The California-Nevada Conference seeks an experienced leader in the work of planting communities of faith, innovating ministries and strengthening vital congregations each with highly effective lay and clergy leadership in and through the California-Nevada Conference of The United Methodist Church.
The ideal candidate develops and implements programs and initiatives that help churches adapt to changing social, cultural, and spiritual needs, and support growth and vitality of the congregations.The Director of Ministry Innovation and Congregational Vitality shall partner with the Bishop, Cabinet, District Superintendents, Executive Director of Connectional Ministries and the Director of Leadership Development to oversee and promote innovation in ministry and revitalizing congregations. The preferred candidate must have a track record of success in leading innovation and change as well as a deep understanding of the current social, cultural, and spiritual landscape to be able to effectively communicate and engage with a wide range of people.
Key Responsibilities:
- Meet and work with the Bishop and District Superintendents on a regular basis to help move the California-Nevada Conference to growth by recruiting, training, and supporting church planters and ministry innovators in the multiplication of churches and strengthening existing congregations toward church vitality.
- Identify new places and new people for planting and development of new congregations and fresh expressions of communities, in collaboration with the District Superintendents.
- Evaluate the existing new church starts and church planters and assist the Bishop and Cabinet in determining fruitfulness and necessary next steps.
- Assist the Bishop and District Superintendents to assess and evaluate church plants, vital congregations, and their leaders for transformational ministries.
- Develop an ecosystem of support for innovative expressions of ministries to reach new people in existing and new places.
- Supervise the Associate Director of Certified Lay Ministries and Lay Church Planting to implement a high-quality lay church planting academy and integrate lay church planters into the overall church planting strategy, in collaboration with the Director of Leadership Development.
- Create/curate systems of training and assessment to foster a culture of innovation, change, and continuous improvement for new church starts and congregational vitality among the churches within the conference, in coordination with the Director of Leadership Development.
- Develop new and existing innovative congregational ministries with various racial/ethnic communities, in coordination with the Executive Director of Connectional Ministries.
- Engage conference elected leadership in supporting church planting, ministry innovation, and congregational vitalization.
- Create necessary budget and help develop sustaining resources for the planting of new churches and communities of faith.
- Provide staffing support to committees including the development and monitoring of budgets for Committee on New and Vital Congregations (CNVC), the Conference Committee on Ethnic Ministries and Outreach (CCEMO), along with the Congregational Development MFA, Core Team and Extended Cabinet.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s Degree in theological studies or related field is required. Master’s Preferred.
- Five to Seven years of related experience required.
- A life-long learner who has a deep understanding of current and innovative processes and models of new church starts and congregational renewal.
- Proven effectiveness in working with people of diverse cultural, theological, generational, and ethnic backgrounds.
- Excellent interpersonal skills, including ability to resolve problems, manage projects, or achieve appropriate solutions.
- Knowledge of the United Methodist denominational polity, organizational structure, the Book of Discipline in this area of ministry and membership preferred.
- 30% Travel required.
- This position will be working onsite at the Conference.
Apply with your resume and cover letter at: jobs@gcfa.org
Closing Date: Friday, March 17, 2023
California-Nevada Conference is an Equal Opportunity Employer and actively seeks and encourages applications from minorities, women, and individuals with disabilities. All offers of employment are subject to the applicant successfully completing background, reference, and other applicable checks.