Executive Pastor of Ministr

Ironwood Church is looking for an Executive Pastor of Ministry who can help strengthen and scale a healthy, growing church without losing the culture that makes it special. This leader will work closely with the Lead Pastor and the executive team to develop ministry leaders, create organizational clarity, strengthen staff culture, and help the church continue growing in both health and effectiveness. The right person will be deeply pastoral, highly relational, organizationally strong, and confident enough to lead in a fast-moving environment alongside other strong leaders. This is not a maintenance role — it’s a high-impact opportunity for a proven builder who loves developing people, leading leaders, and helping churches flourish long-term. This is one of the more unique XP opportunities I’ve been around because Ironwood is not trying to fix dysfunction — they’re trying to prepare for the future. Luke and the executive team are convictional leaders who know what they’re good at, know where they need help, and genuinely want someone who can help strengthen the church long-term. This feels less like hiring an “executive” and more like finding a trusted ministry partner who can help carry leadership weight, develop staff, and help a really healthy church continue to scale wisely. A great match for this position would be: Leadership Builder: Naturally develops leaders and raises the level of everyone around them. This person sees potential quickly, coaches intentionally, and helps ministry leaders become stronger leaders of teams and people. Strategic Executor: Can move vision into action. They are able to create clarity, alignment, accountability, and momentum without becoming rigid, corporate, or process-heavy. Courageous Communicator: Willing to have hard conversations, put things in writing, reinforce policies, and move toward tension with honesty and steadiness. They do not avoid hard, leadership moments. Relational Developer: Brings warmth, relational awareness, and emotional intelligence into leadership environments. They care about people deeply while still helping the organization move forward. Ministry Architect: Understands how healthy churches grow and scale. Able to see organizational gaps, staffing needs, leadership weaknesses, and future ministry challenges before they become major problems. Ironwood Church is a gospel-centered church in Mesa, Arizona with around 2,400 people gathering each weekend. Originally planted in 2009 as Second Mile Church, the church later became Redemption Gateway as part of Redemption Church before relaunching as Ironwood Church in 2024. While the name changed, the heartbeat stayed the same: helping people become mature disciples of Jesus in everyday life. There’s a refreshing steadiness to Ironwood. They are thoughtful without feeling cold, convictional without becoming combative, and deeply committed to both truth and grace. Their language around “soft hearts and steel spines” genuinely reflects the culture — humble, courageous, emotionally healthy leaders who take God seriously without taking themselves too seriously. The church has strong momentum, healthy staff culture, capable ministry leaders, and clear theological conviction. They care deeply about discipleship, leadership development, and helping people enjoy Jesus together. This Executive Pastor of Ministry will step into a church that already has strong bones — but also real opportunity to help strengthen leadership systems, staff development, and long-term organizational health as Ironwood continues to grow. Location “One of the things people really love about living in the East Valley is that it’s an incredible place to raise a family. You get great schools, active communities, sunshine almost every day, and access to just about everything — hiking, sports, concerts, restaurants, and major travel — while still feeling much more grounded and family-oriented than a lot of major cities.” #J-18808-Ljbffr Slingshot Group