Job Overview

ABOUT REAL LIFE CHURCH

Real Life Church is a loving congregation, passionate about God's Word, who wants to reach our community, nation, and world with the BEST NEWS EVER! We desire for everyone who walks through our doors to Connect in Love, Grow in Faith, and Serve the City.

As a casual, family-friendly church located in the center of Las Cruces, NM, we are passionate about reaching and discipling the next generation. We invest heavily in our kids, youth, and collegiate ministries. This investment has resulted in incredible opportunities to serve those in our area.

We are a diverse church in many ways; ethnic, socio-economic, multi-generational, educational attainment. We can proudly say our church is a reflection of Las Cruces.

Central to our vision is to love Jesus with all we are while sharing Him with all we have. We want to reach the families surrounding our church in any practical way possible. In fact, God is opening the door for future partnerships with the city to host events for the community on our property in the days ahead. Last year, we provided 700 school-aged kids with shoes through a ministry called Soles for Souls. God has also blessed us with the opportunity to host a Chick-Fil-A sponsored WinShape Camp for over 150 church and non-churched kids for a week-long summer camp where they get the opportunity to hear the gospel of Christ.

Each year, our congregation contributes to a special offering called Loaves and Fish. One hundred percent of the money raised goes outside our four walls to support local and global ministries. Last year, this included the Southern New Mexico Foster and Adoption Ministry, the El Paso Migrant Center, the Send Relief Center in Denver, and missionary partners in SE Asia. Additionally, we give 10% of our undesignated giving to partner ministries, organizations, and missionaries.

RLC is a Southern Baptist Church that started in 1933, 90 years ago, and almost died in the early 1990s when thirty faith-filled members pledged to do whatever it would take to resurrect their church. A new name, a more modern atmosphere, and a dedicated new pastor brought new life to this congregation. In 2016, seeking a larger facility, we relocated to an old K-Mart building in the center of town and became Real Life Church.

RLC has recently experienced two periods of lead pastor vacancies. The first vacancy was in the context of extreme COVID lockdowns and led to a decline in our weekly attendance. Our most recent lead pastor resigned in the Fall of 2023 and started a church locally. This left some division in our church. Our executive team, eight committed elders, and hard-working staff have provided the leadership and guidance we have needed to navigate through these times of transition. After these challenges, and now in an interim period, RLC currently averages 500 on our campus for worship each Sunday.

God is certainly not done with RLC. We believe we are on to something good! We are seeing life transformation and answered prayers every day! Each week, we are reminded that we are a "sent people," sent to reach neighbors and nations with the BEST NEWS EVER. We look forward to continuing and expanding our mission with the next Lead Pastor God provides.

ABOUT LAS CRUCES

Las Cruces is a growing city located in the heart of the Mesilla Valley, with a rich and thriving hispanic culture. The city has a diverse population of over 100,000 people and is home to New Mexico State University. Just a short drive from the Organ Mountains and the Rio Grande, there are plenty of opportunities to enjoy the outdoors, including hiking, biking, camping, and fishing. Las Cruces was recently ranked as one of the best run cities (6th) and one of the best places to raise a family (11th) in the U.S. With El Paso, TX just a short drive down I-10, Las Cruces is close to everything a big metro area offers with the convenience and charm of a small and historic city.

The immediate community surrounding Real Life Church is predominantly non-traditional young families, who make up the majority of those living in a 2.5 mile radius of our property. Most of these are single parent homes as our community has a 50% higher population of these families than the state average. This has created tremendous ministry opportunities for us leaning into RLC's passion for kids and families, and our leadership's passion to have a positive and eternal impact in our community. Although we joyfully serve and disciple all those whom God brings, our primary focus as a church are those households with children under the age of 18.

Just south of downtown, we are located in the heart of the city, in an area that has been recently designated as a Metropolitan Redevelopment Area by our city council. This will afford many opportunities for RLC to become a major partner with the city, schools, and other local non-profits and ministries to expand the Kingdom through the life transforming power of Jesus.

For more demographic information, please click HERE.

Job Description

ABOUT THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

Real Life Church is prayerfully searching for our next Lead Pastor. The Lead Pastor role at RLC presents an incredible opportunity for a highly relational, servant leader with experience leading a medium to large church. The ideal shepherd will also have, at minimum, a working knowledge of church finances and administration to support the diverse opportunities this multi-ethnic and multigenerational congregation offers. As our primary teaching pastor, he would have a strong conviction to preach Biblically sound, relatable, and relevant messages. More than anything, he must be a man of God, committed to prayer, and led by the Holy Spirit.

Education

• Minimum of a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited school with some formal theological training
• A seminary degree would be ideal with an MDiv preferred
• Preference for SBC or like minded educational institutions

Experience

• Ten years of vocational church ministry experience
• Three years of lead pastor experience in a church averaging 200-300 or more in weekend worship services
• Experience in SBC or like minded churches
• Experience working in an elder-led church is preferred, or at a minimum, affirm, support, and champion this leadership structure

Leadership and Personal Qualities

• Experienced organizational leader with high emotional intelligence
• Effective at identifying, equipping, deploying, and coaching high-capacity leaders
• Ability to thrive in a cross-cultural environment
• Passion for reaching and discipling non-traditional families
• A visionary leader who can carry, clearly communicate, and inspire others to take personal ownership of the mission, vision, and values.
• A successful track record of working closely with an integrator
• A desire to serve in and build a diverse congregation
• Highly coachable
• Works well with a team with highly diverse backgrounds, education, and experiences
• Effective and encouraging in interpersonal communication with staff, elders, and key leaders

Spiritual Qualities

• A clear testimony of saving faith in Christ
• A growing and evident relationship with Jesus
• Sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit
• Passionate about prayer
• Committed to Biblical inerrancy and authority