Lead Pastor at Lavington Vineyard Churchn Vineyard Church

JOB SUMMARY

• The Lead Pastor is to provide spiritual and pastoral leadership to the congregation at Lavington Vineyard Church (LVC). This includes providing spiritual leadership through example, preaching and teaching, working with the Elders in establishing and implementing the vision of the church, equipping the congregation for the various works of ministry, and through the shepherding of the people in partnership with the Elders and Ministry Leaders. This is also through community events for the wider Lavington community. The LVC Elder Board delegates the responsibility for management of day-to-day operations to the Lead Pastor, in accordance with the direction and policies established by the Elders.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Pastoral care

• Oversees care for the overall health of the LVC congregation in consultation with the Elders and ministry leaders.
• Mentors and disciples, the staff team, and ministry leaders.
• Inspires the congregation to spiritual maturity through personal example and by acting as a connection to the wider work of the AVC.
• Models and champions prayer as a foundational aspect of the wellbeing of a church.
• Proactively identifies problems/challenges and offers creative solutions for the resolution of conflict.
• Provides pastoral counselling (supportive listening), and refers professional counselling needs to professionals.
• Takes overall responsibility and oversight of special events (e.g. baptisms, weddings, funerals).

Adult teaching, preaching and coaching

• Overall responsibility and oversight of the preaching and teaching ministry (preaches at least 50% of the year).
• Consults with Elders and the preaching team on content.
• Develops, trains, mentors, and supports spiritual growth for a team of preachers from within LVC.

Vision casting and communication

• Is a member of the LVC Eldership Team as a “first among equals” (1 Tim 5:17) and leads by initiating, coaching, and consulting.
• Helps the Elders determine LVC’s values, mission, vision, and goals.
• Encourages congregants to understand LVC’s mission/theology, participate actively in the various opportunities for ministry and service within the church and the community.
• Keeps the Elders abreast of the spiritual condition of LVC, as well as trends, issues, problems and activities in order to facilitate policymaking.

Representing the Eldership and the LVC congregation as a whole

• Serves as chief spokesperson for LVC, ensuring proper representation of LVC to the community (e.g. AVC and other Church denominations/associations).
• Helps the Elders monitor and evaluate LVC’s relevance to the community, its effectiveness, and its results.

Community outreach

• Supports Associate Family Pastor and ministry leaders responsible for service and evangelism ministries.
• Facilitates the equipping of key leaders and volunteers within the church in the role of evangelism and in the development of strategic outreach ministries.
• Consults with the Elder team to mobilise and provide support toward the development of a team for both internal and external compassion ministries.

Administration

• Works closely with the Associate Family Pastor and the LVC administration team to provide adequate budgeting and spending for various ministries, general oversight of all activities, day-to-day operations, and ensure a smoothly functioning church in compliance with the AVC Constitution, LVC by-laws, and LVC policies and procedures.
• Submits monthly reports to the Elder Board.
• Performs any other reasonable duties as requested.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES and COMPETENCIES

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor or Master’s Degree in Theology, Divinity or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in a leadership role in a Church or Christian Organization.
• Meets the requirements to be ordained as a Pastor of the Association of Vineyard Churches (Kenya).
• Fluent in spoken and written English.

Spiritual Maturity

• Committed Christian, following Christ, and demonstrating spiritual maturity through lifestyle choices, words, and practice.
• Committed to integrity, humility, is transparent, and asks for accountability.
• Consistently models behaviour in line with the fruits of the Spirit, develops people, and builds teams.
• Committed to good interpersonal relations, and team building.

Leadership

• Shares LVC’s values, mission, and vision.
• Deals effectively with demanding situations and designs and implements interventions.
• Manages continuity, change, and transition.
• Effective team builder able to motivate church members to get involved in the Church body in their areas of spiritual gifting and is committed to developing the congregation to their highest level of spiritual maturity.

Management

• Knowledgeable in the areas of human services, finance, and personnel; oral and written communications; planning and evaluation; and governance.
• Self-motivated and well-organized, with the ability to work independently and with attention to detail.
• Experienced in the field of church or not-for-profit management and governance.
• Experienced with leading a multicultural team and respectful of a wide range of denominational backgrounds and experiences.

EXPECTATIONS

• Agrees with, supports, and lives out the Lavington Vineyard Church Statement of Faith, Purpose Statement, Mission, and Core Values (see www.lavingtonvineyard.org).
• Willingness to work outside of ‘normal’ working hours (including some evenings and week-ends) in order to support children and family schedules.
• Willing to abide by safeguarding procedures and obtain certificate(s) of good conduct