Job Overview

First Baptist Church of Peekskill (Peekskill, NY) – Senior Pastor

The Big Picture

First Baptist Church of Peekskill, New York (https://www.fbcpeekskill.org) is seeking a full-time Senior Pastor to shepherd the congregation, preach weekly, and oversee our dedicated staff. We are seeking a Pastor who is committed to the proclamation of Jesus Christ for the salvation of souls, the edification of Christians through the teaching of the fullness of God's Word, and the fervent promotion of evangelism both locally and worldwide (Acts 1:8). We are seeking a leader experienced in transformative discipleship processes and community outreach.

Job Description

The Church

Throughout the life of this church, it has held a strong commitment to proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ locally, nationally, and across the world through the power of the Holy Spirit. We are a church that is Jesus-led, elder-shepherded, deacon-served, and gospel-united. We are devoted to God's holy and infallible Word, primarily through expository preaching and through teaching in both large and small group settings. We desire to continue to grow in the areas of corporate and individual evangelism, disciple-making, the building of strong relationships within the body, and equipping each member for personal spiritual growth and a lifestyle of evangelistic multiplication. The church actively supports multiple missionaries serving both domestically and abroad.

Our congregation is both demographically diverse with over 25 ethnicities, and generationally diverse. We are blessed with vibrant Children's and Youth ministries, extending beyond our walls into the local public schools. Given the significant growth in the Spanish-speaking population in and about the city of Peekskill, we see a clear opportunity to strengthen our Spanish ministry. For your convenience, here are links to information about the school system and the city's demographics.

FBCP is celebrating 180 years of Bible-centered ministry. We are in between full-time pastors after our former senior pastor led our church for 24 years. In preparation for a new full-time Senior Pastor an assessment of our church's health was conducted in the spring of 2022 by a team of pastors from Venture Church Network. A pastor from Interim Pastor Ministries has worked together with the Elders to preserve and strengthen the well-being of the church and maintain and foster its spiritual growth since June 2023. A "Transition Team" consisting of a representative set of church members was established, and they produced recommendations to help with the strengthening process. We are prayerfully desiring that God would write new chapters to His story at First Baptist Church of Peekskill.

Our statement of Faith is published on our website, www.fbcpeekskill.org. The church is an associate member of Venture Church Network – Northeast Church, www.venturechurches.org.

The Candidate

We are seeking a Senior Pastor who lives out and proclaims the Gospel, embodying a genuine calling to share the Good News. Led by the Holy Spirit, he will both publicly from the pulpit and in his private life invite people to accept Christ by faith. The candidate we seek should be driven by a strong desire to see others receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and grow in their spiritual maturity, shepherding by example. A man called by God to this ministry, who will not be content shepherding a "lukewarm" church (Revelation 3:15-16). Within him, a heart's desire for missions both domestic and aboard will also be found and evidenced by past and continuing engagement in this area of ministry.

We prefer experience on a pastoral staff of at least ten years along with, at minimum, a Master of Divinity degree from an accredited evangelical seminary. The candidate will place a high priority on biblical expository preaching proclaiming God's Word unapologetically with the scriptural texts at its center. The candidate will have a comprehensive knowledge of both the Old and New Testaments. He will be comfortable using contemporary resources to enable him to refer to Greek and Hebrew within his sermons. He will have a broad understanding of history and be able to link biblical times with current culture. It would be advantageous, though not required, to have a working fluency in Spanish given the ongoing trend of demographic changes to the local community.

The candidate we seek will exhibit an exceptional work ethic and dedication to the ministry, coupled with an infectious personality (a "people person"), effective communication skills, and a positive attitude. The candidate will be personally well organized, having demonstrated the ability to manage administrative duties efficiently and direct others effectively. He will lead his personal life in accordance with 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. He should display a proven track record of effective leadership, ministry development, and community outreach. If married, his wife openly and actively demonstrates support of his ministry, thus providing a healthy biblical example to the women of our congregation. He will be respectful of how our "church service" has been performed both functionally and aesthetically through its history, but at the same time mindful of not being held a prisoner of the past with regards to hindering the ongoing mission and vision of the church. Experience in church planting would be beneficial.

JOB DESCRIPTION

• Provide spiritual leadership to the congregation, fostering a culture of faith, love, and service among ethnic and generational diversity.
• Serve as an ex officio member of the Elder Board. He is seen as a leader among equals.
• Serve as the executive officer of the staff, providing oversight and supervision of the church staff.
• Serve as moderator at all church-wide meetings.
• Develop and deliver expository, engaging, biblically based weekly sermons during worship services and special occasions and events.
• Plan and lead services, collaborating with the worship teams, choir, children's ministry and ensuring that services are meaningful and spiritually enriching.
• Ensure that the Gospel is clearly presented in the weekly services and explicitly encourage the congregants to share the Gospel as God gives them opportunity to do so.
• Lead in the administration of the two ordinances of the church: baptism and communion.
• Perform other pastoral duties, including weddings, funerals, and dedications, as required.
• Provide pastoral care for members of the congregation, including visiting the sick, counseling those in need, and offering support during times of crisis.
• Facilitate and encourage spiritual growth and discipleship through the development and implementation of small group ministries, Bible studies, and other educational programs.
• Work with church leadership and staff to establish and execute a vision and strategic plan for the church's growth and leadership development.
• As a member of an Elder Board, oversee the administration and management of church operations, including budgeting, and financial planning.
• The Senior Pastor is expected to shepherd and oversee Associate Pastors, coordinating the roles and responsibilities thereof. Experience serving in a multi-Pastor church in this capacity or confident possession of this skill set is a requirement.
• Mentor, supervise, and support church staff and volunteers, fostering a positive, collaborative work environment with robust leadership development.
• Regular and transparent communication with the church staff, elders, ministry leaders, and the congregation is essential.
• This is a full-time position; the Senior Pastor is expected to manage their time between office hours and out-of-office ministry as needed.

The Compensation

Salary: $70,000-$75,000 (depending on experience and education)

Housing: Parsonage provided (including gas, electric, water, sewer, garbage, and internet; cable TV not included)

FICA Offset: 7.65% of Salary

Retirement: 8% of Salary

Mileage: Reimbursed at Standard IRS Rates

Healthcare: 100% tax-exempt reimbursement of medical, dental and vision care expenses via an Individual Health Reimbursement Arrangement (ICHRA)