Job Overview

First Baptist Church of Chickamauga is seeking the man that God has been preparing to shepherd us during this next season of ministry.  After you read through the opportunity below, you can learn more about our church by checking our CHURCH PROFILE.

Our Community

First Baptist Church is located in Chickamauga, Georgia, a small, historic town located in the northwest corner of Georgia at the foot of Lookout Mountain.  Chickamauga is 18 miles south of Chattanooga, Tennessee and is centrally located between Atlanta, Knoxville, Nashville, and Birmingham.  Though there are only about 3,000 residents in Chickamauga we are a bedroom community of Chattanooga.  This is a tremendous community for a family to put down roots in.  It is a place where you can know your neighbors in ways that lead to real relationships and Gospel-impact.  

Our Context 

Though Chickamauga is a small town we have a big task in front of us.  The purpose of the church is to make disciples. Within a 10-mile radius there are 100,000 people and more than 60% of them do not attend church regularly.  Over the years we have developed a great reputation in our community through our visibility in the community and our incredible relationships with the local school systems.  We are reaching truly unchurched people, seeing baptisms, and have new families coming each week.  

FBC is made up of around 400 people.  Our average worship attendance is between 275 and 300 across three worship services 8:30 AM & 9:45 AM (contemporary) and 11 AM (traditional).  We are striving to create a healthy culture of discipleship that is centered on individuals being in community together under the teaching of Scripture.  We have been able to develop and implement some strategies to help move guests along a path to meaningful membership (guest follow up, Connect Dinners, etc.).

We are located on the main travel route through town and less than a 1/2 mile from the downtown area/city school system.  Our campus has 7 buildings:  a traditional sanctuary, a two-story education building, a building that houses our offices and education space, a gym, a modern student building that was completed in 2017, a two story house that houses small groups and summer interns, and a single story house that serves as our nursery.  

At the end of 2023, FBC affirmed a shift to a plurality of elders.  Our lay elders (currently 5 men) serve alongside our pastoral staff to know our sheep, feed our sheep, lead our sheep, and protect our sheep.  Our church staff includes a full-time associate pastor that oversees our day-to-day ministry, a full-time student pastor, a part-time children’s ministry director, two part-time worship leaders (traditional and contemporary), a part-time A/V position, a part-time administrative assistant and a full-time facilities manager.  Our church also operates a preschool during the school year that creates ministry opportunities to those in our community.  

In May, our previous pastor reached the difficult decision to step down as the result of a sudden onset of frontal lobe seizures that began this past September and led to medical leave through April.  He served FBC for 5 years.  Though the last 10 months have been hard emotionally for our people, we have been deeply encouraged as God has continued to use our church to reach our community.  We are confident that we are positioned to see some of the best days in the nearly 174 years of ministry at FBC.   We are seeking a humble, team-oriented lead pastor whose primary responsibility will be to preach the Word and to provide oversight for a comprehensive discipleship ministry.  

Our Core Values 

We are striving to be a healthy church that reaches our community and the nations with the Gospel.  But we don’t want to stop there, we long to see new believers become mature in the faith.  Over the last few years we have laid out a vision of how to move unchurched guests along a path to missional living.  

We seek to accomplish this through communicating the need to KNOW JESUS, EXPERIENCE TRANSFORMATION, SERVE OTHERS, and LIVE MISSIONALLY.  

KNOW JESUS – We are a Gospel-centered, Gospel-driven church who is seeking to impact the world with the message and ministry of reconciliation.  

EXPERIENCE TRANSFORMATION – We believe that Scripture is God-breathed and thus infallible and inerrant.  We experience transformation through the preaching, teaching and study of God’s Word.  We place great value on expository preaching.  Our desire is for everyone connected to FBC to be transformed by the Holy Spirit as they gather in community under the teaching and study of God’s Word.

SERVE OTHERS – God has uniquely gifted His church for the building up of the body and the edification of the saints.  We strive to utilize the gifts, passions, and talents of those within our local body to advance the Gospel and serve one another. 

LIVE MISSIONALLY – Every believer is a missionary that God has placed within the mission field.  We have created some tools and resources for our people to engage their neighborhoods with the Gospel and regularly looking for ways to increase our reach among the lost.

Our Commitment 

We know that the search process can be frustrating with communication poor.  We are committed to communicating on a consistent basis so each individual who submits a resume knows where the process stands.  We will be transparent and are open to any and all questions that you may have.  We are not bothered by you reaching our and asking questions about FBC…in fact, we want that.  This is a big deal and we want you to get to know as much as about FBC as possible, as we do the same with you.  We commit to prayerfully consider every resume that is submitted.  We are most concerned with sound teaching, humility, and a passion for shepherding.

Job Description

Qualities/Characteristics

Candidates for the Senior Pastor position must meet the qualifications for a pastor found in 1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:6-9, and 1 Peter 5:2-4 and must be in agreement with our statement of faith (BF&M 2000).  

Candidates should possess the following qualities:

*Has exemplary character and is above reproach

*Believes the Bible is the inerrant and infallible word of God

*Is committed to faithful expositional preaching of God’s word

*Demonstrates the heart of a shepherd and sacrificially loves and cares for those under his care

*Believes that Jesus is the world’s only hope for salvation and that salvation is by faith alone  

 through grace alone

*Demonstrates spiritual and emotional maturity

*Has a desire to engage the community outside the walls of the church

General Responsibilities 

Follow the link for a general job description:  FBC LEAD PASTOR JOB DESCRIPTION 

Additional Information 

Additionally the ideal candidate will:

*Preferably have a Master’s degree from an accredited seminary 

*Preferably have at least three years experience pastoring a growing church 

*Have a track record of strong, Christ-centered leadership

*Have been licensed to the Gospel ministry and ordained

Salary is based on experience and education.