Job Overview

Hi. My name is Cody. I'm the senior pastor of South Shore Baptist Church in Hingham Massachusetts, just south of Boston. We are looking for a new worship director/pastor. I want to write this post like we're having a conversation, but it's a conversation where I do all the talking. So this might be a longer than normal introduction, but I intend it to be helpful.

What's SSBC like? We are 75+ years old, which makes us one of the youngest churches in our town. For real. We have multiple churches in our town that are older than America. We are theologically conservative, baptistic, reformed, and complementarian (aside from the role of elder, which we believe scripture instructs us to reserve for men, all other roles in the church are open to women and men who are gifted, skilled, and qualified to serve in that area.). We are committed to expository preaching and worship that is theologically rich and inspiring.

Our average attendance is around 350, and our congregation is really amazing. We're a mix of people from all walks of life and all ages. We are a regional church, meaning our people come from all over this area called the South Shore. This is a unique place to be a follower of Jesus. There is no social benefit to being a Christian. So those who walk with Jesus do so out of deep conviction. Our area is normally identified by statisticians as one of the least evangelical regions of the country. That makes this a brilliant place to be a Christian and to be part of a gospel-preaching church.

Job Description

What is our worship at SSBC like? Let me start with what we are not. We are not performative, smoke-machines, dark auditorium, blaring volume, or dismissive of senior saints. Nor are we chained to a hymnal, nor scared of energy, nor doing patriotic services, nor suspicious of young people. SSBC loves to worship together. We subscribe to the regulative principle of worship and we love to sing. We love hearing different voices – including our Adult and Children's Choirs – leading us in worship, prayer, and scripture reading. We want to hear the congregation's voice. We love to celebrate, but aren't averse to lament or silence. We love all kinds of songs – hymns traditional and modern, as well as new praise songs – songs that are rooted in the gospel and theologically rich.

As part of your role, there are a few other items you'd be responsible for. First is all things A/V. We are working now to bolster our A/V volunteer team. We recently installed new projectors, sound board, mics, and streaming equipment. We'd want you to own this. Second, we would like to talk with you about taking the lead in another area like communications involving graphics, website, social media, etc. This is not a requirement, but it is a conversation we want to have. If your expertise lies in a different area of ministry, we are open to that conversation.

Now before you apply, here are two other important things to consider. First, if you are not from New England, you need to have a sense of the Lord's calling to serve here. This is not easy ground. Second, the place where we live is stupid expensive. Here's what that means for you. If you are married, you'll need to be a double-income family. You will most likely be a renter. You will almost certainly not live in Hingham, where the average home price is around 1.4 million. You're going to pay more for rent than you do for a mortgage in the rest of the country. The finances of the place have to be carefully considered. That's why we talk about it up front.