Lead Pastor

The Senior/Lead Pastor provides pastoral oversight and care to the church body; preaches the word of God with power and effectiveness as the primary preacher/teacher; provides organizational vision, leadership, and management.

Preferred Experience:
– Advanced degree (or equivalent) in some form of religious studies
– Minimum of seven years as a Senior Pastor leading in a similar cultural context as ESC
– Proven ability to operate effectively within a healthy church governing structure
– Proven ability to operate effectively with administrative staff and volunteers on a consistent basis.
– Energy, passion, and resilience to develop and move a congregation and staff for the long run in a post-pandemic culture.
– Must have full agreement with all doctrinal issues listed on the ESC website. Philosophically, ESC embraces fiscally responsible financial values, striving to remain debt-free.
– Posses a lived experience and understanding of the journey of liberation familiar to many people of color

Key Responsibilities

• The first and most critical competency and responsibility is to be a passionate, excellent, and empowered preacher. This person will be the primary preacher at all services (there is an Associate Pastor of Preaching to assist with these duties). ESC has evangelistic weekend services rooted in scripture, valuing expository preaching.
• This position is the primary and chief shepherd and needs to remain in contact with the sheep. The expectation is to build teams that shepherd the bulk of the congregation. With that said, this position will officiate weddings and funerals and be consistently available around the church to shepherd as appropriate.
• The Senior/Lead Pastor must be the Visionary Leader for the church who can sense the direction the Lord is leading the church and communicate it in a compelling manner at every level.
• The Pastor is the organizational leader and must ensure the church is moving forward toward its mission/vision. ESC has a strong and talented organizational staff, so hands-on organizational leadership does not have to be the primary gift of the Pastor. The Pastor must be self-aware of their strengths and weaknesses and delegate accordingly.
• ESC is a large church entrusted with significant resources from the Lord. The next lead pastor must have the financial acumen to lead the church’s finances with wisdom and character. The lead pastor must embrace a debt-free philosophy and possess a proven history of personal biblical financial stewardship principles and practices. They will provide vision and need to inspire congregational generosity.
• Reporting and Accountability Structure.
• Provide servant leadership to the Church Council while submitting to their oversight and accountability.
• Lead the church’s staff team through the Executive Pastor and other executives.

What a Strong Candidate Would Look Like

• Must have a deep understanding of the many subcultures within the ESC communities, with the ability to navigate different socioeconomic realities at Eastern Star Church.
• They must match the incredibly high work ethic and high character standards common to the ESC staff.