Opportunity Profile Executive Pastor Wethersfield Evangelical Free

---

Opportunity Profile Executive Pastor Wethersfield Evangelical Free Church Wethersfield, CT

511 Maple St., Wethersfield, CT 06019 860-563-8286 www.wethefc.com

 Overview Wethersfield Evangelical Free Church (WEFC) is a growing multi-generational congregation located in Wethersfield, CT (just a few miles south of Hartford, CT). In a region known for being “unchurched”, WEFC has a reputation for its commitment to God’s Word and desire to reach others with the Gospel. WEFC is looking for a relationally-driven individual who has skills in implementing and managing the mission and vision of the church. Included in his oversight would be equipping and shepherding the facilitators of small groups (called “Community Groups”). These Community Groups are the primary means of spiritual formation in the church, and it is the goal of the church to see 90% of the congregation engaged in these kinds of groups. It is anticipated that the Executive Pastor would be capable of managing and overseeing the discipleship process, the ministry staff and the ministry leaders.

 Church and Context The church was founded in 1888 in the city of Hartford. In 1961 the church moved to Wethersfield and its current property. WEFC is affiliated with the Evangelical Free Church of America and is a community committed to the mission to love God, love people and make disciples. The current building was expanded in 1999, and plans are underway for more expansion as the Sunday morning services continue to grow.

WEFC’s Vision The church has developed a vision to be a church of disciple-makers intentionally multiplying disciples, Community Groups, leaders and churches throughout the Central Connecticut River Valley.

•

• •

By 2025 WEFC would like to be a church of Community Groups with 90% of the church regularly engaged in Christian community and mission. By 2025 WEFC would like to have a clearly developed pathway for training disciple-makers. By 2025 WEFC would like to multiply either through church planting or multi-site expansion into three other communities throughout the Central Connecticut River Valley.

In order to fulfill our vision we have answered the following questions: • Who are we? Sons and Daughters, Servants and Stewards • What do we do? Love God, Love People, Make Disciples • How do we do it? Worship, Community, Service We believe that the Executive Pastor will be able to help implement this vision as we partner with God to reach New England with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Noteworthy Aspects of WEFC: •

The church is a healthy church - warm and loving atmosphere, stable leadership, good sense of trust; eager and willing to follow the vision; great relationships on the ministry team (staff).

•

The church is seen in the community as a church that cares for the community – intentional steps towards reaching out through ministries of mercy within the community. The church is growing – steady pattern of growth (including conversions) over the past ten years; strong commitment to the Scriptures and the gospel; significant transformation taking place in lives.

•

The church is in transition – moving from a staff that does ministry to a staff that develops ministry; transition from a church with small groups to a church of small groups; moving from complexity to simplicity; transitioning from a program model of ministry to a process model of ministry; transition with its facility, fully anticipating expanding the building structure in the next three years.

Plumblines of WEFC: The following “plumblines” reflect the leadership and ministry values that mark the ministry of WEFC. 1. 2. 3. 4.

5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

The first beneficiary of the church is those outside of the church. Discipleship takes place in the context of relationship. Good works lead to good will which opens opportunity for good news Belong – Believe – Become Belong – no matter who you are or where you come from we want you to know that you “belong” here. Believe – we believe if you hang around long enough you will “believe” because you will not just hear the message of Jesus but you will see it in the love of God’s people. Become – once you turn in faith to Jesus, he will begin to change your life from the inside, and you will “become” more like Christ. You can’t know everyone but you need to know someone. Process over Program Vision is implemented through clarity, movement, alignment and focus. The role of ministry staff is to “develop” ministry not “do” ministry. Healthy things grow and multiply

 The Opportunity The Executive Pastor will work directly with the Lead Pastor (Dr. Scott Solberg). Scott’s strengths are in developing vision and cultivating a collaborative environment for the values of the church to be modeled and experienced. The Executive Pastor will work directly with Scott to ensure that the ministry is in alignment with the overall vision of the church. The Executive Pastor will provide direct oversight for senior ministry staff and will shepherd and equip lay leaders in overseeing various ministries and in equipping Community Group leaders. The Executive Pastor will have the primary responsibility of overseeing the day to day operations of the ministry and will need to be able to pay close attention to details. In moving towards a ministry of simplicity, one of the main responsibilities of the Executive Pastor would be to oversee and manage our “next step” process. We have developed clear steps to help people assimilate into the life of the church. We have worked hard at improving the way we welcome people and the information we have available to share with them. We are intentional in assimilating people into community through things like “Getting Started” and “Exploring Faith.” Through our Community Groups, we feel we have implemented a model of ministry that decentralizes discipleship and puts people into meaningful Christian friendship. Finally, we want to be intentional in helping people find meaningful places of service within the

church and through our ministries of mercy. It would be the responsibility of the Executive Pastor to oversee and manage this process and the teams in place to accomplish our goals.

 Anticipated Challenges •

This is a new position – it will be a process to learn how the Lead Pastor and the Executive Pastor work together. Some of the responsibilities of the Executive Pastor are currently the responsibility of the Lead Pastor. It is anticipated that both of these individuals work very closely with each other. It is the goal of this position to relieve the Lead Pastor of some of the day to day responsibilities so that he can work on developing “next generation leaders.”

•

The church is in transition – when a person steps into this role, the church will have already been at least one year into making ministry transition. When change is made, there is always a temptation and a pull to go back to the way we used to do things. It is not to suggest that what was done in the past was ineffective, but rather, we feel the direction we are going is more conducive to fostering continued growth. The challenge will come in making sure what we do aligns with our vision and that we are able to maintain focus by doing few things and doing them well. This means saying “no” to good things that may not, in the long run, be the best things for us to do.

•

Accountability is needed – we need to grow in the area of accountability, especially when it comes to our ministry staff. We are moving towards implementing a better annual review process, one that includes agreed upon goals and monthly coaching. We have made attempts in the past and it is a welcomed process, but it needs to be formalized and better implemented.

•

Building – we anticipate launching a major building project in 2018. During this project, we will be out of the building for possibly one full year. This will pose many challenges to our ministry, though many of the values we are currently implementing will be flexible with a congregation that is in flux. In the meantime, it is very important that the “next step” process is fully implemented and that “Community Groups” are firmly a way of life as we get ready to build.

 Qualifications and Characteristics Currently It is likely that the best candidate for the Executive Pastor position at WEFC is currently leading a church-based ministry. Because this position is more than an administrative position, pastoral skills will be needed to develop and shepherd Community Group facilitators. And yet, this person has demonstrated gifts, skills and motivation towards administrative duties. He will have had experience in implementing and overseeing process and people with tangible success. Candidate Criteria Summary • Evident love for God and His people • Effective at shepherding and equipping leaders • Good at strategic implementation of initiatives and management of people • Theological and philosophical alignment with WEFC • Team player and able to develop teams What would be most motivating to the ideal candidate? • Being an active relationship-builder who provides energy and enthusiasm that matches the culture of the congregation and leadership of WEFC. He will need the ability to connect with people and learn what makes WEFC special and harness those unique qualities toward kingdom impact in New England. •

Developing a close partnership with the Lead Pastor in a way that builds trust and working effectiveness, while also gathering critical information about the vision of the church and the Lead Pastor’s heart for the congregation.

•

Having the ability to translate the Lead Pastor’s passion and vision into plans that leverage his best contributions while also tapping into his energy and heart for the benefit of the church locally and globally. Working together as strategic partners that will lead the staff toward the vision God has placed in our church is critical.

•

Actively engaging in dialogue and collaboration with the Lead Pastor, the Executive Board and the Ministry Staff in a way that demonstrates creativity with a focus on making ideas real, effective and lasting. He will also need the ability to see various layers of strategy and bring perspectives that integrate and refine thinking.

•

Be a gifted strategist and structure-builder that is able to distill the best ideas that move us toward our vision.

•

Work through the Ministry Staff to integrate church-wide ministries and assist in implementation of strategic and operating plans as a team leader. This person needs to

play a central role (but not exclusive) in launching new efforts that move throughout the church and assure that any ministry initiatives are integrated and well-developed. •

Ensure the operational health of WEFC and its annual planning rhythm.

Application Process We encourage anyone who has the qualifications and senses a potential calling for such an opportunity of service to contact us and discuss this position. Alternatively, you may know someone you wish to recommend for this position. The application form and instructions are available on the following website: https://wethersfieldefc.recruiterbox.com/