Gateway Community Church is on a mission to “connect people to God and each other.” Its active presence in the community draws many to visit the church. When they do, visitors find inviting, friendly people who genuinely want to know them. Further, they find a church that removes unnecessary barriers to growth and involvement so that individuals can become committed and maturing Christ-followers. Gateway is located in a rapidly expanding community and has continued to grow with it through the years. With an average weekend attendance of 750, they saw a record attendance of more than 1,100 people on Easter Sunday, 2023. The church has had to expand its facilities recently and dreams of an additional expansion soon. Preliminary construction plans are underway as their three worship services continue to grow. Now is an exciting time to join the team at Gateway Community Church!
Gateway Community Church is an elder-led, biblically-based Baptist church affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. Their values guide them to invite others to Christ and church, relate to their community and culture, apply the Bible to real life, cultivate authentic relationships, and challenge each other to a deeper commitment. Gateway Community officially opened on March 25, 2001, as a mission of the First Baptist Church of Garland, TX, when a core group of about 20 adults and 15 children responded to the call to start the new church under the leadership of the founding pastor Dr. Blake Switzer and his wife, Shawn. Pastor Blake still leads the church today and enjoys shepherding people, emphasizing loving Gateway’s staff and lay leaders.
Gateway is a community of people who worship deeply. They teach the importance of personal and corporate worship from children’s ministry through adult ministry. This culture stems from years of biblical instruction by the pastor pointing to a person’s need to own their personal worship of the Father. As a multigenerational congregation, Gateway embraces a blend of musical styles that leans toward modern expression. Engaging people in participative worship is of utmost importance. The Sunday schedule includes identical services at 8:00, 9:30, and 11:00 am. The atmosphere is casual and informal, and musical worship includes acoustic and electric guitars, keys, bass, drums, and 2-3 vocalists. There is a strong core of volunteers on the worship team. They enjoy positive morale and are spiritually healthy.
The Worship Pastor should be a spiritually mature, musically-gifted, biblically-grounded Christian skilled in leading a congregation in musical worship. This person oversees all Worship Ministry teams to create engaging worship environments, serving as the primary worship leader in Sunday services. The Worship Pastor is also responsible for developing and leading the staff and volunteers connected to the Worship Arts Ministry.
Key Responsibilities:
What a Strong Candidate Would Look Like: