missions, evangelism and outreach.

Leadership Development
The senior pastor will work with other leaders to identify, develop and disciple future generations of leaders within the congregation. He will work with other leaders to develop the discipleship ministry of the church through small groups and other appropriate ministries.

Pastoral Care
The senior pastor will be available to counsel congregation members, visit the ill or infirm, officiate at weddings and funerals, perform baptisms, serve communion and carry out other such pastoral functions as appropriate.

ADMINISTRATIVE AND PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• The senior pastor will oversee the routine ministry activities of all church staff.
• The senior pastor will participate in various administrative duties of the church with other staff members, as appropriate.
• The senior pastor will function as the church’s human resources officer under the authority and supervision of the board chairman and the elder of finance.
• The senior pastor will serve as a resource for the various committees and ministry teams.
• The senior pastor will be available to the outside community for counseling, weddings and funerals when deemed appropriate.
• The senior pastor will represent the church in the Evangelical Free Church of America at the district and national levels.
• The senior pastor will represent the church through appropriate involvement in the local community.

QUALIFICATIONS

Character: The senior pastor must be a person of irreproachable character (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9), who is sound in faith and doctrine and who is qualified to teach the Word of God.

Prayerfulness: The senior pastor must be committed to prayerfully depending on the Holy Spirit of God in both his professional and personal life.

Agreement: The senior pastor must be in full accord with the statement of faith and support the mission and vision of GracePoint Church as determined by the board of elders, and must be willing to perform his duties in accordance with the constitution and bylaws of the church.

Leadership: The senior pastor must be able to set a compelling vision for the ministry of the church based upon prayer, the Word and the shared vision of the church elders.

Knowledge: The senior pastor will have a demonstrated desire to be a life‑long learner. He will possess significant knowledge of ministry needs and processes for equipping believers to participate in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) and to live out the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37-40).

Education: The senior pastor shall have earned a masters of divinity degree or the equivalent and will have a minimum of five years ministry experience in a local church setting.

Professional Credential: The senior pastor will be ordained with the Evangelical Free Church of America or willing to pursue ordination.

EVALUATION

The senior pastor will meet annually with the board of elders to mutually review this job description and any goals that have been established to advance their fulfillment. This job description may be changed or adjusted with the mutual agreement of the pastor and the board of elders.

Senior pastor job description originally approved 6/14/11 (additions are included, and description is under review by board as of December 2025)

About this Church

The purpose of GracePoint Church is to glorify God by making disciplemaking disciples who love God, obey His commands, build one another in the faith and bear witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ in Atlantic, Cass County and the world.

Our church is located in Atlantic, Iowa, serving people in the Cass County, Iowa area. The community offers a small town atmosphere and living in Atlantic offers a strong sense of community, a strong school system, an excellent YMCA, essential shopping/dining and active Chamber of Commerce/Parks and Recreation programs. Residents often shop and attend cultural events in regional metro areas - Des Moines, Iowa and Omaha, Nebraska are about an hour away.

GracePoint, we believe, is "known" for being a church where preaching of the whole council of God is critical, and has been blessed with senior pastors who have devoted many years to outstanding, expositional preaching and discipleship (two senior pastors across four decades). Other staff at GracePoint include an associate pastor, and part-time staff in positions of children's discipleship director, senior ministry director and worship ministry director. Active programs include weekly Awana Clubs, annual summer VBS and weekly middle and high school youth groups.