Senior Pastor

Senior Pastor at Memorial Baptist Church, Sterling Heights, MI

Location – Memorial Baptist Church 12651 Clinton River Rd, Sterling Heights, MI 48313.

Community

Sterling Heights is a culturally diverse suburban city of 150,000 people, 30 minutes north of Detroit, at the center of Macomb County, close to many lakes and recreational areas. Sterling Heights has affordable housing, a beautiful park system, shopping, hotels, business and industry. One of the safest cities in Michigan, our community has a public library, civic center, senior center, and youth programs. Two excellent school districts serve our city, Utica Community Schools and Warren Consolidated Schools with strong college prep programs. The Macomb Intermediate School District supports special education students 3 years old through 26 years old. Macomb County Community College has 2 campuses within 15 minutes of our neighborhood. There are many early childhood education options, including Memorial Baptist Child Care Center.

Memorial Baptist Church Congregation and Ministries

As a small but active church we are committed to fostering spiritual growth, building a thriving community, and providing compassionate pastoral care to our members and friends. The church is led by the Senior Pastor, Elders, Deacons, and a Church Council consisting of all ministry team leaders. Memorial Baptist Church (hereinafter referred to as Memorial or MBC) is active in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC).

MBC’s budget reflects a strong commitment to the Cooperative Program of the SBC, with dedicated funding for local, associational and state convention support and a global fund to assist international volunteers. Memorial promotes offerings annually for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, Annie Armstrong Easter Offering, Frances Brown State Missions Offering, and Hunger Funds through Send Relief.

Our congregation is diverse in age, with active members who are children, teens, college students, young adults, middle aged and senior adults. MBC is a stable church with 70% as members for 20+ years. Most live within 20 minutes of the church, but some drive in from other areas. Educational levels of church members are in step with the general adult populace of our area, with 50% of Memorial’s adults having earned associates degrees or higher.

Ministries serve MBC and surrounding neighborhoods, providing platforms for reaching the lost and Christians seeking community, each with evangelism, fellowship, missional and discipleship purposes. Among those: Deaf Ministry- includes ASL interpreted services, Deaf Bible Class and fellowships, Music Ministry- with contemporary and traditional music, praise band, orchestra and special musical events; Christian Education Ministry includes Bible Study, children’s, youth and young adult ministries, the Child Care Center- birth through 6th grade, Vacation Bible School, Camp Ministries; Men’s and Women’s Ministries; Our Mission Team assists MBC in serving our neighborhood, county, state, region, and the nations and supporting Disaster Relief, North American Mission Board, International Mission Board, and members serving the nations with other organizations, with an Acts 1:8 focus.

Position Overview

Memorial Baptist Church seeks an enthusiastic and dedicated individual to serve as Senior Pastor who can lead our congregation in our ministries, encouraging Bible study, discipleship, evangelism, outreach, missional living, music, children’s and youth ministry. He will fulfill the role of Senior Pastor as defined by MBC’s bylaws section 5.6 as he:

• Proclaims the Gospel formally and informally through preaching, teaching, witnessing, and lifestyle.
• Aids the church in developing a comprehensive evangelism and outreach strategy.
• Prepares and shares weekly sermons and regular studies, and leads in the observance of the church ordinances.
• Leads in planning and conducting worship services in consultation with other ministry leaders.
• Provides oversight of an effective plan for visiting and supporting the sick, shut-ins, and church members in times of personal crisis or celebration.
• Meets with members and friends by request or referral, providing professional resources and counseling referrals when appropriate.
• Performs wedding ceremonies and conduct funerals as needed.
• Assists in the welcoming and assimilation of new members and visitors.
• Assists the elders, deacons, staff, church council, and other ministers in a comprehensive team ministry approach to carrying out the church’s mission and objectives.
• Participates in church-wide events and initiatives for outreach and evangelism.
• Participates in the implementation of church business administration duties.

Candidate Profile
The following describes the Senior Pastor candidate for Memorial Baptist Church.

• Education

The candidate will have earned, at minimum, a degree from an accredited Bible college or seminary and will be able to articulate biblical theology well. He will demonstrate a passion for lifelong learning and personal and professional development toward a biblically informed theology of discipleship in the local church.

• Experience and Skills

The candidate will be a leader of leaders and will have a proven record of working in a setting committed to making disciples of Jesus Christ with creativity and passion. He will possess strong interpersonal and organizational skills to enlist and shepherd volunteers, build and work with teams, and develop lay leaders.

• Personal Characteristics

The candidate will demonstrate a strong and growing relationship with Jesus Christ, dedication to study of the Bible, and be guided by a passion for following the principles found in Scripture for living a life of service to God, meeting the qualifications of an elder found in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9.

The candidate will demonstrate a high level of integrity, guided by biblical ethical principles. He will model servant-leadership and team-building attitudes, embracing the unified mission at Memorial to “make disciples of Jesus Christ who go and make disciples.” The candidate will practice the personal stewardship of finances consistent with Scripture.

The candidate will possess strong relational skills and demonstrate love for people and God’s church. His doctrine and philosophy of ministry will closely align with that of Memorial, and he will genuinely connect with the congregation as their partner in ministry, showing high loyalty to Jesus, the church, and the community.

Schedule and Compensation

The workweek will include regular office hours and the time required to meet the position’s responsibilities. Sunday is considered a normal workday, with a weekday established as a day of rest.

The Elders, Deacons, and Personnel Team will provide leadership in establishing compensation, with a healthy ministry environment and work pattern. They will continue to offer support and will be available to the Senior Pastor and his family with any concerns and to help them find belonging in the church and community.

Job Type

Full-time. Must live in the church community served.

Beginning compensation: $85,000 will include salary, ministry expenses, housing allowance, insurance and contribution to a retirement fund.

Other benefits:

• 3 weeks of paid vacation annually, increasing to 4 weeks after 3 years of service.
• Additional time away is available to participate in MBC’s mission partnerships and retreats, for Associational, Baptist State Convention and Southern Baptist Convention meeting participation, all coordinated with the Elders and Deacons.
• Sabbatical time off will be offered after 5 years, coordinated with leadership team.
• Early childhood education and care (infant, toddler, preschool, pre-k) and summer day camp for elementary children are all available at Memorial Baptist Child Care Center with a staff rate of ½ standard tuition.
• Moving assistance will be available as needed.