Pastor of Next Steps

Job Description

About Grace Bible Church:

Grace Bible Church leads people into a growing relationship with Jesus and one another, with a vision to saturate the Heartland with the Gospel. We are a vibrant community focused on creating meaningful experiences and connections.

Summary

The Pastor of Next Steps serves as the primary overseer and architect of the "cradle to grave" discipleship and care pathway at Grace Bible Church. This high-level leadership role integrates spiritual formation, congregational wellness, and community integration. By overseeing the Connections director, this role ensures every individual is biblically equipped, emotionally supported, and actively moving toward spiritual maturity. This position provides strategic partnership and oversight to the Connections Director—to ensure a seamless journey from a guest's first impression to their development as a fully devoted missionary partner.

Primary Duties: Leadership & Governance

• Vision Alignment & Supervision: Partner with the Lead Pastor to ensure all operations reflect the church’s vision while directly mentoring the Formations and Connections Directors toward a culture of servant leadership.
• Leadership Multiplication: Identify, recruit, and equip ministry leaders to reproduce spiritual leadership at every level of the organization.
• Ecclesial Oversight: Serve on the Elder Board to provide doctrinal alignment, spiritual governance, and a visible pastoral presence in the Highlands County community.

Formations Oversight: Depth & Growth

• Strategic Discipleship: Direct the strategy for adult education (Grace U), global/local missions, and the expansion of the Groups ministry curriculum.
• Provide leadership, vision, and pastoral oversight for staff and volunteer lead ministries, ensuring alignment with the church’s discipleship pathway and mission.
• Specialized Care & Application: Oversee high-level care initiatives (Stephen Ministry, Marriage Counseling) and develop mid-week content that applies weekend teaching to daily life.

Connections & Hospitality: The Growth Pathway

• Guest Experience & Assimilation: Oversee the "front door" experience, ensuring a seamless, world-class pathway that moves people from first-time guests to committed missionary partners.
• Compassion & Deacons: Supervise the Deacon team and Care Portal system to ensure the practical and physical needs of the congregation and community are met with excellence.

Teaching & Pastoral Care: Spiritual Shepherding

• Teaching & Training: Serve in the Sunday teaching rotation and provide ongoing theological and spiritual formation training for staff, Elders, and the congregation.
• Counseling & Maturity: Function as a primary pastoral voice for counseling and lead "First Steps" initiatives to guide members through a clear pathway of spiritual maturity.

Service & Community Presence: Public Ministry

• Liturgical Leadership: Assume a lead role in public-facing pastoral duties, including stage leadership, prayer, weddings, funerals, and community-wide announcements.
• Mission Advocacy: Champion and oversee the discipleship components of regional/global mission trips and community partnerships, such as prison ministries and local collaboration

High Level Goals:

• Leverage Grace onramps and community partnership through Abide to ensure that there is a life giving, gospel centered gathering within walking distance of every man, woman and child in our footprint. (Saturate the Heartland)

Quarterly Goals:

• Touch base with each mission partner to encourage, support and learn of any needs
• Plant 1-2 replicating disciple makers in a group in their region of the community.
• Ensure sermon mapping drives alignment through the downstream disciplemaking environments
• Four individual check-in’s with care ministry leaders and one collective gathering for care, empowerment and alignment

Weekly Goals:

• Ongoing development of current leaders aimed at equipping them to be a disciple who makes disciples
• Identify new leaders and move them towards the mark of being a replicating disciple
• Rhythmically provide check-in care for staff team

Qualifications and Experience: Core Strengths & Abilities at Grace Bible Church

• Servant Leadership: We foster a collaborative team, empowering others and entrusting them with responsibility to expand ministry impact. (Equip and Empower)
• Operational Excellence: We personally own the efficient planning and management of our campus, embracing new ideas and adapting quickly to enhance all operations and event readiness. (Take it Personally, Ready to Pivot)
• Process Improvement: We're committed to streamlining processes and implementing new structures to maximize speed, efficiency, and flexibility in all we do. (Take it Personally, Ready to Pivot)
• Proactive Problem-Solving: We tackle challenges head-on with a solutions-oriented approach, defaulting to trust and communicating clearly to resolve issues effectively. (Default to Trust, Clear and Candid)
• Adaptability: We thrive in dynamic environments, managing competing priorities with flexibility and embracing change as an opportunity for growth. (Ready to Pivot)
• Team Collaboration: We build strong relationships and champion each other's contributions, honoring diverse perspectives to achieve collective goals. (Choose to Honor, Collaborate and Champion)
• Conflict Resolution: We mediate and manage conflict professionally, choosing curiosity over criticism and fostering understanding through clear communication. (Default to Trust, Clear and Candid)
• Mission Alignment: We deeply support and embody Grace Bible Church's mission, vision, and values, personally stewarding our contributions and relying on the Holy Spirit's guidance. (Take it Personally)
• Biblical Foundation: We draw on a foundational understanding of Scripture to inform our decisions, ensuring all our work aligns with God's Word and the spiritual purpose of the church. (Take it Personally, Alignment with Mission)
• Discretion & Confidentiality: We handle all sensitive information with the utmost care, upholding trust and honoring individuals by protecting private matters. (Default to Trust, Choose to Honor)

General Standards: * Read, acknowledge and operate within the guidelines contained in the Grace Bible Church Employee Handbook.

• Report to work in a timely manner, and communicate any tardiness or absences to your direct supervisor.
• If hourly, ensure all effort is given to accurate recording and reporting of hours worked.
• Report any abuse, misuse, or negligent actions by any staff or volunteer against any congregant, staff, or to any facilities or equipment, whether perceived or witnessed.
• Maintain a personal and growing relationship with Jesus Christ.
• Committed to making disciples who make disciples.
• Maintain a high level of proficiency in all areas of job responsibilities, performing all duties with due diligence in full recognition that the Gospel mission is our focus in the ministry of Christ Jesus.
• Build and develop excellence in all ministry teams.