How to Write a Pastor Job Description

The pastor position is the most important one you can fill in your church. Your pastor will be responsible for helping direct your church and identify the messages and values the church needs to express. While a pastor is also responsible for conducting weekly sermons and worship services, it is through those activities that the message of your church will be carried out to the world.

Your effort to promote an opening for a pastor at your church will entail going online and posting a thorough description of what you want from your prospective pastor. You will have to create a thorough pastor job description to make this effort successful and worthwhile.

 

Understand the Job Summary

Before you start creating your pastor job description, you can consider the general summary of what a pastor does. The pastor will be responsible for many duties in your church:

• Preaching at worship services
• Providing religious education programs; these programs can be for adults and kids alike
• Planning upcoming operations within the church; these operations can be based on the general purpose the church holds
• Supervising and developing other staff members, including providing guidance on what they can do
• Review the current congregation based on engagement and other factors
• Administer operations among employees

The duties a pastor holds are extensive and are about moving the church forward while ensuring it remains within the mission it wants to follow.

You can incorporate all these points into your pastor’s job description.

How Do You Introduce the Description?

After figuring out the general job summary you wish to highlight, you can describe what is involved with the work. The job summary will help a candidate review what you want from a pastor.

Your introduction can include these points:

• A mention of your church name
• A basic description of what you want from a pastor
• Some of the objectives you want your church to complete
• A few values you will request out of a pastor, including how to interact with people

The introduction has to be simple and inviting without sounding overly intimidating or challenging to follow.

What Qualifications Are Necessary?

You’ll need to ensure your prospective pastor can complete all the tasks you’ve listed in your summary, so you’ll have to provide thorough qualifications that you want a pastor to follow. These qualifications can involve many points:

• A suitable degree in theology or another relevant field
• A license or ordination as a pastor under your specific denomination
• Prior experience in managing church activities
• Communication skills, including working with people in particular age groups or demographics
• Administrative experience, including being able to manage various tasks within the church

What Responsibilities Are Necessary?

You can incorporate some of the things you’ve figured out in your pastor job summary into the responsibility section of your posting. The responsibilities will include details on the tasks you want your pastor to complete.

Here are some steps for getting these responsibilities listed:

• Focus on the mission you have for your church. Incorporate your mission into the listings to help people see what you want them to do the most.
• Explain how much of the work a pastor will do involves helping people in their greatest times of need. A pastor will need to support people when they require it the most.
• Talk about the different employees the pastor will be in regular contact with. Explain how the pastor will work with these people and what duties someone will have in different operations.
• You can also talk about any special events or other points surrounding your work if you prefer. You can include all these factors depending on what you feel are the most essential.

Getting Your Template or Email Ready

The last part of planning your description involves arranging all the content you’ve figured out into a simple layout that is easy for candidates to check. You can prepare a suitable template or email for your job description to help people learn more about everything you want in a prospective pastor. This listing should include all the points you wanted to highlight in a position.

Here are a few things to include in your job description template:

1- Start with an introduction explaining the general job opening.

Your introduction can include your mission statement, a few key values your church holds, and information on the position you’re offering.

2- List the responsibilities you want your pastor to complete.

Include the most important ones first and then move on to some of the basic work attributes you want from a pastor. You can talk about things like delivering sermons, providing counseling to church members, and working to manage the smooth operation of your church.

3- List the qualifications you have for your position.

The qualifications can include details on one’s educational history, prior ministry experience, and general communication and organizational tasks.

4- Information on how to contact you and how the applicant should provide is next.

You can ask for a resume and cover letter. You can also let applicants know about the process for getting an interview ready.

5- Add a closing statement at the end.

This statement should reiterate what you want out of a pastor and how committed you are to finding someone who can fit in with your leadership style and the message your church wants to convey.

You can use this template in various places where you might list a job opening. You can include the template in an email you send out to pastors actively searching for jobs, or you can use it on different job search websites.

One Last Note

All these points you’ve read show how important it is to create a good job listing for a pastor opening. The pastor is the most important position you can fill at your church, so knowing how to create a suitable description for it will be necessary.

Be specific and illustrate your church’s mission in your job posting. You can find many people who will want to work for you, but make sure you create a suitable job description and posting that encourages the best people to apply for your position.