Associate Pastor of Family Ministries
Job Description
General Elder Qualifications and Responsibilities
The man who applies for this job must first and foremost qualify as an elder according to 1 Timothy 3, Titus 1 and 1 Peter 5. He is an elder set apart for full-time vocational ministry as a pastor. Therefore, he must be willing and able to do the general pastoral work of an elder. He must be able to teach, “equip the saints for works of ministry” (Eph. 4:12), be above reproach and be a model of maturity and a shepherd to his flock.
How does the associate pastor of family ministries fit within the church’s mission?
The associate pastor will have a passion and calling to make disciples. This starts with reaching and teaching adults and parents to disciple their children, from the ages of high school all the way down to the cradle.
The associate pastor will focus his gifts and passions on the families of our church, laboring with the lead pastor, the elders and the commissions to disciple parents to disciple their children. The result, we pray, will be that both the parents and children will connect with our church body, be converted through the gospel of Jesus Christ by the work of the Holy Spirit and be discipled to make disciples as they are sent into the larger TRF community as gospel laborers.
Associate Pastor of Family Ministries Job Summary
The associate pastor is responsible to develop a cohesive theological vision for family ministry and a compelling, Christ-like leadership in the discipleship of families that call the Free Church home. He will work closely with the deacon commissions and the numerous servants in our youth and children’s ministry as both a leader and team player. He will seek to develop and equip leaders to execute a comprehensive ministry that assists parents in discipling their children from the cradle to college.
This pastor must be able to teach, model, train and equip current and future servants for the work of ministry. He will not be solely responsible for the teaching in any one of these areas, as we have an amazing group of servants currently serving in the Sr. High, Jr. High and Children’s ministries. Instead, he will be a leader who loves to cast vision, develop scope and sequence and invest in a team of servants and their gifts to disciple children of all ages.
Associate Pastor of Family Ministries oversight responsibilities
Parents
- Discipling parents to disciple their children.
- Equipping parents to partner with the youth and children’s education servants and other adult members of the church.
Youth Oversight
- Sunday School: Sr. High and Jr. High
- Wednesday night: Sr. High and Jr. High youth groups
Children’s Education Oversight
- Sunday School Classes
- Wednesday: Awana
About this Church
The Evangelical Free Church of Thief River Falls incorporated in 1901 and has been serving as a beacon for the gospel in the greater northwest Minnesota area ever since! Our mission is to cultivate followers of Christ among all peoples through connecting, converting, discipling and sending into the mission field.
As of 2025 our membership stands at 160 adults and growing. Our Sunday school and Awana programs minister to over 80 children and our youth groups serve around 40 students. We also invest in our virtual front door, creating biblical content which is viewed an average of 75,000 times per month.
We have the incredible privilege of supporting a handful of homegrown missionaries and ministers in training, reflecting our heart for the harvest. We are also deeply anchored in the greater Pennington County community, serving the hungry and the poor with our partnership with the TRF Food Shelf and the Salvation Army. Three times a year we open our church doors for community meals. Last year we hosted and fed over 2,000 people.
Our staff currently consists of a lead pastor, music and media director, care coordinator and office administrator. We are prayerfully looking to call an associate pastor of family ministries in 2025.