CARE PASTOR

About the Role

The Care Pastor provides pastoral leadership and oversight for all areas of Care under the direction and leadership of the Executive Pastor. This role exists to help people experience the compassion, presence, and care of Christ during some of the most significant seasons of their lives.

The Care Pastor will shepherd individuals, families, staff, and serve teams while providing leadership to the ministries and systems that support our church family. This includes weddings, memorials, grief care, counseling, prayer, baptisms, adult care classes, crisis care, and other ministries designed to help people experience healing, hope, and spiritual growth.

This role requires a strong understanding of and commitment to Heights Church's Mission, Vision, Values, Beliefs, and culture, along with the ability to align staff, leaders, and serve teams around those commitments. The Care Pastor will lead with both pastoral presence and organizational excellence, ensuring that people are cared for well and that every area of Care has the leadership, systems, and resources needed to flourish.

More than simply managing ministry programs, the Care Pastor is called to know people, walk alongside them, develop others, and create environments where people can encounter the love and care of Christ.

What You'll Do

Model Biblical Priorities

The Care Pastor will lead from a growing and authentic relationship with Jesus Christ, recognizing that healthy ministry begins with a healthy heart. This role models biblical priorities, integrity, humility, and a genuine love for people in every relationship and responsibility.

This includes:

Pursuing a consistent and growing relationship with Christ through prayer, scripture, worship, and personal spiritual disciplines
Participating regularly in a Life Group
Modeling healthy relationships, marriage, and family life
Establishing appropriate boundaries that protect character, integrity, and ministry health
Living and serving in a way that reflects the qualities and characteristics outlined in the Church Culture Guide
Leading with humility, grace, wisdom, and compassion
Maintaining a posture of learning, spiritual growth, and dependence on God

Lead & Shepherd the Care Ministry

The Care Pastor has a passion for creating a culture where people are known, valued, prayed for, and cared for well.

This includes:

Shepherd individuals and families through seasons of grief, crisis, celebration, transition, and spiritual growth
Present with people during moments of joy, loss, uncertainty, and transition
Develop a culture within the Care Ministry that reflects the compassion, presence, and character of Jesus
Ensure people are connected with the appropriate pastor, serve team members, lay counselors, or professional resource when additional care is needed
Develop healthy systems and ministry pathways that help people experience healing, meaningful care and connection
Help people identify meaningful next steps toward healing, community, and spiritual growth
Evaluate regularly the health, effectiveness, and impact of Care ministry
Ensure that ministry programs remain people-centered rather than simply program-driven

Prayer Ministry

The Care Pastor will shepherd and lead the Prayer Ministry, helping create a culture where prayer is foundational to the life of the church and where people know they can turn to the church family in times of need.

This includes:

Oversee prayer ministry during weekend services and church-wide events.
Recruit, train, equip, and shepherd the prayer serve team
Regularly connecting with prayer team members, encouraging their spiritual growth and caring for them personally
Prayerfully triaging requests and connecting individuals with the appropriate pastor, ministry, or professional resource
Serve as a primary point of contact for prayer requests and ensure appropriate follow-up
Maintain systems for appropriately communicating prayer requests to staff and serve team members
Empower serve team members to participate in prayer ministry during weekend services and church-wide events
Cultivate a culture where prayer is foundational to the life of the church.

Baptisms

The Care Pastor will help create meaningful and celebratory baptism experiences that honor the significance of an individual's decision to follow Jesus and provide an opportunity for the church family to celebrate with them.

This includes:

Collaborate, plan and execute Celebration Weekends and baptism experiences with the Weekend Team and Lead Pastor.
Coordinate baptism workshops, preparation, scheduling, communication, and follow-ups.
Work with Facilities, Communications, and ministry leaders to create a meaningful and celebratory experience.
Coordinate private and off-location baptisms as needed.
Help individuals feel prepared, welcomed, and celebrated as they take this significant step of faith.

Marriage & Weddings

The Care Pastor will help couples prepare for marriage and provide pastoral support throughout the wedding process, creating opportunities for couples to build a healthy, Christ-centered foundation for their marriage.

This includes:

Serve as the first point of contact for premarital and wedding requests
Identify and connect couples with appropriate pastors, marriage mentors, and counseling resources
Facilitate premarital counseling when appropriate
Develop and facilitate training opportunities for pastors and marriage mentors including Prepare & Enrich assessments
Schedule Sacred Marriage classes and support the development of marriage mentors.
Collaborate with the Facilities Team for available wedding resources and space
Officiate weddings as needed and provide pastoral care to couples throughout the process.

Memorials & Grief Care

The Care Pastor will provide compassionate pastoral care to individuals and families experiencing the death of a loved one. This role should bring a calm, caring, and pastoral presence into some of the most difficult moments a person may experience.

This includes:

Provide compassionate pastoral care to individuals and families following the death of a loved one and determine appropriate pastoral care and resources.
Serve as a resource and support to other pastors officiating memorials
Provide the individual or family with ongoing grief care, Grief Share resource, pastoral care, professional counseling resources, and appropriate grief-related materials. Follow-up post memorial service.
Develop a serve team to be present on the day of the memorial to welcome the family and ensure the space is prepared
Walk alongside families as they plan, navigate and experience memorial services.
Assist the family in determining the order of service and service details
Coordinate service details, military honors, resources, and other needs as appropriate.
Officiate memorial services as needed
Help families experience the presence and compassion of Christ during a deeply difficult season.

Adult Care Classes & Support Groups

The Care Pastor will develop and oversee classes and support groups that provide practical, spiritual, and relational support to people walking through various seasons and challenges of life.

This includes:

Developing and maintaining adult care classes at either location
Identifying areas of need within the church community and developing ministry responses
Recruit, train and shepherd serve team group leaders
- Help leaders feel equipped, prepared, supported, and cared for as they serve
Coordinate registrations and promotions with Communications
Evaluate and develop classes and groups to ensure they are meeting people where they are and helping them move toward healing, hope, and community.
Oversee and maintain equipment and supplies

Stephen’s Ministry

The Care Pastor shepherd Stephen’s Ministry resources and counseling partnerships, helping individuals and families receive appropriate care while recognizing when needs extend beyond the scope of pastoral and lay ministry.

This includes:

Identify, recruit and train serve team members through Stephen’s Ministry certification
- Continued development, support and shepherding of serve team members as they care of the church family
Maintain strong relationships with trusted professional counseling partners. who share our commitment to quality care and Christ-centered values
- Communicate referral and scholarship information with counseling partners
Connect staff and church family members with Stephen’s Ministry serve team for appropriate counseling resources based on their needs
Manage counseling referrals, scholarships, and intake processes in accordance with church policies and applicable privacy requirements.
Oversee the Stephen’s Ministry and scholarship budget in coordination with Finance.

Crisis Care

The Care Pastor will provide pastoral leadership during times of crisis, bringing a calm, compassionate, and prayerful presence to individuals and families in difficult circumstances.

This includes:

Available for significant moments of crisis, including hospice, death, suicide-related situations, and other urgent pastoral needs
Provide immediate pastoral presence and prayer when appropriate
Assess needs and connect individuals and families with appropriate pastoral, professional, or emergency resources when necessary
Provide prayer, encouragement, and follow-up as appropriate.
Develop healthy systems and boundaries that allow the staff and serve team members to respond appropriately, compassionately and effectively to people in crisis.

Serve Team Shepherding and Development

The Care Pastor will not only shepherd the ministry but also the people who carry it out. This includes intentionally developing, equipping, and shepherding serve team members so they can serve from a place of spiritual and relational health.

This includes:

Recruit, train, equip, empower and shepherd people to serve within the Care ministry.
- Regular check-ins with serve team leaders and members
Identify and develop future leaders and create opportunities for increased responsibility and ownership.
Celebrate and express gratitude for those who serve
Address challenges and conflict with grace, clarity, and biblical wisdom

Care Ministry Administration & Operations

The Care Pastor will work in coordination with the admin team to ensure the ministry operates smoothly while keeping people at the center of every process.

This includes:

Oversee the systems, schedules, resources, and administrative responsibilities necessary for a healthy Care Ministry.
Work collaboratively with Communications, Facilities, Finance, and other ministries to support Care initiatives.
Manage the Care budget and follow established guidelines for purchases and expenses.
Coordinate Care conferences, classes, resources, and ministry partnerships.
Maintain necessary equipment, supplies, and ministry information.
Ensure Care ministries are communicated clearly and accessible to the church family and community.
Continually look for ways to simplify processes and remove barriers so people can experience care more easily.

What We're Looking For

The ideal candidate is a spiritually mature and relationally gifted pastor with a genuine shepherd's heart—someone who loves people, listens well, and desires to walk alongside others through both life's celebrations and its most difficult moments. This person can move comfortably between pastoral and organizational responsibilities understanding that both are necessary to create a healthy shepherding care ministry.

Character & Spiritual Qualifications

Fully aligns with and supports the Mission, Vision, Values, and Statement of Faith of Heights Church.
Demonstrated spiritual maturity, integrity, humility, discretion, and sound judgment.
Possesses a servant's heart and a genuine desire to support and invest in pastors, ministry leaders, serve team members and the church family.
Builds trust through kindness, encouragement, professionalism, and dependability.
Genuine heart and calling to care and shepherd people and walk alongside them through significant seasons of life
Comfortable walking with people through grief, crisis, loss, celebration, and spiritual growth
Emotionally and relationally healthy, self-aware, and able to navigate difficult situations with maturity
Has establish appropriate pastoral boundaries while remaining warm, accessible, and relational

Leadership Skills & Requirements

Excellent communication skills in both individual and group settings.
A self-starter who takes initiative, works independently, and follows through with excellence.
Sound judgment, professional, and the ability to maintain confidentiality.
Work collaboratively across ministry teams
Demonstrated ability to recruit, equip, encourage, and shepherd serve team
Communicates truth clearly with grace, clarity, and compassion
Leads with compassion, humility, wisdom, and grace
Strong understanding of pastoral care and the ability to recognize when professional resources are needed
Strongly preferred:

- Theological or ministry-related education, preferably a theological degree
- At least 5 years of pastoral or ministry experience
- Experience in pastoral care, grief ministry, or a related ministry setting
- Experience leading and developing staff and serve teams

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands; and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; reach with hands and arms; and stoop, kneel, or crouch. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 40 pounds.

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The noise level in the work environment is usually low to moderate. May be required to occasionally work holidays, irregular and long hours.

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