CHURCH PLANTER

STATUS: FULL-TIME, SALARY

VISION AND MISSION OF COMMUNITY OF HOPE CHURCH

Community of Hope exists to help lost, broken, wounded people find hope and healing in Jesus. Our vision is to equip and empower God’s people to use their gifts and resources to fulfill the Great Commission in northern Indiana. We are looking for the right candidate to help us fulfill our calling to plant a church in the growing city of Fort Wayne, Indiana within the next 3 years.

THE PROCESS OF PLANTING A CHURCH IN FORT WAYNE

The candidate will complete a four-step process:

1)​ASSESSMENT/HIRING PHASE--The candidate will complete necessary assessments and interviews to ensure a good fit with Community of Hope and Fort Wayne.

2)​RESIDENCY—The candidate will serve on staff at Community of Hope in Columbia City (about 30 minutes from Fort Wayne) for 12 months while focusing on developing pastoral skills, receiving coaching, building a relational network in Fort Wayne, and gathering a launch team from Community of Hope.

3)​TRANSITION TO LAUNCH—Once necessary steps for leading a soft launch are completed, the candidate begins channeling time, energy, and resources toward a public church service.

4)​PASTORING A NEW CHURCH PLANT—Within months, the new local church becomes an autonomous, yet interdependent local church working within the Charis Fellowship of Churches looking to fulfill the Great Commission and embedding a church planting DNA.

 YOUR TEAM

• This position reports directly to the Senior Pastor of Community of Hope for the duration of the Residency.

• This position is part of the staff team of Community of Hope, but also assumes the flexibility needed to gather people to join the plant and grow a network of teammates.

• This position utilizes Assist Church Expansion as the mediatory conduit moving from assessment to Residency to Church Planter.

GOALS AND EXPECTATIONS

• This candidate is called by God and uniquely gifted to plant a church in Fort Wayne, IN with the resources supplied by Community of Hope and AssistCX.

• This candidate is confident enough to pioneer a new church, but also relies on a team and the experience of others who speak into his life and ministry.

• The church plant becomes part of the Charis Fellowship of Churches and reproduces itself again alongside Community of Hope within five years.

 KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

We believe that a church planter is a unique kind of calling from God, while at the same time acknowledge that God ultimately causes the growth of His Church (1 Cor. 3:6). This said, there are some tangible indicators which help assess the likelihood of success down the road. We are looking for the following indicators to see developed along the path toward planting a church:

  • A pioneer spirit and willingness to sacrifice many desirables to see this work come to completion.

  • A passion to engage the unchurched / the lost to see them become followers of Jesus.

  • A team disposition that receives coaching from experienced practitioners, as well as a desire to equip and empower others to see this work reach its full potential.

  • An attractive disposition that gathers people toward a vision received from God, as well as perseverance to lead through difficult seasons and frequent setbacks.

  • A shepherd’s heart that sees people as often “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matt. 9:36) rather than as cogs in a machine.

  • A teachable spirit willing to grow daily in personal discipleship, leadership, vision casting, and shepherding people toward maturity in Christ.

  • A “holy discontent” which helps move people toward becoming healthy disciples who are vibrant contributors to the body of Christ.

 CANDIDATE PROFILE

• You love Jesus and live a life of humble surrender to him.

• You love the Bride of Christ as imperfect as she is.

• You always tell the truth and are the same person in public that you are in private.

• You love lost, broken, wounded people and want to them to find hope and healing in Jesus.

• You embody the core values and culture of the Community of Hope staff team and lead by example.

• You crave the necessary skills needed to grow into a Church Planter.

• You have a strong work ethic and strive for excellence in all you do.

• You have a growth mindset and want to see Jesus glorified in and through you.

• You gladly receive constructive feedback and pursue wisdom in all you do.

• You are competent and secure in who you are.

• You love seeing people around you thrive more than you need recognition.

• You take responsibility when things go wrong, and you give away credit when things go well.

• You are patient with change and tenacious about unity.

• You are painfully aware that church planting is a special calling from God and derive your sense of purpose from Him.

• You have great references.

• You have a spouse that wants to invest in this church plant and its mission. If you have kids, you manage your household well.

 

This position requires a thorough assessment process and interview process, as well as ongoing coaching and skill acquisition, all intended to make sure there is a great chance for success for the Church Planter and the church plant.

 YOUR COMPENSATION PACKAGE 

Salary Range: $60,000-$80,000 depending on experience and family size.

Additional benefits: Paid Time Away, a Retirement package, and Professional expenses are provided as funds are available. Funds for conferences and other work-related resources are made available upon request.

HOW TO APPLY

Fill out the Assist Church Expansion application at https://assistcx.org/application