Pastoral Search

Senior Pastor Job Description

The Nelson Evangelical Covenant Church is looking for a pastor who:

  • Resonates with the trajectory of our church as outlined in the Vision Statement, and who will work alongside our Site Leadership Team to move our community forward toward that vision.Is a skilled communicator of God’s Word and who is gifted in teaching, leading, discipling, mentoring, and coaching people.
  • Is a skilled communicator of God’s Word and who is gifted in teaching, leading, discipling, mentoring, and coaching people.Is a lifelong learner who derives great joy from continually gaining knowledge and understanding of God, His word, His people, and his creation.
  • Is a lifelong learner who derives great joy from continually gaining knowledge and understanding of God, His word, His people, and his creation.Views the mission of the church as being more than self preservation, but as the means by which the community, the nation, and the world can be reached with the gospel.
  • Views the mission of the church as being more than self preservation, but as the means by which the community, the nation, and the world can be reached with the gospel.Is an ordained pastor in good standing with the Evangelical Covenant Church of Canada, or agrees to work towards ordination with the ECCC.
  • Is an ordained pastor in good standing with the Evangelical Covenant Church of Canada, or agrees to work towards ordination with the ECCC.

Duties and Responsibilities

Cultivating Sabbath Living

The pastor shall make every attempt to live and model a biblical Sabbath way of life, living with intentional rest, rhythm, and spiritual connection to the One who sustains us. This is different from the way of the world, and it prioritizes replenishment and conscious dependence on the Holy Spirit instead of just “getting things done”. Sabbath living sees rest as not just a break, but as a rhythm that shapes one’s whole week, modeling our lives the way that Jesus demonstrated.

Flowing from this understanding, and to effectively carry out the duties of a pastor at our church, the following must be priorities in the Pastor’s life:

  1. Your relationship with Jesus Christ. We expect that this is to be your top priority, and that you to take the necessary time to nurture your personal spiritual health and deepen your relationship with Jesus through prayer, study, devotion, and other spiritual disciplines you deem beneficial.Your life and witness. We expect you to live all aspects of your life in a manner that demonstrates passionate commitment to both the letter and the spirit of the Great Command and the Great Commission.
  2. Your life and witness. We expect you to live all aspects of your life in a manner that demonstrates passionate commitment to both the letter and the spirit of the Great Command and the Great Commission.Your family (i.e. wife/husband and children), if you are not single. While there will be many responsibilities placed on you in the role of a pastor, your family is more important than your job. We expect you to maintain a healthy work-life balance and to remember that your family is your primary field of ministry.
  3. Your family (i.e. wife/husband and children), if you are not single. While there will be many responsibilities placed on you in the role of a pastor, your family is more important than your job. We expect you to maintain a healthy work-life balance and to remember that your family is your primary field of ministry.

Our Role

We as a church commit to helping you maintain these as top priorities. While we will not knowingly task you with responsibilities that place them in jeopardy, we expect that you will let the Site Leadership Team know if we are unintentionally doing so.

Preaching, Teaching and Equipping

The primary role of the Pastor shall be to provide spiritual leadership to the congregation through teaching, equipping, admonishing, and inspiring us for ministry. The pastor shall strive to maintain a balance between the following priorities:

  1. Bible-based preaching. We are looking for a pastor who loves to deliver high-quality, engaging, primarily expository messages for the purpose of “teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work”. Message should reflect careful preparation, and creativity, and should not shrink from teaching on “the whole council of God”.Cultivating Spiritual Growth: The Pastor shall emphasize the necessity of spiritual growth, of a lifelong walk with God through the teaching of the habits and practices of Christian life, and the transforming power the Holy Spirit.
  2. Cultivating Spiritual Growth: The Pastor shall emphasize the necessity of spiritual growth, of a lifelong walk with God through the teaching of the habits and practices of Christian life, and the transforming power the Holy Spirit.

Our Role

Although the Pastor is expected to carry the majority of the Sunday-morning preaching responsibilities, our goal is to allow for regular breaks and to arrange for alternate speakers one week each month.

Cultivating a Culture of Community

The Pastor shall actively encourage community within our church.

This will include but not be limited to:

  • Working with the Site Leadership Team to encourage a vibrant and healthy community of care groups.Leading in the development of an inclusive faith community beyond care groups, which encourages service, and multi-generational and multi-cultural fellowship.
  • Leading in the development of an inclusive faith community beyond care groups, which encourages service, and multi-generational and multi-cultural fellowship.Helping members discover their spiritual gifts and talents in order to release them into effective ministry.
  • Helping members discover their spiritual gifts and talents in order to release them into effective ministry.Maintaining a spirit of collegiality, where our people trust our leaders, and our leaders trust our people.
  • Maintaining a spirit of collegiality, where our people trust our leaders, and our leaders trust our people.Fostering an atmosphere of encouragement, support, and promotion of individual members as they reach out into the local and global community in the various ways they are led by God.
  • Fostering an atmosphere of encouragement, support, and promotion of individual members as they reach out into the local and global community in the various ways they are led by God.

Our Role

All aspects of this section imply partnership with the Site Leadership Team and other church leaders. We recognize that none of these goals are attainable without our support and engagement.

Leadership and Leadership Development

The Pastor shall maintain as a priority the encouragement, coaching, and equipping of leaders at all levels to serve with character, competence, and conviction.

This will include but not be limited to:

  • Providing coaching and mentoring to care group leaders as they develop their pastoral skills, equipping them for Godly leadership of their groups.Providing guidance, wisdom, mentoring, and encouragement of Site Leadership Team members and others in leadership roles within the church.
  • Providing guidance, wisdom, mentoring, and encouragement of Site Leadership Team members and others in leadership roles within the church.Continually identifying potential leaders within the congregation and encouraging them to step into leadership positions.
  • Continually identifying potential leaders within the congregation and encouraging them to step into leadership positions.

The Pastor shall also be responsible for the oversight of any part-time staff (worship coordinator, janitor, administrator, etc.) that may be working at the church.

Cultivating Engagement with Mission and Culture

We seek a Pastor who is able to disciple and encourage our members toward spiritual discernment of the Kingdom opportunities around them, fostering an environment of risk taking, stepping out in new ways, and creatively expressing the love of Christ in a changing world.

This may include but not be limited to:

  • Engagement with other organizations in Nelson.Fostering awareness of global missions, and connection with the global church
  • Fostering awareness of global missions, and connection with the global churchCreating relevant encounters with culture for our church.
  • Creating relevant encounters with culture for our church.Helping congregants to be students of culture.
  • Helping congregants to be students of culture.

Accountability and Evaluation

As a church, we commit ourselves to supporting the pastor by:

  • Receiving you as our pastor, giving you shepherding care over our lives and according you love, respect, goodwill, and cooperation.Supporting you with our prayers.
  • Supporting you with our prayers.Work with you as an active laity to carry on the mission of the church.
  • Work with you as an active laity to carry on the mission of the church.Provide you with support and accountability, both for your encouragement and as constructive feedback.
  • Provide you with support and accountability, both for your encouragement and as constructive feedback.Review your performance periodically by means of structured performance reviews as outlined in the church's bylaws.
  • Review your performance periodically by means of structured performance reviews as outlined in the church's bylaws.Participate with you in periodically reviewing the church's responsibilities to you as Pastor, with the goal of ensuring that we are supporting you and working alongside you in accordance with our commitments.
  • Participate with you in periodically reviewing the church's responsibilities to you as Pastor, with the goal of ensuring that we are supporting you and working alongside you in accordance with our commitments.
  • E-MAIL - search2025@nelsoncovenant.com for more information