Senior Pastor

Alum Rock Christian Church; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 59,000 - 72,000; Full time

Job summary

Alum Rock Christian Church in San Jose, CA seeks a lead pastor with strong expository preaching ability and people skills to relate to a multi-ethnic, multi-generational congregation. The pastor will delegate responsibilities, encourage member involvement in ministries, and support spiritual gifts development for all ages.

The Senior Pastor must be SBC-ordained or equivalently trained, with a clear commitment to Scripture, prayer, and Kingdom principles.

Qualifications

• Licensed and ordained minister of the Southern Baptist Convention, or equivalent training and background.
• Must affirm SBC leadership principles and Scripture as inerrant and authoritative.
• Commitment to prayer, spiritual renewal, and global mission.

Responsibilities

• Lead the church in worship, preaching, education, evangelism and pastoral ministries.
• Oversee church staff and ministries; delegate tasks to a management team.
• Foster growth of spiritual gifts and encourage participation across generations and ethnicities.

Skills

Expository preaching

People skills

Delegation

Multi-ethnic ministry

Education

Licensed and ordained minister (SBC)

Job description

We are looking for a lead pastor with strong expository preaching ability, and strong people skills who would have the ability to relate well with our multi-ethnic, multi-generational congregation. We hope to find someone who is able to delegate responsibilities, encourage participation of members in ministry activities, and who will be able to support the development of spiritual gifts among all members of the church community, especially inviting younger and newer members to participate and grow in their God-given gifts.

QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE SENIOR PASTOR

The Senior Pastor shall be a duly licensed and ordained Minister of the Southern Baptist Convention, or a man with equivalent training and background who affirms the current Southern Baptist Convention understanding of leadership as summarized here: The Senior Pastor must be fully committed to the proposition that Jesus Christ is the only hope for the world. He must be committed to the understanding that scripture is inerrant as originally communicated by God to his people. He must be able to encourage church members to yearn for spiritual renewal and Christ-centered living. He must recognize the challenge of Jesus to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. He must be willing to collaborate with the family of Southern Baptist Churches (and perhaps even other like-minded Christ-centered churches) in pursuit of Kingdom principles and practices. He shall be a man of prayer who will pray that a new passion for Jesus would break out in the personal lives of our people, our families, and our churches through which God can forge a spiritual movement marked by holy living, sacrificial service, and global witness. He shall be a man who has been biologically a man from birth. He shall conform to the qualifications for church leadership as outlined in scripture:

Qualifications for Overseers and Deacons

“Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap. In the same way, deacons are to be worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons. In the same way, the women are to be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything. A deacon must be faithful to his wife and must manage his children and his household well. Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.” 1 Timothy 3:1-13 NIV (See also Titus 1:6-9)

DUTIES OF THE SENIOR PASTOR

The Senior Pastor is the spiritual leader of the Church. He shall be responsible for leading our congregation so that it will function as a New Testament congregation of believers. He is the leader of worship, proclamation, education, evangelism and pastoral ministries.

• He shall direct the administration of the ordinances of the Church.
• He shall preside at all business meetings of the Church (except as otherwise provided in the Church bylaws).
• He shall be an ex-officio member of all organizations and ministries of the Church.
• He shall be consulted before any major changes are made in any Church organization or program.
• Evangelists, ministers or other persons who are enlisted for any type of special services, are to be approved by the Senior Pastor before being recommended to the Church for enlistment.
• The Senior Pastor shall lead the congregation, organizations, and ministries of the Church and oversee the church staff in the performance of their tasks.
• The Senior Pastor shall perform all other duties incumbent to his office.

We are looking for:

• Someone who can draw in youth, those of college age, and young adults, including young families to encourage sustainability and growth for the congregation. Many congregants are getting old. The youth are in some ways “running away” from Alum Rock activities. We hope to find someone who will be able to appeal to the younger generations without being “gimmicky.”
• The Overcomers Bible Study has been a successful outreach within the Church. We would therefore like instruction from the new Senior Pastor to complement and go beyond this Bible study.
• We need someone with a vision for doing biblically based community outreach.
• We are looking for someone who can establish relationships with the multiple ethnicities both within the Church community and beyond that could perhaps extend to the varied ethnicities in the greater neighborhood of East San José.
• We are looking for someone who is capable of dealing with 21st century themes including the use of modern technologies for sharing the Gospel, all the while adhering to Biblical principles.
• Furthermore, we need someone who will be able to oversee and delegate tasks relating to the physical site, the charter school, and financial issues of the Church facilities to a management team.

The designation “the Church” in this document (where “Church” is written with a capital C) refers to the entity known legally as Alum Rock Southern Baptist Church of San Jose doing business as Alum Rock Christian Church. These descriptions are in accord with the following 3 documents:

• The Church Bylaws.
• “Baptist Faith & Message 2000, Church Covenant, Statement of Faith, Cherished Beliefs, and Purpose”
• “A Covenant between Southern Baptist Denominational Leadership and the Churches” (June 11, 2022, Southern Baptist Convention, St. Louis, Missouri)

Pay: $65,000.00 per year