Associate Pastor of Family Ministries

Our Mission and Vision

• Our mission is to cultivate followers of Christ among all peoples.
  • Our strategy is to connect with people, labor for their conversion, disciple them in Christ and send them into the mission field.
  • We labor toward Christlikeness, spiritual maturity and love for one another.
  • We value dependence on God, love for one another and our community, the study of God’s Word and the power of the Holy Spirit to bring about multiplication.
  • Our ten-year vision is to reach every person in Thief River Falls and the surrounding Pennington County with the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Polity and Accountability
We are a congregational, elder-led church and a member of the EFCA. Our congregation elects seven men as lay elders, and a variety of male and female members to serve on six commissions. The commissions are more than committees, each helps oversee an area of ministry under the oversight of the elder board.

The six commissions are as follows (in alphabetical order): discipleship, facilities, finance, nurture, outreach and worship. If you are from a Baptist background, think of these commissions as deacon boards, each overseen by an elder and run by an elected chairman. The associate pastor, in conversation with the lead pastor, will divide commission attendance and contribution.

The associate pastor, as a member of the staff, is accountable to the lead pastor. He is also accountable to the elders and the congregation who has called him.

Overview of the staff

• Lead Pastor (full-time)
  -- Responsible for casting vision for the church, equipping the elders and staff, preaching and enabling other capable men to preach and teach, doing the work of an evangelist, engaging with the community at large, and more.
• Associate Pastor (full-time)
  -- (see below)
• Music and Media Director (full-time)
  -- Responsible for training, equipping and managing the worship leaders and teams, A/V servants and our media (printed and electronic), in coordination with the admin assist.
• Care Coordinator (part-time)
  -- Helps the staff and elders with coordinating care for shut-ins, meals and visitations, and assisting community members in need of our care fund, while also working in coordination with other community organizations (Salvation Army, FoodShelf, etc.)
• Administrative Assistant (part-time)
  -- Set hours: 8-3pm, M-F. Manages walk-ins, phone, staff and church calendars, bulletin, Planning Center People (database) and much more!

OUR ASSOCIATE PASTOR POSITION

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.

The associate pastor will have a passion and calling to make disciples. This starts with reaching and teaching adults and parents, and then their children, from the ages of high school all the way down to the cradle.

How does the associate pastor of family ministries fit within the church’s mission?

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, Christlike leadership in the discipleship of families that call the Free Church home. He will work closely with the nurture and discipleship commissions, alongside the numerous servants in our youth and children’s ministry, to develop and equip leaders to execute a comprehensive ministry that assists parents in discipling their children, from preschool to high school.

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 senior high, junior high and children’s ministries. They need a leader who loves to cast vision, give direction to scope and sequence and develop a team of servants and their gifts to disciple children.

Associate Pastor of Family Ministries oversight responsibilities

1. 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.

2. Youth Oversight

• Sunday School: Sr. High and Jr. High
• Wednesday night: Sr. High and Jr. High youth groups

3. Children’s Education Oversight

• Sunday School Classes
  • 2-3 yr old
  • 4 yr old-kindergarten
  • Grades 1-3
  • Grades 4-6
• Wednesday: Awana

Shared pastoral responsibilities with the lead pastor and elders

• Baptisms
• Counseling
• Dedications
• Funerals
• Preaching (6-8 times per year)
• Teaching (adults, youth, or children as needed)
• Visitations
• Weddings

Education & Experience

• An MDiv or seminary degree is preferred, but not required.
• 5 years of ministry experience or more in family, youth and/or children’s ministry.