Senior Pastor Job Description
Mt. Calvary Baptist Church (MCBC)
1807 Dandridge Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37915
Opening Date: August 19, 2024 Closing Date: September 30, 2024
Our Vision Statement
Mount Calvary Baptist Church (MCBC), located in Knoxville, TN is a caring church that ministers to the mind, body, and soul, and reaches out to the community.
Position Summary
MCBC is seeking a full-time Senior Pastor who will lead our congregation. Believing that God is the One who calls pastors to shepherd his people (Jeremiah 3:15), MCBC is prayerfully seeking God’s choice for the position of Senior Pastor.
MCBC was established in 1913 as an outgrowth of “Old Corinthian”, a church that had endured physical and fiscal difficulties. MCBC was the vision of members who had the courage and foresight to unite.
The successful candidate must be an inspiring and challenging preacher and teacher with sermons that make the gospel relevant to the lives of individuals. The successful candidate must also be God fearing, demonstrate an enthusiastic love for Christ, possess and apply a comprehensive knowledge of the Bible, utilize the Baptist doctrine, have a clearly defined vision for the church, and provide leadership in developing a vision and direction for the future. The successful candidate will lead the congregation as we strive to attract new members, reach young people and young families. Our previous pastor recently retired after 43 years of service.
We are affiliated with the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.
Key Responsibilities – The Pastor Shall:
- Preach the gospel, counsel the membership, have charge of the spiritual welfare of the congregation and direct the ordering of all worship services to ensure services are meaningful, accessible, and spiritually enriching.
- Oversee and be responsible for ensuring the Lord’s Supper/Communion is administered to the congregation and the sick and shut-in members of the church and direct the performance of the Ordinance of Baptism.
- Lead in the growth and development of our youth and young adult population and related ministries to attract and meet the spiritual needs of that demographic.
- Work with church leadership and staff to establish and execute a vision and plan for the church’s growth and relevant community outreach. This includes leading efforts to design, implement, and evaluate the most effective ministries that will achieve the vision of MCBC.
- Officiate at weddings, funerals, memorial services, baby dedications and any other services recognized by the church.
- Serve as the spiritual and administrative leader of the church and work in a spirit of cooperation with the Deacons, Trustees, and other ministries to meet the needs of the congregation and administration and management of church operations.
- Provide spiritual leadership and pastoral care to the congregation. This includes visiting the sick, counseling and support during times of grief or other traumatic events.
- Supervise all church staff, including performing yearly evaluations and recommend training as needed.
- Develop and deliver engaging, biblically, and theologically based sermons.
- Manage the congregational organization through planning, decision making, delegating, evaluating, and managing conflict and stress.
Qualifications
Education:
- Must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education and some seminary experience.
- Must be a licensed and ordained Baptist minister in accordance with the Baptist doctrine.
Experience:
- Must have at least 5 years of ministry experience as an ordained Senior Pastor or an Associate Pastor.
- Must have experience growing a church both spiritually and numerically of a similar size to MCBC.
Skills and Abilities:
- Must possess strong interpersonal skills and be approachable; demonstrate inclusiveness for all demographics within the congregation.
- Must have demonstrated the ability to prepare and deliver biblically sound, stimulating, inspirational and spirit-filled sermons with application to everyday life.
- Must have administrative/leadership skills with the ability to manage the affairs of the congregational organization through planning, decision making, delegating, evaluating, and managing conflict and stress; should be capable of leading the church’s staff.
- Must have the ability to establish trust and credibility with MCBC members.
- Must have the ability to make the gospel relevant to people’s lives through clarity in preaching.
- Must have a vision for growing church membership that is both educated in the Word of God and strong in relationship with Christ; must have a keen vision, commitment, and experience in increasing the numbers and spiritual development of youth and young adults in the congregation.
- Must have excellent communication skills with the ability to connect with a diverse congregation.
- Must have a good understanding of technology including social media and virtual ministry operations.
Application Requirements and Process:
All interested and qualified persons must submit an initial Candidate Package consisting of the following information:
- A current resume that includes a summary of relevant ministry, professional, and educational experiences.
- Copies of ministerial license and ordination certificate.
- Official transcripts for all degrees and graduate studies. Transcripts must be sent to Mt. Calvary Baptist Church directly from the institution by email to: pastorsearchcommitteemtcalvary@gmail.com.
- Names of four references (at least two clergy and one layperson) with contact information (email address and phone number)
- Two sermons preached within the past 6 months. Please provide a link to access sermons (i.e., YouTube, Facebook, church website). Sermons may also be submitted on a USB drive via mail t0 1807 Dandridge Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37914 (Attention: Pastor Search Committee).
- A statement of how you believe the church would benefit from your leadership and your vision for equipping MCBC to thrive through the advancement of our mission and your vision.
- Provide any additional information you would like to share with the Pastoral Search Committee.
Final candidates will be notified and asked to provide additional information later in the selection process. Final candidates must consent to a full background check including criminal history, a drug screening test, and a credit and financial history review (performed through outside agencies for complete confidentiality). Mount Calvary Baptist Church information is available at this link mtcalvaryknox.com. Please direct all inquiries to pastorsearchcommitteemtcalvary@gmail.com.
