In the spring of 2019, the existing Associate Pastor position had become vacated. The HBC Deacon Board spent time in prayer and reflection and, subsequently, decided to restructure the focus of the previous position. The Board recognized an opportunity to invest in the future of our church, in its unique position, and identified outreach into our local community as the focus of the new Associate Pastor.
In the succeeding month, the committee candidates were identified and approved by the church body. Lisa Morgan, Vicki Bayol, Christy Wisor, Dinah Thompson, Gloria Larios, Debbie Young and Morgan Jones made up the search committee with Dr. Olson as a non voting member. The committee began its work in June 2019 and has continued through the current process.
The Deacons recognized that HBC had a unique opportunity to achieve the Great Commission by extending our reach within the community. Although conventional services, traditions, and customs have sustained our church of its 123 years, we recognized that new ideas and approaches may be needed to reach young families, singles, seniors and others within our bustling community. Prayerfully the committee started working on a job description. (The final version of that job description can be found at the end of this announcement.) The initial versions were fairly exhaustive and ran to many pages detailing all of the areas the church needed help with. Sunday School, children’s programs, youth all figured heavily into the mix. This initial version was reviewed by Dee Whitten of Northstar. Rev. Whitten provided invaluable insight into how we could refine the scope of the job description so we didn’t inadvertently scare anyone off or prematurely filter anyone out of consideration.
It was at this point, through much prayer and discussion, that the committee recognized that many of our perceived issues could be addressed by better equipping the church to reach our local neighbors. Our new Associate Pastor would be a leader and teacher mobilizing the resources of our congregation and equipping each member with the abilities they needed to carry the word of Christ into our local community. It was obvious that it would be different from one person to the next, but that every member had a part to play in God’s plan for HBC.
The committee worked well together candidly discussing all the different aspects of this position and listening to the other committee members view points. The Job Description was gradually transformed over the remaining weeks of the summer with a final version approved in late August.
This final Job description was used in the next phase of the committee’s work that will be discussed next week. Stay Tuned!!
Associate Pastor of Community Outreach
Haymarket Baptist Church
14800 Washington Street
Haymarket, VA 20169
(703) 754-8546
“We seek to connect people to Jesus, equip them with knowledge and training and set
them free to serve the world as God Leads.”
Position Summary
The Full-time Associate Pastor is responsible for leading community outreach and growth
initiatives within Haymarket Baptist Church (HBC). The Associate Pastor will facilitate the
mobilization of the church congregation and help identify and fill gaps in our ministries.
Qualifications
● Possess leadership skills to recruit, train, and support our members to serve our
community and congregation (children, youth and adults).
● Passionate about the Authority of Scripture.
● Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience; Bible College or Seminary Degree
preferred.
Community Outreach
● Mobilize and equip the congregation to serve the community and share their faith.
● Recruit, coordinate, and facilitate ministry opportunities through volunteers.
● Develop ongoing partnerships with community organizations.
● Assess community needs that our congregation can help meet.
Congregation
● Oversee and support existing ministry teams and committees.
● Develop and assist new ministry teams as needs arise.
● Develop a leadership/volunteer pipeline to empower our congregation to utilize their
gifts.
● Coordinate with our Preschool and Kindergarten to minister to families seeking a local
church.