Outreach Director/Pastor

Cottage Grove Church•Des Moines, IA

7d•Onsite

About The Position

The Outreach Pastor/Director provides strategic and pastoral leadership for how Cottage Grove Church goes to our neighbors and to the nations. This role's focus will be on evangelism and outreach, local benevolence and community engagement, and local, regional, and global missions. We are looking for someone with an evangelist's passion and a shepherd's heart - a leader who is genuinely delighted to be with people who don't yet know Jesus, and equally glad to spend an afternoon training a volunteer who will do the same.

Requirements

A growing, vibrant relationship with Jesus Christ, with a life that exemplifies humility, integrity, and servant leadership.
Alignment with the vision, mission, and values of Cottage Grove Church.
Meets the character qualifications of 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1; open to spiritual oversight responsibilities and to the office of elder if called and affirmed.
A bachelor's degree in ministry, theology, missions, intercultural studies, or a closely related field.
Demonstrated vocational or significant lay ministry experience - ideally 3+ years - in outreach, evangelism, missions, church planting, or pastoral ministry.
Experience mobilizing, training, and releasing volunteers in a church or ministry context.
Proven ability to move from vision to implementation — able to make things happen and make things better.
Strong relational skills and evangelistic warmth; genuinely comfortable with people far from the church.
Cultural intelligence and humility in diverse settings, reflecting our value of being a Diverse Kingdom Family.
Ability to lead through influence, developing leaders who develop leaders.

Nice To Haves

A master's degree (M.Div. or equivalent) in a ministry-related discipline.
Cross-cultural ministry experience, domestic or international, is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Serve on the staff elder team, fulfilling general pastoral duties (teaching, shepherding, member care) and contributing to overall church direction and health.
Recruit, equip, and manage staff, deacons, and volunteer leaders across all outreach and missions teams, building sustainable leadership pipelines.
Oversee annual department budgeting, financial stewardship, and missions funding in coordination with the Administration Director and finance team.
Develop and implement a comprehensive evangelism strategy, inspiring and training the congregation in personal and corporate evangelism.
Serve as a liaison between the church and the city, building trusted partnerships with local organizations, schools, and agencies in Des Moines.
Be an incarnational presence in the local community through consistent, hands-on service and direct engagement with neighbors.
Empower volunteer teams to plan and execute community outreach events that engage non-believers and invite them into church life.
Steward the Local Missions Fund and benevolence ministry with discretion, dignity, and clear partnership criteria to promote wholeness rather than dependence.
Maintain strong relationships with local social service agencies for effective referral and resource sharing.
Lead a holistic missions strategy connecting local, regional, and global efforts under a single vision.
Support, evaluate, and care for global missionaries, church plants, and ministry partners, ensuring alignment and ongoing relationship.
Build sending pipelines and direct short-term and long-term mission trips, including recruitment, training, sending, and debriefing.