Lead Pastor

Lead Pastor PROFILE Long Hill Chapel Chatham, New Jersey 01 | THE OPPORTUNITY A Healthy & Stable Church Ready for Its Next Season Long Hill Chapel seeks a Christ-centered, spiritually mature Lead Pastor who will faithfully preach and teach God's Word, shepherd people with wisdom and compassion, and lead a healthy congregation into its next season of discipleship, mission, and Kingdom impact. This is a future-building role: the next pastor will honor what God has already established while helping the church become increasingly clear about its direction, more deeply connected in spiritual community, intentional about multiplying leaders, and visible in community mission. Position Details -Lead Pastor Church - Long Hill Chapel Location - 525 Shunpike Road, Chatham, NJ 07928 Denomination - Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA) Church Size - Approximately 200-230 attendees Position Tpye - Full-time / salaried Compensation - Total package, including base salary, housing allowance and benefits: $135,000 to $160,000, depending on qualifications and experience. Benefits - Four weeks vacation and two weeks study leave annually, continuing education reimbursement allowance, paid sabbatical leave (every seven years in lieu of study leave), family health coverage, matching retirement contribution and SECA reimbursement. 02 | PASTORAL SEARCH IMPLICATIONS The Leader Long Hill Chapel Needs Next Recently, Long Hill Chapel completed a comprehensive health assessment. The assessment supports a search for a future-building pastor rather than a caretaker or turnaround specialist. Long Hill Chapel needs a leader who can protect healthy strengths, listen before changing, and help leverage existing health to create greater future impact. Strong Preacher & Communicator Worship is a defining strength. The next pastor should be a biblical, engaging, applicable communicator who faithfully proclaims the finished work and Lordship of Jesus and helps people follow Him in everyday life. Leader & Vision Caster The church is well organized, but greater clarity is needed around church-wide goals and how ministries connect. The next pastor should create shared direction without diminishing healthy systems or unnecessarily disrupting what is working. Disciple-Maker The clearest leverage point is deeper relational discipleship. The next pastor should help move people from attendance and activity into communities where they are known, prayed for, spiritually formed, cared for through real-life challenges, and developed as disciples. Leader-Developer Gift-based ministry and teamwork are strong. The next pastor should equip and release people rather than becoming the center of ministry activity, asking consistently: 'Who are we developing next?' Missional Catalyst The congregation already demonstrates relational concern for people who do not yet know Christ. The next pastor should help translate that instinct into visible, coordinated mission and community engagement. Collaborative, Stable & Humble The healthiest next leader will honor what God has already built, work well with Elders and staff, cultivate trust, listen carefully, and lead confidently without implying that a healthy congregation needs to be reinvented. 03 | QUALIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTS Calling, Formation & Experience * Spiritual Maturity: A clear calling to pastoral ministry and a growing relationship with Jesus Christ demonstrated through humility, integrity, prayer, dependence on the Holy Spirit, and commitment to God's Word. * Holiness & Integrity: The Lead Pastor will demonstrate a life of biblical integrity, personal holiness, and accountability, recognizing that pastoral leadership carries responsibility both in public ministry and private life. The pastor will seek to live consistently with the moral and ethical standards of Scripture in personal relationships, marriage and sexual conduct, financial stewardship, communication and social media, and all other personal and public dealings. This includes a willingness to live transparently and remain accountable to the Elder Board and the established standards and expectations of Long Hill Chapel and the Christian and Missionary Alliance. While recognizing that every follower of Jesus lives by grace and is continually being formed into Christlikeness, the Lead Pastor should model the character, wisdom, self-control, humility, and faithfulness expected of those entrusted with spiritual leadership. * Theological Alignment: Agreement with the doctrine, values, mission, and Great Commission emphasis of the Christian and Missionary Alliance. * Experience: Demonstrated pastoral ministry experience including preaching, discipleship, leadership development, staff or ministry-team leadership, and shepherding a congregation of this size or larger. * Education & Ongoing Development: The ideal candidate will have achieved a bachelor s degree in a ministry-compatible field and will demonstrate a strong commitment to lifelong learning and ongoing ministry development through active pursuit of continuing education, theological enrichment, leadership training, and other opportunities that strengthen pastoral and leadership effectiveness. In particular, training leading to a ministry-related master s degree is preferred. While formal education is valued, a demonstrated pattern of growth, teachability, and continued development is also essential. * Denominational Licensing: Commitment to maintaining or actively pursuing C&MA licensing and credentialing requirements. The successful candidate must be ordained or on a path to ordination through a process acceptable to the C&MA within a year of hiring. * Leadership Approach: A commitment to developing and empowering people of all ages and backgrounds to use their God-given gifts in ministry and service to advance God's Kingdom. Character & Leadership Style * A servant-focused leader who equips others, develops leaders, and encourages meaningful ministry involvement. * A faithful biblical teacher with a passion for helping people grow as disciples of Jesus. * A relational pastor who connects with individuals and families across generations and helps cultivate loving, spiritually meaningful community. * A collaborative leader who works alongside the Elder Board as a first among equals and provides guidance of staff and ministry leaders accordingly, rather than as the center of all ministry. * A calm, stable presence who can preserve congregational confidence during transition and lead change with discernment, patience, and clarity. * A leader who communicates the 'why' behind ministry as clearly as the 'what,' helping people understand shared goals and how ministry areas work together. * A pastor who values prayer, spiritual formation, healthy rhythms, and personalized care while developing systems that allow the whole body to minister. 04 | KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Preach, Shepherd, Equip & Lead We understand that no pastor is gifted in every area and joyfully embrace the biblical call to equip, empower, and develop others. The Lead Pastor is not called to carry the ministry alone, but to build teams, release people into their God-given gifts, and cultivate a culture where the whole church works together to advance the Kingdom of God. * Provide Christ-centered spiritual leadership and faithfully preach and teach God's Word, helping the congregation know Jesus more deeply and grow as fully devoted disciples. * Protect and build upon the church's strength in worship and preaching through biblical, relevant, Christ-centered communication. * Shepherd the church through prayer, pastoral care, biblical encouragement, and a ministry culture dependent on the Holy Spirit. * Deepen relational discipleship by strengthening small groups as environments of prayer, care, Scripture application, spiritual conversation, real-life support, newcomer integration, and leader multiplication. * Provide vision and oversight for the church's ministries ensuring each ministry has clear direction and understands how its priorities and goals align with and advance the church s overall vision and mission. * Develop and empower staff and ministry leaders, creating clear pathways from participant to volunteer to leader to leader-of-leaders. * Lead the church in fulfilling the Great Commission by equipping and mobilizing the congregation for evangelism, disciple-making, and meaningful community engagement, building on Long Hill Chapel s strong relational and missional heart to expand its Kingdom impact in Chatham, the surrounding communities, and beyond. * Serve as chairman of the Elder Board, as first among equals in a collaborative association, to seek God's direction, establish ministry priorities, and faithfully steward the mission of the C&MA. * Work with the Elder Board to establish healthy rhythms that promote spiritual vitality, family well-being, long-term ministry effectiveness, and clear governance. * Steward change wisely: listen before changing, preserve healthy ministries and systems, and focus leadership energy on the areas of highest Kingdom leverage. 05 | STAFF & LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT Building a Unified, Multiplying Team * Provide Christ-centered leadership that inspires, encourages, and equips staff members to flourish in their calling and faithfully fulfill the mission of the church. * Cultivate a healthy staff culture characterized by trust, humility, collaboration, accountability, prayer, and mutual encouragement. * Provide regular coaching, encouragement, and constructive feedback that helps each staff member grow personally, spiritually, and professionally. * Align ministry priorities, goals, calendar, budget, and resources with the church's mission, vision, and a focused set of church-wide priorities. * Encourage teamwork by recognizing and celebrating the unique gifts, experiences, and perspectives each staff member brings to ministry. * Delegate responsibility appropriately, empowering staff and ministry leaders to make decisions, innovate, and lead confidently within their areas of responsibility. * Promote healthy communication, collaboration, and problem-solving among staff, addressing conflict with biblical wisdom, grace, and truth. * Champion continual learning through professional development, spiritual formation, leadership growth, and continuing education. * Evaluate ministry effectiveness with respect to faithfulness, spiritual health, team unity, relational discipleship, leadership multiplication, mission, and meaningful outcomes not simply activity levels. * Normalize leadership multiplication by expecting key leaders to identify, apprentice, and develop emerging leaders. Performance Management * Set clear objectives at the beginning of each year and revisit them through quarterly check-ins. * Conduct an annual performance review to discuss progress, recognize strengths, identify areas for improvement, and establish goals for the coming year. * Maintain ongoing coaching and development conversations. * Use individual development plans based on ministry goals, gifting, and areas for growth. * In the first pastoral season, emphasize