Discipleship Pastor

Lake Zurich Discipleship Pastor

Job Title: Discipleship Pastor

Status: FT 40-50hrs - (Monday-Thursday & Sundays)

Salary: Base salary plus additional benefit options

Reports To: Campus Pastor

We are looking for a highly relational and strategic leader to design and execute a thriving spiritual formation strategy at our Lake Zurich Campus. As our original and largest campus located in the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago, this is a critical, brand-new role for our team!

The Discipleship Pastor will design and direct all facets of adult spiritual development, community connection, and local outreach. Rather than just managing existing programs, this person will act as the chief owner and builder of our adult ministry ecosystem. They will be a champion of Heritage DNA, and excel at moving people from their first visit into deep, multiplying community and spiritual growth. High-capacity leadership, a proven track record of growing ministries, excellent stage presence, and a strategic mind for building volunteer pipelines will shape this role toward impact and success. Experienced in building large church ministry teams with clear results, specializing in identifying, recruiting, and growing volunteers and equipping them to do the work of ministry.

This position directly leads our discipleship staff, key volunteer teams, and small group environments. They will carry a strong, consistent presence in our weekend services through hosting and teaching, bringing a relentless "Always Improving" mindset to everything they touch. Continually looking for ways to elevate our leader development, maximize our Heritage Groups environments and growth classes, and expand our local outreach footprint. They will execute the discipleship vision in alignment with the Campus Pastor and the Mission of Heritage Church.

The Discipleship Pastor will recruit, build, lead, shepherd, and oversee the staff, contractors, and high-level volunteer teams across our adult ministry environments, including, but not limited to: Groups & Growth Classes (Small Groups, Alpha, Rooted), Next Steps (Welcome & Assimilation), Outreach and Local Partnerships, Care/Counseling, and Men's/Women's Ministries. They will develop and grow the team, set strategic goals, and design clear pathways to continually expand ministry reach and health within these teams.

The Discipleship Pastor will lead the charge in mobilizing our congregation to reach new individuals and families in our community. By launching new discipleship initiatives and expanding our local missional footprint, they will ensure Heritage is actively making a tangible difference beyond our walls, living out our value - "for the one".

The Discipleship Pastor will also participate in Campus Leadership meetings, contributing to vital, strategic conversations about Mission, Vision, Culture, Programming, Outreach, and the overall spiritual direction and growth of the Lake Zurich campus & beyond.

Discipleship Architect:

• Oversee and lead all aspects of Discipleship Team Meetings, Team Development, and Strategic Ministry Planning for all adult ministry group environments.
• Oversee and lead the Discipleship Ministry Calendar and spearhead New Ministry Initiatives (such as Rooted).
• Ensure all adult discipleship environments, mid-week gatherings, and connection spaces are executed with excellence.
• Lead strategic goal planning, shepherd, and grow the Lake Zurich discipleship staff, coaches, and key ministry leaders.
• They will own each aspect of growth and discipleship efforts, work with staff, recruit volunteers, and develop leaders to take on/over. Then oversee and multiply impact.

Campus Discipleship & Engagement:

• Give clear direction to Outreach, Groups, Next Steps, Care, and Men's/Women's ministries to ensure total alignment with Heritage Church's Mission, Vision, Brand, and Culture.
• Grow the campus by relentlessly identifying, developing, and releasing lay leaders and volunteers for the work of ministry, moving the campus from "doing" ministry to "overseeing" multiplied leaders.
• Oversee and lead local Outreach efforts and Community engagement to increase Heritage's presence and impact throughout the Lake Zurich area.
• Communicate and cast vision during weekend team huddles, serve regularly as a weekend service host, and teach consistently in weekend services as needed.
• Build, execute, and continually optimize a comprehensive, campus-wide Spiritual Formation Plan that seamlessly bridges Next Steps, Alpha, and multiplying Small Groups.
• Bring a sharp "Always Improving" mindset to all adult ministry environments, tracking health metrics, and constantly elevating the guest and believer experience.

Central & Multi-Site Alignment:

• Participate in relevant central ministry meetings, staff offsites, and strategic planning sessions.
• Attend campus leadership and collaborative discipleship alignment meetings.
• Work alongside Discipleship Pastors from other Heritage campuses to share best practices, exchange resources, and stay highly aligned to the collective Mission and Culture across all locations.

The Discipleship Pastor requires a highly strategic builder who is inspired to design, implement, and scale a campus-wide discipleship ecosystem. They must be deeply passionate about developing leaders, highly driven, focused, and an exceptional organizational leader. Rather than learning on the job, the ideal candidate has already proven their ability to grow ministries, manage and lead at a high level, and inspire people. They must bring a demonstrable, proven track record of how they have successfully Built, Led, and then Oversaw a thriving ministry in a large church environment.

The ideal candidate possesses strong communication skills tailored for both large-group teaching and small-group environments, effective leadership development experience (with staff, lay leaders, and volunteers), and prioritizes personal evangelism. They are winsome, theologically aligned, goal-oriented, and possess a deep "For the One" heart for people.

• Visionary Alignment: Excited to work alongside and execute the discipleship mission, vision, and culture of the Senior Pastor and Campus Pastor.
• Execution & Accountability: Proven ability to lead staff, coaches, and volunteers through executable goals and clear accountability structures.
• Collaborative Nature: Thrives in a collaborative team setting, working seamlessly with others to create excellent environments and experiences across the campus.
• High Capacity Management: Excellent time management skills with the ability to lead multiple teams, ministries, and projects with ease.
• Excellent Communication Skills: Strong, engaging communication skills—both written and oral—with the presence required for consistent weekend teaching and hosting.
• Relentless Pursuit: Characterized by a relational posture that is relentless about pursuing people, moving them from the fringes into deep community.

To apply email the following to: View email address on click.appcast.io

• Resume & Cover Letter.
• 1-3 Links of you preaching/teaching.
• Image of yourself & family.
• How you heard about this job listing.