Position Description

Overview

Sturgeon Valley Baptist Church (SVBC) is a growing, vibrant, intergenerational and intercultural congregation located in St. Albert, a beautiful suburb of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. We exist to love God and serve others so that lives are changed! With an average of over 300 weekly attenders to our Sunday services (including an
on-line presence, our deaf community, and a small but growing weekly afternoon intercultural worship service), our church is diverse in both its people and our ministry. Our intergenerational weekly service attracts numerous families and is a blend of contemporary Christian worship and hymns with a focus on the Word, prayer and sharing the activities and ministries our church is involved in. SVBC supports various community events within our church during the week including AA, youth and Kid’s clubs, and various Bible studies. Children’s ministries are a big focus of the church, as
are local and international missional activities.

We are currently praying and searching for our next Lead Pastor. We are seeking an experienced, relational, and dynamic leader with demonstrated strengths in preaching and teaching, organizational governance, leadership development, and a man who is deeply committed to prayer and intercession for the congregation and beyond.
Our congregation is excited about the person that God is preparing to lead us into this next season of ministry, and we are praying earnestly that God is already stirring the heart and life of whomever is to lead our congregation forward.

The Role

We are currently seeking a full-time Lead Pastor who has training, experience and demonstrated strengths in the following areas:

Biblical Teaching/Preaching (40-50% of weekly time allocated)

• Primarily responsible for the preaching ministry at SVBC (around 40 weeks of the year), which is Biblically and theologically rooted, inspiring and engaging, and applicable to a person’s life.
• This requires being a faithful student of the Bible and as a preacher/teacher presenting well-organized, Bible-based sermons consistent with our statement of beliefs that edify, challenge, and encourage the church as well as promote the passionate worship of God.

Organizational Governance (25-35% of weekly time allocated)

• Leading and overseeing the paid staff of SVBC. This would include managing staff performance, goal setting, and caring for the staff (currently 4-5 people). This would also include meetings with staff to provide coaching and feedback and regular team meetings to provide general direction.
• In collaboration with the pastoral staff, Elders, and Diaconate, strategize ways to most effectively implement the vision, mission, and values of the church for the purpose of Kingdom impact.
• Providing oversight for our Sunday morning services (Prayer, Kids Time, Lord’s Supper, Baptisms, guests, announcements, etc.), special services, weddings, and funerals including liaison with worship leaders, Pastoral and church staff.
• Representing the church at local ministerial and Alberta Baptist Association events.
• Preparation for and participation in pastoral and leadership meetings. This could also include providing guidance and oversight to the Diaconate, church committees, and ministries as it relates to the development and implementation of ministry programs and our vision/mission.

Overseeing our Discipleship Initiatives (10% of weekly time allocated)

• Is responsible for creating, managing, and executing the aspects of our church related to discipleship, mentoring key leaders in the church and encouraging Christian maturity at all stages of life by being a model of what it looks like to disciple others.

Shepherding the Congregation (10-15% of weekly time allocated)

• Prayer and intercession for all aspects of the work noted above including the congregation and community. The successful candidate will be deeply committed to prayer and demonstrating an ever-deeper connection with the Lord that guides every aspect of his life.
• Pastoral care includes but is not limited to the following:
  • spiritual counsel; marriage and pre-marital counsel
  • officiating weddings
  • presiding over funerals; and
  • prayer ministry

Candidate Qualities

In addition to these four areas of expertise and oversight, we are seeking someone who possesses the following qualities:

1. 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9 describes the required character qualifications Spirit-led, faith-filled, discerning and disciplined, particularly when making significant decisions or discussing topics that are potentially divisive
2. Demonstrates love/joy for the Lord – an unquestioned and vital commitment to Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord and an ability to lead the congregation well
3. Demonstrates self-discipline, self-motivation, and results-oriented contributions
4. Strong commitment to excellence both personally and professionally

Candidate Skills

We desire a Lead Pastor with experience and expertise with the following skills:

1. Ability to build teams and create systems to achieve measurable progress
2. Master of Divinity at a recognized theological seminary is preferred
3. Preferably ordained as a minister or eligible to be ordained as a minister with the Alberta Baptist Association
4. Demonstrated ability to teach and preach is required
5. Previous experience as a lead pastor is preferred. We will also consider someone who has leadership experience at the Associate or Executive Pastor level, who is ready to lead their own congregation
6. Experience managing staff is required
7. Having a strong and aligned theological background with our Mission/Vision statements, our Statement of Beliefs and Membership Covenant is required
8. Basic administrative and computer skills are required
9. Ability to multi-task and manage several issues in parallel is preferred
10. Strong conflict management and interpersonal skills are required

Application Process

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

Applicant names and supporting documents will be kept in strict confidence to those on the Pastoral Search Committee.

Ideally the successful candidate will begin employment as soon as possible.

Applicants should send:

• a resume
• a letter of application that clearly and concisely explains how your experience and qualifications align with the desired skills and qualities noted in this posting
• links to at least three sermons (preferably video)

We thank all applicants for their interest in the position. You will receive a confirmation e-mail when you submit your application to the address below.

Please send your application for Lead Pastor to: pastoralsearch@svbc.ab.ca.