Associate Pastor

Aspire Church•Jacksonville, FL

About The Position

The Associate Pastor leads discipleship and spiritual formation at Aspire Church San Marco and assists the Senior Pastor in coordinating ministry to make disciples of Jesus and equip those who do. The role engages, equips, and empowers staff and lay leaders to build a church of groups in which every member has a primary place of belonging, spiritual formation, and routine member care. The Associate Pastor shares in preaching and pastoral ministry, develops future leaders, and equips congregations across the Aspire Family of Churches. San Marco is the first priority and serves as a setting for developing ministry approaches that other congregations can adapt to their contexts. The Associate Pastor leads Adult Grow ministry, develops group leaders and apprentices, strengthens group-based member care through Deacons, and supervises the Next Gen Team Leader. The role coordinates ministry planning and follow-through on behalf of the Senior Pastor, leads leadership-development initiatives, supports church multiplication and Family-wide ministry, and preaches and teaches across San Marco and other Family of Churches congregations. The role also serves on the core pastoral team and manages the Grow budget within approved policies and budget authority. The Associate Pastor reports directly to the Senior Pastor. The Executive Pastor provides personnel and operational support and is responsible for organization-wide personnel processes, shared systems, and expenses exceeding the approved church budget. The position owns Grow leadership and has delegated ministry-coordination authority to convene leaders, request proposals, and follow up on agreed plans, but does not supervise leaders outside its assigned reporting structure. The Director of Missions and Mobilization retains leadership of Go and related areas. Worship arts, administration, missions and mobilization, community-center management, and building-project leadership are outside the position’s supervisory scope. First-year priorities are to strengthen existing groups, group leaders, Deacon care, and group multiplication; work with Next Gen to equip parents as their children’s primary disciple makers; and renew leadership-development initiatives through a manageable approach to internships and apprenticeships. Evaluation will consider group participation and health, leader and apprentice development, Deacon coverage, care follow-through, progress toward multiplication, parent equipping, staff development, Family-wide ministry support, and planning and follow-through. Increased baptisms and worship attendance at San Marco are shared congregational outcomes to which the role contributes.

Requirements

A growing love for Jesus; biblical faithfulness; prayerfulness; integrity; humility; pastoral character above reproach; and faith and practice aligned with Aspire’s Statement of Faith.
Ability to develop disciples and leaders, communicate clearly, make timely decisions, manage assigned staff, and follow through on commitments.
Effective biblical preaching and teaching, sound pastoral judgment, confidentiality, and compassion in member care.
Ability to work across cultures and ministry functions, respect local pastoral leadership, and collaborate with staff and lay leaders.
Strategic planning, budget stewardship, organization, and proficiency with Microsoft 365 and church ministry systems.
Master of Divinity or comparable education in a related field from an accredited school.
Ordination to pastoral ministry.
At least five years of ministry experience demonstrating effective leadership, sound judgment, and pastoral character.
Active membership in a church of like faith and practice and willingness and ability to meet Aspire Church San Marco’s membership requirements.

Responsibilities

Lead Adult Grow ministry, strengthening group health, participation, biblical teaching, spiritual practices, leader development, and multiplication.
Recruit, equip, coach, and support group leaders and apprentices, and develop a pathway connecting group participation with growth in faith, service, leadership, and disciple-making.
Strengthen the existing group structure for future expansion and explore groups beyond the church campus, including in apartment communities.
Collaborate with the Director of Missions and Mobilization, who works with group Go Leaders to engage members in ministry and missions.
Develop and lead a member-care approach that places a Deacon in every group and equips Deacons and group leaders to respond to absences, illness, crises, and spiritual concerns.
Provide intentional group connection and named care responsibility for members unable or unwilling to attend regularly, including homebound members and students away at college.
Maintain close pastoral relationships with Deacons and group leaders; coordinate with the Member Care Coordinator and refer needs beyond group capacity to the pastoral team with appropriate follow-through.
Supervise the Next Gen Team Leader through coaching, goal setting, and performance evaluation; the team leader retains day-to-day responsibility for Next Gen and supervision of its departments and team members.
Work with the Next Gen Team Leader to equip parents as primary disciple makers in their homes and strengthen continuity among family discipleship, Next Gen, and adult groups.
Assist the Senior Pastor with strategic planning, ministry evaluation, coordinated programming, and follow-through at San Marco.
On behalf of the Senior Pastor, convene ministry leaders, require their participation and ministry proposals, and help assemble coordinated plans, including contributions from leaders who do not report to this position.
Clarify agreed responsibilities, timelines, and commitments; track progress and bring unresolved conflicts to the Senior Pastor.
Identify and prepare people to lead groups, ministries, and future congregations.
Lead the design, recruitment, placement, and coaching of internships and apprenticeships, coordinating with ministry leaders who provide practical experience and mentoring.
Coordinate with the Executive Pastor on employment, budget, and administrative requirements for internships and apprenticeships.
Develop effective ministry at San Marco and equip its leaders to share adaptable resources, training, and coaching across the Family of Churches; support local pastors and leaders in applying these resources within their languages and cultures.
Develop groups and leaders that contribute to church planting for languages spoken in Duval County Public Schools that do not already have a healthy, Gospel-centered church; collaborate with the Senior Pastor, Director of Missions and Mobilization, and Family of Churches pastors.
Identify groups and leaders ready to become congregations and initiate discernment with the Senior Pastor and Family Council; congregation-establishment decisions are collaborative.
Continue Grow coaching after a congregation launches; its pastor is supervised by the Host Congregation’s pastor, or directly by the Senior Pastor when the host pastor cannot provide supervision.
Assist the Senior Pastor in preaching, approximately 14–18 Sundays annually across San Marco and other Family of Churches congregations, as scheduled in consultation with the Senior Pastor and local pastors.
Lead Next Steps approximately once a month and teach in groups, leader training, and other settings as needed.
Serve on the core pastoral team and maintain a pastoral presence among members, staff, and Family of Churches pastors.
Participate in the assigned Pastoral Call rotation and assist with hospital visits, counseling, funerals, weddings, emergencies, and other pastoral needs.
Manage the Grow budget, including personnel, adult groups, and Next Gen ministry, within approved church policies and budget authority.
Coordinate with the Executive Pastor on personnel matters, shared systems, and expenses beyond the approved church budget.
Attend required staff and ministry meetings, participate in church-wide ministry, and carry out other related responsibilities assigned by the Senior Pastor in keeping with the position’s purpose and priorities.