General Information

Job Title:

Church Planting Pastor: Forestgate Presbyterian Church

Job Description:

Position Summary

In general, Forestgate Presbyterian Church (a member of the Rocky Mountain Presbytery of the

Presbyterian Church in America [PCA]) is a church that believes one of the best methods for church

growth is to plant new churches. To that end, Forestgate is a member of the Western Church

Planting Network (WPCN), and over the past 15 years, has planted two PCA churches in the greater

Colorado Springs area. The church is interested in planting another church in the vicinity of

Monument, CO, a town just north of Colorado Springs. Forestgate's modus operandi for launching

a new church is to hire a Church Planter (CP) for Forestgate, and bring him to Forestgate for a two-

to three-year residency as an Assistant Pastor (AP) prior to launching the new church.

During the residency the CP will help the Senior Pastor (SP) and the Session of Forestgate in

shepherding the flock toward accomplishing the church's stated purposes, while at the same time

gaining experience in the multitude of functions that occur in a thriving and growing church. The

CP will work closely with the SP and Session in leading, evaluating, managing, and refining various

areas of responsibility assigned to him as directed by the SP and Session. In addition, he will work

alongside the rest of the staff to complete designated day-to-day activities of the church while

participating in long-range planning and program development.

Expectations and Duties

While the CP should embody all the core competencies any pastor would need (teaching,

shepherding, leadership, hospitality, humility, marital faithfulness, theological clarity, etc.) there

are certain skills that they must demonstrate at a higher level of proficiency in relation to church

planting. Forestgate seeks to foster the growth and development of a CP in the areas below by

assigning specific responsibilities for him to accomplish during his residency.

• Preaching: Early church plants don't have much to offer other than the planter's preaching so

the CP must demonstrate preaching skills. The CP is expected to preach at Forestgate at least

six times per year as coordinated by the SP. It is important that the CP have additional

opportunities to develop and practice his own preaching skills. The CP can expect to preach up

to 4 times per year, or once a quarter, as pulpit supply to develop his skills and fill the needs of

other churches within the Presbytery, as long as the CP is not needed for preaching at

Forestgate. Filling pulpit supply opportunities will be approved by the SP, and the Session will

be notified of such occurrences.

• Calling: Due to the difficult nature of the church planting, the CP (with full agreement in his

family) should feel called to church planting. The CP will seek out and take advantage of

seminars, conferences, and other meetings which are offered to train and encourage future CPs.

Additionally, the CP should attend as many meetings of the WCPN as possible.

• Missional Living & Evangelism: Due to the evangelistic nature of church planting, the CP

must lead the way in this area and have a track record of fruit in this area. The CP will lead

Forestgate efforts in outreach to the unchurched people of the local area and will chair

Forestgate's Engagement Ministry Team, which organizes Forestgate volunteers to accomplish

the church's outreach goals.

• Vision Development: Since church planting work starts from the ground up, the CP must be

able to create a vision, communicate it, create alignment around it, and put structures in place

to support it. While assigned duties at Forestgate will take up the bulk of his weekly schedule,

the CP should also devote regular time to prayer and growing in the knowledge and wisdom of

the Lord. He is also expected to set aside time to step back from routine daily tasks in order to

view the overall ministry of the church and subsequently provide suggestions for the staff and

Session to improve and/or expand ministries to meet the evolving needs of the church.

• Conflict Management: Due to the nature of planting with new people and no history of clarity

of vision, the potential for conflict is much higher in church plants. The CP should have

experience in humbly resolving conflict between all sorts of people, and from time to time in the

course of regular ministry, he will be tasked with various counseling needs that arise within the

congregation. Experience with church revitalization is highly valued in strengthening churches

as the grow together in faithfulness.

• Disciplemaking and Leadership Development: A CP will be responsible for spiritual growth

and leadership training in his church and should have experience in discipleship training and

in helping others to employ their gifts in ministry. The CP is expected to teach in various venues

of the church on a regular basis including the following possible areas: Sunday School, Men's

and Women's Ministries, Community Groups, New Member Classes, and Church Officer

Training. He is encouraged to find individuals in the church with whom he can work as fellow-

workers in the gospel.

Over the course of the CP's residency, it is expected that the division of his time spent on

responsibilities at Forestgate compared to that spent on responsibilities of the church plant will

change. Initially, most of his time will be spent on learning and fulfilling his duties at Forestgate.

As time in the residency increases year by year, the proportion of time spent on Forestgate duties

will diminish as time spent on launching the church plant increases. The Session will make clear

how this division of time will change during the course of the residency.

Management Oversight

The CP reports directly to the SP. The Session, with input from other church leaders, develops the

vision for the church and the necessary strategies to carry out that vision. The SP has primary

responsibility for the overall management and leadership of the church on behalf of Session by

overseeing and guiding staff and ministry teams to accomplish the vision set for them. The CP is

expected to work alongside the SP in these tasks by demonstrating servant leadership and by

encouraging a spirit of respect, cooperation, and camaraderie.

Other General Responsibilities

In addition to the above, the CP is to regularly pray for the congregation, staff, and leaders of the

church. Along with ruling elders, the CP is to lead worship and congregational prayer during

church worship services on a regular basis. The CP shall assist in the Session's system of

shepherding in which all teaching and ruling elders take proportionate responsibility for

shepherding all member families or individual members of the church. Shepherding occurs not

just by visitation, but also through small group participation, classroom educational opportunities,

and relational discipleship of members.

The CP may also be called upon by the Session to assist the SP in providing leadership and training

for other elders in how to effectively shepherd. General church administration is an important skill

for the CP who will assist the SP with church administration duties as needed.

The CP will attend all stated and called Session meetings as well as all scheduled congregational

meetings. In addition, the CP will attend Session retreats to assess ministry effectiveness, review

vision for the future, and establish annual objectives and priorities. He must be ready to support

and encourage all ministries of the church through prayer, involvement, and advice.

When possible, the CP should attend Rocky Mountain Presbytery meetings, and in consultation

with the SP, he may serve on Presbytery committees and commissions. With prior approval of and

coordination with the Session and SP, the CP may attend General Assembly.

Accountability and Review

Since the CP's responsibilities are demanding, it is expected that he will give priority to maintaining

his personal walk with Christ, spending quality time with his family, carving out time for a restful

Sabbath day every week, seeking personal accountability, and utilizing all vacation days. The CP

shall maintain regular accountability with the SP and collaborate with the SP in conducting

quarterly and annual reviews of his ministry against this job description. Although the CP reports

directly to SP, he is accountable for his own time. However, he must complete tasks assigned to

him in a timely manner or explain to the SP why tasks have not been completed prior to their

expected completion date. It is estimated that his duties will require approximately 50 hours per

week.

Position Qualifications:

Basic Qualifications:

a. M. Div. from a Reformed seminary however candidates will be considered with appropriate

Master's degree with additional applicable experience.

b. Ordained or ordainable in the PCA.

c. Alignment with visions and goals of Forestgate.

d. Has undergone MNA Church Planter Assessment.

Preferred Qualifications:

a. Some pastoral experience.

b. Experience in church revitalization or church planting.

c. Willing to fund-raise, even if possessing no previous experience.

Application Deadline

11/30/2025

Job Type:

Full Time

Salary Range:

$71k-$90k

General Information

Church/Organization Name

Forestgate Presbyterian Church

Contact Name & Contact Info

Industry

Church

Denomination

Presbyterian Church in America (PCA)

City, State

Colorado Springs, CO

Description of Organization

Who is Forestgate?

Forestgate was planted out of Village Seven Presbyterian in the mid-1980s and built her first

building in 1999. By God's grace, Forestgate has been debt-free since the early 2000s. The late Rev.

Dr. Jim Urish served Forestgate from 2000-2014, having served only two churches when he retired

honorably for medical reasons. Rev. Dr. Matt Giesman became Forestgate's Senior Pastor in 2015.

Since his arrival, Forestgate has added a second worship service and launched a second daughter

church in 2021, Waypoint Church, planted by Forestgate's former assistant pastor Steve Stanton.

(Forestgate also planted High Plains Fellowship in nearby Falcon, CO, in the early 2000s.)

Forestgate is a thriving, multi-generational church in a fast-paced, sometimes transient, affluent,

highly educated community with many active and former military families, located just a mile from

the United States Air Force Academy in beautiful Colorado Springs. Forestgate is home to around

350 members and averages around 300 in attendance at two services. Forestgate exists to glorify

God and make disciples of Christ in Northern El Paso County, for long-time residents and those

who will call the Springs home for a short time.

While the Springs is home to many Christian non-profit organizations, there is still a great need for

more churches, as only 16% of residents identify as evangelical protestants. For this reason and out

of a desire to obey God's command to make disciples, Forestgate seeks to increase the health of its

congregation and to plant more churches as the Lord wills. Forestgate has been part of the Western

Church Planting Network (comprised of PCA churches within Rocky Mountain Presbytery) since

2018.

After years of prayer, Forestgate is seeking a new Pastor of Discipleship and Community Life

(PDCL) to work alongside our Senior Pastor and Assistant Pastor of Youth and Families. Forestgate

is also seeking a new Church Planting (CP) (who would start as an Assistant Pastor of Forestgate)

with the hope that he will plant Forestgate's third daughter church.

More information about these positions can be found in the Job Descriptions, the Church Planting

Vision Statement, and our Philosophy of Church Planting.

What kind of a church is Forestgate?

We are an ordinary means of grace church committed to the ministry of word, prayer, sacraments,

and discipline. We believe in exalting the Lord through Biblical worship (guided by the regulative

principle), using old and new songs with old and new tunes. We believe in encouraging one

another to love and good deeds, with over a dozen ministry teams focused on a particular goal

aligned with our mission statement, many family community groups (around 10 at our last count),

several men's and women's Bible studies, an active Sunday School program for all ages, and a

weekly Youth Group meeting. We believe in Equipping the saints to serve the Church and the

Kingdom, through the aforementioned ministry teams and other avenues of discipleship and

mentoring. We believe in Engaging the Culture around us with the message of the Gospel, through

individual engagement, mercy ministry, and our Engagement Ministry Team.

With many different ministries, many transplants who are not native to Colorado, and many

current or former military families, it is essential that the pastoral staff at Forestgate exhibit

excellence, grace, and flexibility. God calls us to excellence in all we do (1 Cor. 10:31), but we expect

our members and staff to still be works-in-progress (Romans 7; Phil. 1:6), which will require

flexibility (James 4:13-16) as we reassess goals and timelines on a regular basis. As we shepherd a

growing, multi-generational, and sometimes transient congregation, patience and personal growth

are constantly needed, as well as mutual submission (to the will of the Session, and to the

congregation's ability to navigate change). The same Gospel message that transforms us and those

we hope to reach also reminds us that we are not defined by our accomplishments but by our new

identity as adopted children of a gracious Father, who welcomes the foremost of sinners (1 Tim

1:15), those bankrupt in grace (Phil. 3:7-10) and assures them that their new status is fixed and

secure in Christ (John 10:28-30).

As we seek to grow in grace together, we trust that God will use us to grow His Church and

Kingdom as He sees fit.

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