Needed: Seattle First Baptist Church Seeking Interim Lead Pastor
About the Position
Position: Interim Lead Pastor
Location: Seattle, Washington
Status: Exempt, Regular Full Time Staff (40 hrs/wk)
Position starting: February 2022
Seattle First Baptist Church (SFBC), a 150-year-old church in the heart of urban Seattle, seeks an interim pastor to join its pastoral team in accompanying its congregation and community in the next phase of its development and growth. Like many churches, SFBC is navigating a complex set of challenges, among them: “being church” during a time when not everyone can meet in person due to COVID-19; a lack of racial, cultural, and generational diversity; and maintaining a large, historic building. SFBC has also committed to becoming an antiracist community, and we are leaning into that work. We are at an exciting, if daunting, inflection point, and are looking for an interim pastor who has the skills, experience, compassion, and energy to guide us into and through difficult conversations and challenging times and see them for the gifts and opportunities that they are.
About Seattle First Baptist Church
Seattle First Baptist Church is an historic American Baptist congregation located in the vibrant heart of Seattle. SFBC is a church community that seeks to follow the way of Jesus Christ, to be a people of God and to love and care for our neighbors. Faithful to our Baptist heritage, we strive for a world where people are welcomed regardless of, and with respect for, their religious beliefs; where the separation of church and state is vigorously defended; where freedom is a fundamental right that values the dignity of all persons without regard to their race, country of birth, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, religion, or disabilities; and where compassion is the measure of our actions. We encourage and support applicants of underrepresented groups, including black, indigenous, and all people of color.
We are committed to the following values:
We will go deeper in faith as we do justice, love mercy, work for peace, and walk humbly with God.
We will be present to one another and our neighbors in our personal relationships and by creating venues for engagement where we can learn about viewpoints different from our own, including doing the complex and transformational work to become an anti-racist community.
We will respect all religions by learning about the beliefs, values, and struggles of our neighbors and by demonstrating support for them.
We will welcome the stranger, including immigrants and refugees, as our scriptures instruct. We will explore how to support their causes and advocate for justice, remembering that many of us are the children of immigrants and refugees.
We will actively work to recognize and change our own biases and to fight racism, sexism, classism, homophobia, ageism, and other systemic prejudices.
We will protect our environment and support preservation programs that are based on scientific data designed to improve our resources, enhance biodiversity, and reverse human-caused climate change.
We encourage you to visit our website www.seattlefirstbaptist.org to learn more about our life.
General Responsibilities of Pastoral Team
The following duties apply to all members of the three-person Pastoral Team, including the Interim Lead Pastor. The team is responsible for assigning duties to individual pastors.
Support and work as a team with the other pastors.
Skillfully collaborate with pastors, staff, members, and friends of the congregation to fulfill the mission of SFBC, including doing the painful — but ultimately transformational — work to become an anti-racist community.
Provide pastoral care, including supporting those grieving the departure of a long-time and beloved pastor.
Plan, lead, and preach during worship.
Participate in weekly staff meetings.
Talk with potential members, answer their questions, and educate them about church membership.
Work with and guide select SFBC task forces and committees to plan and coordinate efforts to meet the varied needs of SFBC.
Propose and write pieces for the monthly church newsletter, The Spire.
Participate in monthly Executive Committee meetings.
Strive to live and work by the Behavioral Norms of SFBC, which can be found at https://www.seattlefirstbaptist.org/values.html, and the Covenant and Code of Ethics for Ministerial Leaders of American Baptist Churches (ABC), which can be found here: http://ministerscouncil.com/resources/covenant/covenant_english.pdf.
Connect with colleagues in the ABC denomination and Evergreen Association of ABC.
Specific Responsibilities of the Interim Pastor
Provide pastoral care, including visitations and hospital visits, to SFBC’s seniors, especially important during this time of major church transition and pandemic-related social distancing.
Plan, lead, and preach during worship at least twice per month.
Serve as Head of Staff, including planning and facilitating staff meetings.
Serve on and support various task forces and commissions/committees, including Rodney R. Romney Committee and Personnel, Worship, and Membership & Engagement Commissions. Plan the monthly Executive Committee meeting with the congregation president.
Work closely with the Church Administrator to ensure effective church operations.
Field phone calls & walk-in visits during in-person office hours.
Plan and lead educational programs as needed, for example, a weekly Bible study begun during COVID.
Maintain and support relationships with the national Association of Baptist Churches, the Seattle downtown clergy group, and Companis, a social service organization with deep ties to SFBC.
Skills and Qualifications
15 years of experience working in ministry, including at a racially and culturally diverse congregation
High emotional intelligence, excellent listener and communicator. Ability to sit with people and hear their pain and joy.
Kind and intuitive
Resilient and hopeful
Inspiring and engaging
Healthy sense of self and knows how to keep ego in check
Master’s of Divinity or equivalent from an accredited theological seminary
Ordained or eligible for ordination in the American Baptist Churches USA
Compensation
This position is full time, exempt and reports to the Personnel Commission. The salary for this position is $60,000. Benefits include housing in an apartment parsonage in the church building (including utilities and off-site parking), employer-paid health insurance, dental insurance, and full MMBB retirement benefits.
To Apply
If you are interested in applying for this position, please
Go to https://goo.gl/forms/6Q3uVzzeQZ4lc7S73 to enter your name, email, and other contact information.
Send your resume and a cover letter describing how your experience matches the job requirements with specific examples of experience in supporting church communities during periods of transition. Email materials to jobs@seattlefirstbaptist.org
All materials must be received by October 15, 2021 in order for your application to be considered. Full vaccination from COVID-19 and willingness to wear a mask while on site is required for employment.
Seattle First Baptist Church is committed to creating a diverse environment and is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, or veteran status.