Associate Pastor – Youth, Families & Mission
Position Description – Islington Baptist Church
Overview
Islington Baptist Church (IBC) is a growing Bible-centred, people-loving and mission-focused church in the inner city of Newcastle. Our mission is to make more and more disciples of Jesus who are growing more and more in love for God and one another.
We are in an exciting season of rebuilding and renewal, with momentum around a clear vision to see a growing, multicultural community, shaped profoundly by God’s love in Christ and passionately sharing the good news of Jesus with our city and beyond. We are, and desire to be, a church marked by deep engagement with God’s Word, genuine love for one another, and a growing commitment to sharing the gospel with the people around us. A key priority in this season is rebuilding a strong core of younger people, families and emerging leaders, alongside developing sustainable and fruitful pathways for evangelism, integration and discipleship.
To help pursue our vision and strategic priorities, we are seeking to appoint a male Associate Pastor who will work alongside the Senior Pastor in leadership and pastoral ministry, with a particular focus on youth, young families and mission/outreach.
Role Summary
The Associate Pastor will work closely with the Senior Pastor, elders and ministry leaders to help lead, shepherd and grow the church. The Associate Pastor will thus serve broadly as a fellow ‘pastor-elder’ of the church, contributing to preaching, pastoral care, and general organisational leadership. However, he will take particular responsibility for developing and strengthening youth, young families and outreach ministries. The purpose of this role is not simply to run particular programs, but to increase the church’s pastoral leadership capacity, enabling us to strengthen key ministries, develop leaders and pursue our core purposes as a growing church.
In summary, the aim for this role is to help us:
- Develop a healthy and growing youth ministry
- Strengthen our engagement with young families in our area
- Build more consistent and effective evangelism and outreach pathways
- Develop and support ministry leaders and teams (in relevant areas)
- Share in preaching, pastoral care and church leadership
As the church continues to grow, the Associate Pastor will also play an important role in helping us develop new ministries and prepare for a future second Sunday gathering.
See below for a fuller outline of key responsibilities.
This role is expected to begin as 0.8 FTE (4 days/week) in 2027 with the intention of growing to full-time within 1–2 years. This initial period (of 1-2 years) will serve as a time of mutual discernment, with a formal review within 2 years to allow both the pastor and the church to assess and confirm long term suitability and provide opportunities for feedback.
Note: We recognise that the full scope of responsibilities of the role could easily demand more than a 0.8 FTE or even full-time position. Some responsibilities will take time to grow into, and the focus and priorities of the role will shift and evolve with time and experience.
Key Areas of Responsibility
1. Youth Ministry Leadership
Provide leadership, vision and pastoral oversight for the church’s developing youth ministry.
Responsibilities may include:
· Oversight of the youth ministry activities and leadership of the team, including recruiting, training and supporting volunteer youth leaders
· Establishing and developing a youth program outside of Sunday gatherings that promotes fellowship, discipleship and evangelism amongst highschoolers
· Regularly teaching the Bible within youth programs
· Discipling teenagers and helping them grow as followers of Jesus
· Strengthening connections and transitions with ‘feeder’ ministries like BOOST (Kids Club), Sunday kids programs and SRE in local schools.
· Integrating young people into the wider life and mission of the church
· Encouraging and developing emerging young leaders within the church
2. Young Families & Next Generation Ministry
Help strengthen the church’s ministry among children, parents and young families.
Responsibilities may include:
- Working with Sunday Kids Ministry Leader to ensure a healthy, sustainable and fruitful Sunday kids ministry
- Supporting and equipping volunteers serving in children’s and family ministries
- Oversight and support of activities and ministries that seek to connect with families in the community, such as Playtime and BOOST (kids Club)
- Building relationships with families in the church and community
- Helping integrate children and families into the life of the church
- Encouraging intergenerational connection within the church
3. Mission & Outreach
Oversight of Mission purpose area, helping to develop a strong outward-focused culture and effective evangelistic pathways.
Responsibilities may include:
- Oversight of outreach structures, ministries and activities, supporting relevant team and ministry leaders (and/or leading teams directly where necessary)
- Work with Senior Pastor and other relevant leaders to establish and run evangelistic initiatives such as regular courses, events and connection activities
- Encouraging and equipping church members to share their faith in everyday life
- Working with Senior Pastor and relevant Ministry Leaders to ensure Sunday Gatherings are missionally effective and that mission is championed in the life of the church.
- Promoting strong presence and awareness of the church in the city and local community
- Supporting efforts to integrate newcomers into the church and establish new believers in the faith
4. General Pastoral Leadership & Church Ministry
Serve as part of the pastoral leadership of the church alongside the Senior Pastor and elders.
Responsibilities may include:
- Preaching in Sunday gatherings (approximately once per month), and teaching the Bible in other contexts such as youth ministry, small groups or courses
- Prayer for and pastoral care of church members
- Participating in regular staff, elders, ministry leadership and strategic planning meetings
- Supporting the development and training of ministry leaders and teams
- Helping foster a culture of prayerful dependence, biblical faithfulness and loving community
- Supporting (and potentially leading) the establishment of a second Sunday Service within the next 3-5 years.
Character & Convictions
The Associate Pastor should demonstrate:
Personal Character
- A personal, mature and growing faith in Jesus as Lord and Saviour
- A life consistent with biblical standards for Christian leadership
- A humble, teachable and servant-hearted attitude, and ability to work well with others
- A love for people and commitment to building healthy Christian community
- A heart for reaching the lost with the good news of Jesus
- A commitment to the NSW and ACT Baptist Association Code of Ethics and Conduct for Pastoral Leaders
Theological Understanding & Convictions
- Biblical and Theological maturity, with a strong grasp of Christ centred Biblical Theology, and commitment to the authority of the Bible in life and ministry
- Support for the beliefs and mission of Islington Baptist Church
- Support for the Basic Doctrines, position statements, objects and values of the NSW & ACT Baptist Association
- Suitable Theological Training (such as a BTh or MDiv)
Skills & Experience
Helpful experience and abilities include:
- Experience in childrens, youth, student or young adult ministry
- Experience in evangelism and outreach ministries
- Demonstrated ability to teach and apply the Bible clearly, engagingly and faithfully to young and old, with experience in preaching in the main church Gathering
- Demonstrated ability to develop and lead volunteer teams (a leader of leaders)
- Initiative and ability to develop ministries and systems
- Relational warmth and pastoral sensitivity, with a demonstrated ability to relate well to people across multiple generations and from different cultures.
- Strong communication skills in both written form and live meetings
- The ability to speak Mandarin or Cantonese would be a great bonus!
- Competence with standard office software (i.e. MS Office suit) as well as Church Management software (i.e. Elvanto, Church Suite) and other digital tools of trade
Accountability & Support
The Associate Pastor will:
- Report to and work closely with the Senior Pastor
- Be accountable ultimately to the church membership
- Participate in regular pastoral and ministry leadership meetings, including monthly Eldership and Leadership Team (Governance) Meetings.
- Receive ongoing encouragement, mentoring and feedback as part of the pastoral team
Requirements
The successful applicant will need to:
- Affirm the mission, values and beliefs of Islington Baptist Church
- Participate fully in the life of the church community
- Hold or obtain a NSW Working With Children Check
- Complete relevant Safe Ministry training and screening processes
- Hold or obtain a recent NSW Police Check
Remuneration
Remuneration will be determined according to the NSW & ACT Baptist Remuneration guidelines, with consideration to the experience and qualifications of the successful candidate.
