Senior Pastor Vacancy
IMMANUEL BAPTIST CHURCH – MADRID
SENIOR PASTOR JOB DESCRIPTION
Immanuel Baptist Church (IBC) is an English-speaking International congregation in Madrid, Spain. The church is 61 years old. Today IBC serves as church home for people from over 40 nations. Because it is English-speaking in a non-English-speaking country, the congregation embraces people from different denominations, who also come from a variety of cultures and socio-economic levels. The attendance was averaging just over 500 people each Sunday in the pre-Covid world, though we have not quite returned to that level. The church relates to both the International Baptist Convention (IBC) and the Spanish Baptist Convention (UEBE). We seek to glorify God as we know Him and make Him known through our spheres of influence in Madrid and around the world.
Each Sunday in our services you can find university students sitting next to international business people, sitting next to immigrants, sitting next to embassy employees, sitting next to teachers or missionaries, who are sitting next to Spaniards.
Our church seeks to be a “modern-day Antioch” that gives testimony to the grace of God through cross-cultural ministry, Christlike living, intentional discipleship and church planting. As we look out over the people in our congregation we cannot help but wonder about all the plans God has for us with this unique combination of languages, experiences, passions and cultures. We long to find where God is working and join Him. At this point in the life of our church we are looking for a senior pastor who will come work alongside us as God makes His vision for our church a reality.
For more information about Immanuel Baptist Church go to www.ibcmadrid.com.
* Job Type – Full-time paid (Available Immediately)
* Reports to: Deacon Body
* Direct reports from:
- All Ministry teams (including)
- Social Ministry Team
- Children’s Ministry Teams
- Youth Ministry Team
- University Ministry Team
- Singles Ministry Team
- Women’s Ministry
- Men’s Ministry
- Zone Ministry Teams
- Ethnic Ministries (Filipinos / Ethiopians, etc.)
- Mission Points (IBE Madrid, IBE Torrejón, Nueva Esperanza)
- The senior pastor will oversee the mission, vision and strategy of the church as a whole and translate this to the vision and strategy of the different church ministries.
- For ministry teams that affect the discipleship of children, youth and university students, this vision will focus most of its attention on the role of parents as the key disciplers of their children, and the church’s role to equip and complement the efforts of the parents. For children or youth whose parents are not in the church, the goal will be to find mentoring relationships that can minister to these children and their families in an effective manner.
- In relation to family ministries, the senior pastor will also oversee the vision and strategy of men’s and women’s ministry teams, which seek to promote spiritual growth that results, on the one hand, in mature singles dealing with their unique challenges from a gospel perspective, and on the other hand, in healthy biblical marriages. This will be done with the belief that if men and women can understand and apply the gospel of Jesus Christ to their particular life situations, whether married or single, they will most likely be prepared to live out the gospel in various other relationships and contexts that they encounter.
- In overseeing small group ministries, the senior pastor will assist the zone ministries (or any other ministry he may propose) in starting small groups that include a large percentage of people from IBC. This will be done with the belief that followers of Christ become like Christ as they live in community and share life with other believers.
- Ephesians 4:11-16 “And he gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature personhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”
- In light of Ephesians 4:11-16, at Immanuel Baptist Church it is a priority for us to equip those in the church for the work of the ministry. Because of this we seek to hire a Senior Pastor who will equip the church membership/leaders to do ministry, such that his efforts are multiplied by mobilizing the congregation to do the ministry to which God has called us both individually and corporately. This will result in a passion for teaching in general and training leaders who can train others.
This is the overarching characteristic. You will find similar (but not identical) lists in First Timothy and Titus. Living a life above reproach is the first requirement in both lists and Titus repeats it. The other items on the list explain what “above reproach” means. As we read over these passages, as well as First Peter 5, we begin to perceive a cumulative profile of one who leads a church effectively in a pastoral role.
- Committed to a biblical gospel (Rom. 1:16, Acts 20:24, Php. 3:7-9, Gal. 6:14)
The gospel of Jesus Christ is the centerpiece of everything that we do. The gospel is the good news of what Jesus has done for humanity; it is in repenting of our sin and believing in Jesus Christ that we are forgiven and reconciled to God. But the gospel can be fully understood and appreciated only as one understands the “bad news” of our sinfulness, from which we desperately need rescue. This gospel ushers us into salvation, but it also empowers us to be more and more like Jesus Christ in our day-to-day lives. This message is so engraved on a pastor’s heart that it must be shared.
- Cross-culturally sensitive
As IBC is cross-cultural church, it is essential that the Senior Pastor of IBC be a man who possess experience with and a practical understanding of cross-cultural ministry. There will not be time to acquire this trait once one arrives on the field. Fluently bilingual (English and Spanish). This cross-cultural sensitivity will be necessary in the areas of communication, relational dynamics, decision-making processes, counseling, preaching and teaching strategies.
- Previous ministry experience
We are looking for someone who has been matured by ministry experience (at least 10 years) and is prepared to lead our congregation long-term in all the areas where we need to grow. He should be a person of vision, self-motivation, spiritual depth and understanding of the task at hand.
- Strategic thinker but people-centered
This pastor should be able to rise above present needs and ministries of the church to perceive where God wants this body to go and what He is leading us to do to get there. It is essential that such strategic thinking be based on clear biblical principles and birthed out of an ongoing intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. Furthermore, this skill should be balanced with a real love for people and a deep appreciation for every human being as made in God’s image.
- Seminary degree
We are looking for someone who has been prepared for ministry by the study and discipline that a seminary degree requires: someone who knows how to think biblically about the needs of humanity, the provision of God and the purpose of the church in a given community. While the Holy Spirit will empower the pastor for ministry, we are looking for one who has also been equipped and trained for the responsibility of ministry.
- Married
We seek a pastor who will place a strong emphasis on leading the couples of our congregation toward a deeper biblical understanding of marriage. With this in mind, the ideal will be a “husband-wife team” with a healthy, growing, God-honoring marriage; we believe this man will be better able to teach and counsel others more effectively to have the same.
- Has Children
We also seek a pastor who will place a strong emphasis on biblical parenting. While it is possible for a non-parent to teach parenting principles from Scripture, we believe that one who understands biblical parenting from personal experience will be better prepared to plan a church-wide strategy that equips others to do the same.
If interested in pursuing this possibility further, please fill out the application form in the button below and attach your CV to it.