Job Summary:
The Groups and Care Associate Pastor carries both Groups and Care at the campus. On the Groups side, this role recruits and develops group leaders and helps people find meaningful community. On the Care side, it carries what runs past what a healthy groups team can hold — visitation, crisis, grief, and benevolence. The two belong together because care happens in groups first: success looks like finding places for people to belong and serve, then discipling and caring for them well.
Principal Job Responsibilities:
- Supports the Groups Pastor and manages the delivery of Groups and Care at the campus
- Leads, manages, and pastors the Serve Team and congregants they serve, and builds and stewards that Serve Team: recruiting, training, retention, and appreciation
- Conducts weekly one-on-one oversights with direct reports for spiritual, relational, and professional development, and builds a pipeline of leaders so that every position has a back-up
- Carries budget responsibility for their areas of ministry where assigned, and spends within the approved threshold
- Ensures completion of all reporting for their areas, including attendance, salvations, prayer requests, incidents, and budget
- Recruits, develops, and equips healthy group leaders, oversees group launches across the year, and develops a culture of belonging where people find meaningful community
- Cultivates and trains new group leaders and leads leadership orientation meetings
- Supports the campus in casting vision and providing direction for Groups, coordinates Groups-focused gatherings at campus events, and represents Groups in Starting Point
- Partners with the Campus Pastor and Groups Pastor on local outreach opportunities which will be expressed through groups
- Ensures ordinary care happens inside groups, and personally carries what runs past what a healthy groups team can hold
- Performs one-on-one pastoral care and counseling, refers to licensed professionals when a need falls outside the scope of pastoral care, and maintains confidential care records per Gateway's confidentiality and reporting policies
- Coordinates hospital visitation, crisis response, and grief support at the campus, and assists in the benevolence process through intake, assessment, referral, and follow-up
- Builds and leads care Serve Teams, including prayer and visitation teams, and supports the campus's support group and recovery offerings
- Holds a ministerial license to minister, preach the gospel, and fulfill the work of serving God's kingdom, valid for the duration of pastoral ministry at Gateway Church, and carries spiritual authority within the church
- Serves the congregation by officiating weddings, funerals, baby dedications, communion, and other ministry services
- Is present and serving at weekend services and churchwide events as the ministry calendar requires, and is available to the congregation for pastoral care as needs arise
- Teaches through precept and by lifestyle example
- Performs other duties as assigned.
As a member of the Gateway Church team, this position supports, recruits, and develops Serve Team members, and serves alongside the broader team as ministry and organizational needs arise.
General Skills & Qualifications:
- A clear passion for Jesus and a strong biblical foundation
- Clear and effective communicator with both large and small groups
- Demonstrated ability to gather, develop, and deploy Team Members and Serve Team, and to drive their engagement
- Able to recruit and develop volunteer leaders at volume, not just one at a time
- Strong pastoral care instincts, with sound judgment about when to refer to a licensed professional
- Able to hold confidentiality and to follow reporting obligations without exception
- Steady and non-anxious in crisis, grief, and high-emotion situations
- Strong conflict management skills
- Comfortable holding others accountable with clarity and care, and willing to engage in courageous conversations
- Demonstrated emotional and relational intelligence
- Strong time-management skills and the ability to hold several priorities at once
- Proficient in Microsoft Office and able to learn and function within new software and systems
Education/Certification(s):
- Two or more years of ministry experience, including pastoral care experience — required
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience — required
- Licensed as a minister, or eligible to be licensed upon employment — required
- Formal training in biblical counseling or crisis response — preferred
- Prior experience in a multisite church environment — preferred
General Physical Requirements:
The physical demands described here represent those that an employee must meet to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to:
- Sit or stand for extended periods of time
- Occasionally kneel or crouch
- Frequently lift and/or move up to 10 lbs.
- Occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 lbs.
*This description is not all inclusive, and other duties may be assigned as necessary.
Gateway Church does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law as it applies to churches. However, Gateway Church does discriminate on the basis of religion.
Employment Requirement: Must be a member or become a member of Gateway Church upon employment.
