Job Overview
City Church of Asheville (ARP) is seeking a called and gifted church planter to lead the formation of a new gospel-centered, grace-oriented, Reformed congregation in Black Mountain, North Carolina, to serve eastern Buncombe County. This new church will be a daughter church plant of City Church, whose vision is to see the gospel renew Asheville and beyond by raising up people who have been transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ and bring his renewing power into every sphere of life.
Job Description
Core Responsibilities
1. Vision & Leadership
– Develop, communicate, and implement a compelling, gospel-centered vision for the new church that aligns with the mission and theology of City Church of Asheville and the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church.
– Cultivate a culture of prayer, dependence, and spiritual vitality that reflects the heart of the gospel.
– Equip and lead the existing core team, and identify, recruit, and equip more team members from within City Church and the Black Mountain area, further developing a team with diverse gifts and backgrounds.
– Provide spiritual, strategic, and organizational leadership during the pre-launch and post-launch phases.
2. Preaching & Teaching
– Faithfully preach the word of God with theological depth, pastoral warmth, and cultural awareness, through the lens of the gospel of grace.
– Teach, disciple, and equip leaders to apply the gospel to all of life.
– Communicate the grace and truth of Jesus in a way that connects both to believers and the spiritually curious.
3. Shepherding & Discipleship
– Interact with people with kindness, warmth, and insight as a gentle, humble, caring, attentive, approachable, courageous, and relational shepherd.
– Develop systems for pastoral care, small groups, and discipleship pathways that foster spiritual formation and community.
– Shepherd individuals and families toward deeper love for God, for neighbor, and for the town of Black Mountain.
– Model healthy rhythms of life and ministry that reflect gospel rest and emotional health.
4. Mission & Community Engagement
– Cultivate a missional imagination that expresses the gospel through word and deed in the local community.
– Build partnerships with local organizations, leaders, and churches for the common good.
– Encourage and empower members to live as witnesses of the kingdom in their everyday vocations and relationships.
5. Organizational Development
– Work with City Church's leadership to establish sustainable, reproducible governance, financial systems, and ministry structures.
– Partner with the City Church Session for accountability, oversight, and strategic support.
– Steward resources with integrity, transparency, and generosity.
Qualifications
The ideal candidate will possess:
Spiritual & Personal
– Deep love for Jesus that overflows into all aspects of personal and public life.
– A lifestyle marked by humility, integrity, prayer, repentance, and faith.
– A life of continual personal renewal and a hopeful, joyful walk with a limp—fueled by the grace ofJesus Christ and dependent on him for growth.
– Tested and proven resiliency, capable of enduring the unique ups and downs of church planting with honest faith.
Relational
– High emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and capacity for healthy relationships.
– A priority to live faithfully in and lead well out of his marriage or his singleness.
– A warm, friendly, highly relational nature.
– The ability to engage in hard conversations and navigate conflict with grace, courage, and sensitivity.
– Deep love for individuals and the proven ability to gather people and build relationships across generational, cultural, and socioeconomic boundaries.
Theological & Ministerial
– Ordination, or qualifications to be ordained, in the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church.
– A shepherd's disposition with a reputation for servant leadership.
– A commitment to a high view of women and their God-given value and roles in the church.
– Demonstrated effectiveness in and calling to preaching, discipleship, pastoral counseling, and evangelism.
– Three or more years of formal ministry experience as a pastor, church planter, or missionary preferred.
Leadership & Mission
– A collaborative leadership style that equips and empowers core team members to use their gifts for the church and community.
– The ability to cast and implement a clear, inspiring vision.
– Entrepreneurial skills, a pioneering spirit of adventure, and the motivation of a self-starter to organize and build new projects.
– A genuine heart for the unchurched, dechurched, and wounded, with a proven ability to share the gospel across diverse backgrounds.
– A commitment to actively participate in local community life and to practice regular hospitality with those inside and outside the church.
– A strong interest in growing deep roots in small-town eastern Buncombe County.
– Creativity and adaptability in navigating the challenges and opportunities of church planting in a post- Christian, ideologically diverse context.