Pastor vacancy

Pastor (part-time)

Our church of ~60 attendees in Dunedin, which takes Jesus’ mission statement in Luke 4 and Isaiah 61 as the motivation for our lives, is seeking a new pastor. This is intended as a part-time position to underpin our current leadership and ministry teams, but there is the potential for this to grow.

We are seeking someone who has a passion for helping people become devoted followers of Jesus Christ and who can provide:

• Godly and biblical oversight of the church family, alongside the eldership team.
• Visionary leadership for sustained growth of our ministry, mission and members.
• Oversight and management of ministry team leaders and employed staff.
• Pastoral support for church members and others with whom we have contact.

To find out more about this position, please contact James at jwatson@mbc.ac.nz with enquiries and for a job description, or visit our website. Applications close 17 February, but prior applications may be considered.

Description of MBC

Our aim is to make a difference in our world by seeing others respond to the good news of Jesus salvation and by being practical ‘love in action’ people. This is worked out by being actively involved in mission and social outreaches in our community and abroad – as well as all the individual things we do. To keep us focused on making a difference, the symbol of the acorn and the oak tree adorn much of the things we do – keeping in mind Isaiah 61:3 – Oaks of Righteousness for the display of his splendour.

Just as a tree has many branches, the Bible also tells us that all Christians are important members of the Church body. We take it seriously to develop both people’s gifts and the opportunities to use them. The church has a unique character with its emphasis on participation rather than performance and community rather than programs. These stem from an understanding of the Gospel as being rooted in grace (not human performance) and that we come to church to meet God (not celebrities on platforms). For this reason, on any two separate Sunday’s there will likely be a different worship leader, speaker and team of musicians up front as different people get involved. Working together also involves the tasks of serving around the church and in wider church activities, including a weekday mums and pre-schoolers music group outreach, a seniors group and a Christians Against Poverty (CAP) debt centre. We are seeking a team leader who can help consolidate and enhance these characteristics, and lead us into a new season of growth in maturity and mission.

We have a group of elders appointed on 2-year terms from the congregation, who, with the pastor, provide spiritual oversight for the congregation. A management team maintains administrative matters, while various ministry leaders are appointed to head up the variety of groups and outreaches. We are also members of the Baptist Union. The church currently employs a CAP centre manager and an administrator on part-time contracts, funded through the congregation’s donations and administered through the Musselburgh Rise Community Trust. The current advertised pastor vacancy is intended as a part-time position, but there is the potential for this to grow.

The pastor is accountable to the MBC elders, and will be responsible for supervision of part-time staff members (secretary and CAP centre manager). The pastor will engage with the MBC management team, ministry team leaders, the Otago/Southland Baptist Association, and wider Dunedin church leadership groups.