Job Overview

Job Description

About the Young Adults Pastor:

The Young Adult Pastor will grow, develop, and coordinate genuine communities where young adults (college students and young adults) can feel safe exploring their faith journey through solid biblical teaching (SALT), spirit-filled worship, and small groups.

The Young Adults Pastor's Responsibilities Include:

• Grow, develop, and coordinate Young Adult events, programs, outreach, and discipleship at Mercer Creek Church.
  • Coordinate all college and young adult programming including, but not limited to: weekly gatherings, discipleship opportunities, special events, retreats, and other outreach opportunities.
  • Be active in Kittitas County, specifically on the CWU campus where students are engaged to build relationships with the CWU campus community including students, faculty, staff, and community members.
  • Develop an environment where young adults can hear biblical teaching, develop genuine Christ-centered relationships, and serve others both locally and globally.
• Weekly teaching at SALT (and ensuring solid Biblical teaching when not in the pulpit)
• Identify, recruit, equip, support, and encourage a leadership team that can disciple and invest in the young adult community.
  • Directly supervise and support the Young Adult ministry staff and volunteers to support the mission, vision, and values of the Young Adult ministry and Mercer Creek Church.
  • Equip and train leaders through prayer, regular check-ins, training, and discipleship.
• Participate in preaching rotation at Mercer Creek Church.
• Provide discipleship, counseling, and care for volunteers, students, adults, and congregants of Mercer Creek Church.
• Collaborate with other ministries to ensure a cohesive transition for young adults across ministries (Youth & Adult ministries).
• Regularly communicate relevant ministry information both internally (staff, volunteers, congregation) and externally (parents, students, and community).
• Manage Mercer Creek resources according to the accepted budget and in conjunction with applicable policies.
• Actively participate in Mercer Creek Church pastoral duties, staff meetings, and events, and positively contribute to a servant leadership culture.

What You Bring:

The following describes many of the characteristics of the ideal candidate for the Young Adults Pastor:

Education & Experience

• Undergraduate degree preferred
• Licensed or the ability/desire to be licensed by the Christian and Missionary Alliance
• 2+ years experience in leadership of volunteer teams
• Demonstrated experience working/volunteering with youth and/or young adults

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Demonstrated track record of hard work, professional accountability, clear communication, healthy conflict resolution, and positive attitude in a variety of settings
• Proven track record of success in equipping teams and leaders; ability to network and recruit

Personal Characteristics & Qualifications

• Demonstrated strength of character and healthy spirituality by loving God, loving others, and living a life transformed by Jesus
• Commitment to Mercer Creek's Roadmap (mission, values, strategic anchors, and ongoing themes and goals)
• Passion for the local church, global and local missions
• Exhibits qualities of a pastor
• Fully supports and agrees with the Christian Missionary Alliance statement of faith
• Energetic personality
• Mature
• Points people to Jesus
• Humble heart
• A leader who supports other leaders
• Equipper, teacher, and developer who brings out the best in others
• Visionary and vision caster with clear direction
• Collaborative
• Integrity
• Passion for Christ
• Compassion for people
• Dependence on God

What it's Like to Live in Ellensburg, WA:

Ellensburg, Washington embodies vibrant community living. The Parks and Recreation Department orchestrates a myriad of activities, including a pool, youth and senior centers, and expansive green spaces, including dog parks and a mountain bike course. Ellensburg residents have hiking, rafting, fishing, hunting, offroading, and camping adventures available at their fingertips, drawing them to enjoy the clean air together as a community.

Families flourish in this welcoming community, enjoying the traffic-free metro area. There's always something happening, from lively farmer's markets to a buzzing art district and a thriving music scene. Plus, great restaurants and events such as the Nutcracker ballet.

Ellensburg is 1.5 hours from the Greater Seattle area and 3 hours from Spokane. The town of Ellensburg has about 20,000 residents. Kittitas County (the valley in which the city is situated) has about 45,000 residents. Almost half of the Kittitas County population lives in unincorporated rural areas (out in the country, in the woods, in the hills, etc). At its core, Kittitas County was built by farmers, and the county still has hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland. Because of this, Kittitas County is known for producing the largest export of Timothy Hay in the world.

Kittitas County is the host of one of the top 10 rodeos in the US, bringing fans from all around the PNW to participate every Labor Day weekend, not to mention some big rodeo competitors. Many love participating in the festivities that pack out our town, from barns full of 4h animals and showings to the local carnival that accompanies the rodeo, to our annual Saturday parade.

Ellensburg hosts Central Washington University, which educates about 9,000 students nine months out of the year. Central is also the largest employer in Ellensburg, bringing an abundance of vibrant diversity to the population. Students are accepted with open arms in the community so well that many of them do not want to leave after graduation.

Most importantly, Ellensburg has a small-town culture of servanthood. Residents seek to lead out and help each other, fostering a trustworthy environment where the kids can play outside. The neighborhoods are sources of deep-rooted community.