Christ Church

Campus Pastor

Lake Forest,
Illinois

Why I Love This Opportunity

I am genuinely excited about the opportunity at Christ Church because it offers the rare chance to lead a vibrant, multi-generational congregation that is actively pursuing a focused and compelling discipleship pathway. The leadership culture is healthy, the staff is mission-aligned, and the church is poised for significant growth in both spiritual depth and reach. With a strong foundation, a beautiful location, and a clear vision to help people discover life with God, this is a calling that will energize and inspire the right leader.

Chris Lawson

Associate

About This Organization

Christ Church was planted in 1980 by a group of families that wanted to see their Christian life be more than just Sunday mornings and they wanted the church to be a light in the community. The belltower at the Lake Forest campus has Matthew 5:14 engraved on it. Under our current Senior Pastor, Mike Woodruff, Christ Church embarked on a multi-site strategy and has grown from one campus to four, all situated in Lake County, Illinois.

As the church went through the pandemic the number of attendees suffered, but the Lake Forest campus has returned to those numbers and is growing with many new young families. Currently we are focusing on our mission to make disciples, “life with God” as we call it, by focusing our efforts on helping people know God at our weekend services, grow in their faith through groups, and live it out by finding their place to serve in the body of Christ.

We have restructured our planning process to bring all staff into our focus on this discipleship pathway. We want to reach new people with the Gospel by building a strong invite culture, a robust guest services follow-up plan, and a strong local digital presence. And, we want everyone at Christ Church to be taking next steps on their discipleship journey.

Position Description

Christ Church in Lake Forest is seeking a dynamic and spiritually grounded Campus Pastor to lead and shepherd its growing congregation. This leadership role offers a unique opportunity to inspire, equip, and guide the church community in its mission to connect people to Jesus Christ and deepen their faith. The Campus Pastor will be responsible for overseeing worship services, fostering spiritual growth, and engaging in outreach to expand the church’s presence in the community. Ideal candidates should be passionate about building relationships, possess strong communication and pastoral care skills, and demonstrate a heart for service. With a supportive leadership team, vibrant congregation, and beautiful setting in Lake Forest, this position offers the chance to make a lasting impact for Christ in one of the region’s thriving church communities.

The Campus Pastor is the lead pastor of the Lake Forest Campus, reporting to the Executive Pastor of Campuses and Ministries.

 

Key Responsibilities:

  • Carry out the vision and mission of Christ Church
  • Cultivate the spiritual growth of the congregation
  • Preach at the Lake Forest campus once a month
  • Oversee and Managing the ministries of the campus
  • Sunday Mornings
  • Small Groups
  • Ministry Teams
  • Oversee all major events and holidays at the campus including Advent/Christmas and
    Lent/Easter
  • Manage the staff to accomplish objectives including one-on-one meetings and leading
    weekly staff meetings
  • Provide pastoral care to those in need and for weddings, funerals, baby dedications and
    pastor of the day responsibilities
  • The successful candidate is likely to hold a graduate degree in theology and 3-5 senior level leadership in a similar size church

 

What a Strong Candidate Would Look Like:

  • Help people know God with excellent Sunday services that give them an encounter with God while also being accessible to visitors.
  • Help people grow in their faith with groups for all people and all ages that adjust to people’s lives and busy schedules.
  • Help people live out their faith by finding their Holy Spirit giftings that help serve the church or the community. We have held to this pathway loosely but are now reorganizing to focus our efforts in this area.
  • The next leader would be interested in helping people move along the current discipleship pathway.
  • They would be someone who wants to meet people and help them find their place.
  • They would be willing to shepherd the congregation so that people feel like they have a pastor who knows them and cares for them.

Salary Range

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