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Jesus with our heads, our hearts, and our hands. Guided by our Core Beliefs, we pursue this with a commitment to anti-racist values as we seek to introduce or reintroduce people to God and welcome folks right where they are, inclusive of age, race, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and stage of belief; to offer something good and joyful to the world that promotes God’s vision of wholeness of life for all. 

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Pastor for Congregational Care has an internal and external mission. Internally, they will facilitate opportunities for our community to build relationships and serve/care for one other. Externally, they will facilitate opportunities for our congregation to serve our city in ways that are guided by key relationships and partnerships, informed by a critical analysis of community change, and articulated by theological commitments that align with the Reformed Tradition. Responsibilities include:

1) Congregational Care. Designing, launching, and cultivating a robust Deacon Board that facilitates a network of mutual aid and care that supports community members in times of spiritual and material need (ie, meals ministry, deacon fund). 

• A particular concern for this role is to ensure that we have a pastor on staff who can offer dedicated and distinct pastoral care that supports our LGBTQIA community members, caring and shepherding them as they reconcile faith and sexual orientation/gender identity and cultivate faithful, critical, understanding of what it means to follow Jesus as a queer person.

2) Congregational Engagement. Activating the congregation to care for one another and our city in ways that embody and bear witness to God’s grace, love, and vision of wholeness of life for all.

3) External partnerships. Cultivating, nurturing, and deepening relationships with external partners and organizations that carry a shared vision for the common good in San Francisco.

The ideal candidate:

• Has relevant experience in organizing and mobilizing people to care for one another;
• Understands their self as a “prophet with the heart of a priest,” possessing an analysis and understanding of systemic oppression and injustice, paired with a deeply rooted faith that is informed by the life and ministry of Jesus;
• Has enthusiasm for building institutional partnerships with other organizations for collective power-building and contribution to the common good;
• Has substantial experience in, and a heart for, journeying alongside LGBTQ+ folks who both desire to reconcile, and grow in, understanding of the intersection of faith and sexual orientation and/or gender identity;
• Nurtures a deeply rooted joy in Christian faith and a conviction that the gospel can transform lives, understanding that “the world is hard and God is good.”

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

1) Worship Leadership:

• Serve in rotation with other pastoral staff for leadership in liturgy, eucharist, preaching, and other responsibilities as needed
• Oversees and facilitates a culture of hospitality and belonging
• Leads coordination for “Service + Fellowship” Sundays with key partners
• Collaborate with other staff to support the strategizing, planning, and implementation of worship life

2) Congregational Care

• Meeting with newcomers and connecting them to relevant leaders, groups, resources, and opportunities to participate in the life of the church
• Cultivate processes for congregants to assess their spiritual gifts and serve in the life of the community 
• Recruit, train, coordinate and support those teams which facilitate congregational life: greeting and communion teams, diaconate
• Coordinating with the Senior Pastor and Pastor for Discipleship to ensure that pastoral care needs are being met: meeting with congregants, praying for/with them, shepherding people along their faith journeys, providing presence during crisis, visiting folks who are sick, providing spiritual and emotional care
• Partner with the Pastor of Discipleship to:
  • Create opportunities for praxis of faith formation and City Engagement
  • Ensure networks of care are attended to, in coordination with Affinity and Community Groups 

3) City Engagement

• In partnership with the Senior Pastor and with guidance from the Elder Board: determining a strategy for city engagement that reflects the priorities and resources of the church in relationship with needs of the city
• Build sustained partnerships with key service and justice organizations in the city to understand the organizational landscape of the city and identify opportunities for faithful impact
• Identify, recruit, and train lay leaders for leading ongoing service and justice opportunities
• In partnership with the Pastor of Discipleship: teach and assist congregants in making connections between issues of the city and faith, providing pathways for service, engagement, and contribution to the common good

4) Strengthening Community Life

• Cultivating and supporting leaders for congregant-led events
• Engaging in regular one-on-ones with congregants 
• Leading the Diaconate to develop processes for mutual care and aide

5) Cultivating team relationships and feedback loops

• Meet regularly with pastor to ensure clear communication, planning, and alignment
• Collaborate with relevant staff (Director of Family Ministries, Youth, Counseling Center, Faith and Justice) to develop programs and opportunities for equipping congregants to live and serve faithfully

CORE COMPETENCIES

1) A natural connector of people

2) Has a deep love for ministry in an urban context and enthusiasm for building networks for shared power and change for the common good

3) Passion for, and experience in, creating community and opportunities for people to serve

4) Passion for, and experience with, providing pastoral care, shepherding, and guidance for LGBTQIA-identified persons as they reconcile faith with identity.

5) Can offer a Jesus-centered articulation of their sense of vocational call and commitment to LGBTQIA+ inclusion, anti-racist practices, and social justice

QUALIFICATIONS

Education and Experience

• At least 3 years working in faith-based community leadership, with oversight of volunteer groups
• Leadership development and systems organization for mobilizing people around shared goals
• Has experience with approaches for community organizing and an understanding of powerbuilding for change
• Theologically trained (M.Div. preferred)
• Ordination preferred

Skills and Qualifications

• Strong communication skills
• Can speak with critical understanding and robust theological confidence to assist and teach the congregation to draw connections between issues of community care, social justice, and following Jesus
• Community builder with a compassionate heart
• Collaborative working style
• Organized and detail-oriented
• Resourceful

TO APPLY

Submit the following materials to office@citychurchsf.org :

1) Resume, CV, or Ministerial Information Form 

2) Cover letter (in letter or video format) that includes responses to the following:

• Describe your sense of call to ministry.
• In what ways does your sense of vocational call intersect with the role of Pastor for Congregational Care at City Church SF?
• How does your experience intersect with the “Core Competencies” listed above?

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