Associate Pastor

Job Description

About Creekside Church

Creekside Church is a dynamic, growing church located in Cumming, Georgia in the northern suburbs of Atlanta. What started out as a church plant in a wrestling room in the adjacent high school in 1996 is now Creekside Church located on 32 acres in one of the fastest growing counties in the state of Georgia. Creekside is a member of the new Global Methodist Denomination. Creekside runs 550 on Sunday morning with 2 blended services. You will find that Creekside Church is not your normal traditional Methodist Church. Our demographics consist of all ages but primarily our congregation is young married families. We understand our future lies with the next generation and we have a passion to reach and teach them.

Our focus is sharing and celebrating the Gospel of Jesus Christ, preaching and teaching God’s Word as revealed in Scripture and growing disciples by connecting people in authentic community and ministry.

We are prayerfully searching for an Associate Pastor to lead our expanding missions’ ministry who is excited about being in a mentoring relationship with both the Senior Pastor and the Executive Pastor. Our prayer is that through mentoring and the experiences gained in this role, the Associate Pastor will be prepared and equipped to step up into greater leadership in the Church in the years to come (either at Creekside or another congregation).

The Associate Pastor will have the opportunities to preach and teach as well as provide spiritual direction for our members and ministries. It is the expectation that the candidate would have a theological understanding that is in alignment with the stated beliefs of Creekside and the Global Methodist Church.

For more information please go to our website creekside.net

Job Overview

The greatest responsibility of this position is to serve the Lord Jesus Christ with obedience and integrity to His Word. As Colossians 3:23-24 teaches, “Whatever you do work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, and not for men…...It is the Lord Jesus Christ you are serving.”

The Associate Pastor will be expected to lead, oversee and support the ministries identified below under the direction of the Executive Pastor and/or Senior Pastor. This will require a firm grasp of the beliefs, values and strategy of Creekside Church and the ability to align key lay leaders and leadership teams with Creekside’s Mission and Vision, helping people connect with Jesus Christ and His Church.

Ministry Responsibilities and Duties

• Lead and foster a culture amongst all ministries leaders and participants that is in alignment with the stated mission, vision, and strategy of Creekside Church. Always work towards maintaining the unity of the Body.
• In addition to the responsibilities listed below, Creekside envisions this position to be one where the minister is excited about being in a mentoring relationship with both our Senior Pastor and Executive Pastor. It is our hope that through this mentoring and the experiences gained in this role, the Associate Pastor will be trained and equipped for greater responsibilities in pastoral leadership, including the possibility of succeeding, in some form or fashion, either the Executive Pastor or Senior Pastor of Creekside.

Preaching/Teaching:

• In coordination with, and under the direction of, the Senior Pastor, preach on Sunday mornings, and other occasions, as needed. It is the expectation that the theology and direction of the preaching/teaching will be in keeping with the stated beliefs of Creekside and the Global Methodist Church.
• Work in Partnership with the Senior Pastor, Worship Arts Director, and other Leaders in planning and facilitating worship experiences.
• Engage in the ministry of teaching, through Bible Study classes, connection groups, and other opportunities as they become available.
• Take part in an ongoing mentoring relationship with the Senior Pastor to continue to develop your gifts and skills in the areas of preaching, teaching, and spiritual leadership.

Management/Operations:

• Provide oversight and management for staff members and operations as assigned by the Executive Pastor or Senior Pastor.
• Learn, at least on a high level, how to read and understand financial reports and budgets so that the leadership of staff and operations that you provide may be done in a fiscally responsible manner.
• Take part in an ongoing mentoring relationship with the Executive Pastor to continue to develop your gifts and skills in the areas of management and operational oversight.

Mission Ministries:

• Provide oversight and support for the Mission Ministries of Creekside, working with the Mission Team, the Senior and Executive Pastors, and as needed, the Church Council of Creekside.
• Church Planting: Continue to help develop and grow our emphasis of church planting, especially in international settings where there is a shortage of local churches. Help develop lay leadership to champion this effort in various locations.
• Missionary Support – Work with Creekside sponsored missionaries to provide encouragement and direction as needed. Receive and distribute the missionaries’ monthly newsletters (or other communication) to the Senior Pastor, Executive Pastor and lay leadership. Assist Creekside’s international missionaries as needed when visiting the US.
• The Place – Working with lay leadership, continue and deepen our ministry partnership with The Place of Forsyth County to help meet basic needs in our community.
• Family Promise – Working with lay leadership, continue and deepen our ministry partnership with Family Promise of Forsyth County to help provide housing for those in need in our community.
• College Ministry Partnerships – Develop a relationship with the campus ministers/ministries of the college ministries supported by Creekside, especially those in the North Georgia area. Possibly seek to expand our support/involvement to other college ministry partners.
• Growth of Creekside’s Mission Efforts – Provide leadership, working with the Senior and Executive Pastors as well as Creekside’s lay leadership, in helping Creekside continue to grow and develop our mission efforts, locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. Seek to partner with other ministries and with the GMC to develop the most efficient and effective mission efforts possible in order to spread the gospel and love of Jesus to everyone we can, everywhere we can.

Men’s Ministry:

• Provide oversight and support for the Men’s Ministry of Creekside, working with and developing lay leadership to facilitate and expand the connection, accountability, fellowship, and service opportunities for this group.

Other Responsibilities:

• Provide one-on-one guidance and counsel to the church body as needed.
• Recruit, develop, equip and support various teams that are involved in the ministries identified above.
• Work in partnership with the Senior Pastor, Worship Arts Director, and other leaders in planning and facilitating worship experiences.
• Be prepared to lead worship through prayer, preaching and/or other ways on Sunday mornings during the worship hours.
• Attend weekly staff meetings.
• Continually evaluate the effectiveness of all the ministry areas identified above.
• Engage in professional development and training opportunities to support the functions of Creekside Church Ministries.
• Work with the Executive Pastor in developing the fiscal budget for the ministries identified above.
• Be fiscally responsible for operating within the established ministry budget parameters.
• Attend calendar meetings and work with the Executive Pastor in establishing ministry activity dates and times.
• Other duties as assigned by the Executive Pastor and/or the Senior Pastor.

Qualifications:

• A vital personal relationship with Jesus Christ and a commitment to a Christian lifestyle.
• Appropriate Biblical/Theological training (TBD on a case by case basis); Seminary degree is preferred
• Alignment with the beliefs and practices of Creekside Church.
• Ministry staff and immediate family members are expected to be active and faithful members of Creekside Church.
• Financially support the work of Creekside Church demonstrating biblical stewardship.
• The ability to work effectively in team situations, as well as the ability to work independently.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including openness, integrity and honesty in relationships.
• Willingness to fully support the leadership direction of Creekside Church.
• Pass a criminal background check.