Church Planter

Missouri Synod•St. Louis, MO

6d•Remote

About The Position

The LCMS Mission is to "In grateful response to God's grace and empowered by the Holy Spirit through Word and Sacraments, vigorously make known the love of Christ by word and deed within our churches, communities, and world." The Office of International Mission (OIM), which relates to the Board for International Mission and implements its policies, is responsible to the President of the Synod through the Chief Mission Officer for the work of the Synod in foreign countries. This position reports to the Area Facilitator and works closely with LCMS Communication staff to inform and involve LCMS constituents in the work of the OIM on the field through support-building, newsletter-writing, and home-service presentation reporting.

Requirements

An ordained and rostered pastor of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.
Master of Divinity degree or equivalent required.
An active member of the LCMS, an LCMS congregation or a congregation of any of its partner churches and personal faithfulness to the Holy Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions.
Solid comprehension of confessional Lutheran theology and ability to clearly articulate same.
Demonstrated adaptability and flexibility to live and work in a second culture.
Demonstrated resilience and ability to effectively implement, complete and report on a project.
Ability to function effectively in a team setting.
Interpersonal relationship skills that will facilitate initiating and maintaining relationships with people both within and outside the church.
Ability to initiate and maintain relationships with people of another culture.
Good physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual health with the ability to carry on sustained work in international setting.
Demonstrated skill in communication, both oral and written.
Ability to utilize standard technology on the field – laptop, smartphone, and basic connectivity troubleshooting.
Ability to use the Microsoft Office suite, particularly Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and the email functions and calendar functions of Microsoft Outlook.

Nice To Haves

Pastoral, cross-cultural and Lutheran church planting experience preferred.
Demonstrated ILR 2+ proficiency in local Language preferred.
A willingness to participate in a language learning program to achieve such proficiency.

Responsibilities

Commit to an ongoing schedule and strategy for ministry support raising (Network Support Model).
Communicate via monthly newsletter to and maintain a relationship with the sending church that includes Together-In-Mission (TIM) congregations as well as other supporting churches, groups, and individuals.
Complete missionary training and language acquisition plan under the direction of the Regional Director and the Director of Missionary Services.
Communicate the OIM mission strategy and work clearly and effectively.
Serve as a church planter in cooperation with the church partner.
Preach, teach, and administer the Sacraments in the congregations and missions of the country according to the needs of the ministry team.
Travel and present/teach at conferences, continuing education modules, or intensive courses within or beyond the assigned church body as requested by the OIM supervisor.
Support the development of local-language theological materials.
Advocate for the school and students with partners and potential partners of the church.
Mentor future pastors in theology and practice.
Assist in identifying and training of congregational leadership (pastors and deaconesses) in conjunction with the regional seminary.
If authorized for altar and pulpit ministry in the local church, support pastors in providing Word and Sacrament ministry to underserved congregations.