Northwest Gospel Church Summary
Northwest Gospel Church is currently made up of five local churches in Clark County, Washington (Portland, Oregon metro area). These five churches are interdependent, locally led, and missionally linked. Being interdependent, each church relies on the others in multiple areas of ministry and operations. Being locally led, each church is a representation of the local community where it meets. And being missionally linked, we plan to train church planters, and planting Gospel-centered churches in the Portland metro area and beyond. As a church staff, we see Ephesians 4 as our primary job description, "to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ." As leaders within NGC, we are not primarily "doers" of ministry, but "equippers" of ministry. You should see this play out in every Ministerial and Pastoral role within NGC.
Our Mission:
Northwest Gospel Church (NGC) exists to glorify God by equipping the church to be the church to fill our region with gospel churches.
Overview of the Role:
The Local Lead Pastor at NGC: Westside serves the local church through three primary functions: preaching and teaching, leading vision and mission, and oversight and development of the local leadership team, embodying the call of a pastor in all he does. This pastor must exhibit a clear calling to pulpit ministry, manifested in a track
record of excellence, fruitfulness, and consistent development in weekly Christ-centered expositional preaching. The Local Lead Pastor carries the charge of casting vision for Westside and leading its elders and staff to run after it. As a member of the NGC Directional Lead Team, he both shapes the broader culture and DNA of Northwest Gospel Church and is responsible for cascading that DNA faithfully to the Westside congregation.
Desired Profile
Here is a quick sketch of the kind of person we believe will thrive in this role:
- A called and proven preacher who has demonstrated consistent growth and fruitfulness in weekly expositional pulpit ministry
- A shepherd first, who is known for his genuine love of people and his instinct to move toward his congregation with care and intentionality
- A vision-carrier who can hold the big picture of NGC’s mission and translate it into concrete, local terms that move a congregation
- A leader of leaders who finds his greatest satisfaction not in doing ministry himself, but in developing the elders, staff, and lay leaders around him to do it well
- A humble collaborator who is secure enough in his own calling to follow well, contribute generously within NGC and remain accountable to shared leadership
- A man of the Word whose private life with God is the obvious source of his public ministry
- A culture-builder who understands that the tone, health, and direction of a local church flows directly from the character and clarity of its pastor
- Ideal Team Player — works well within the NGC ecosystem, contributes to shared decisions, and follows through on commitments
Responsibilities:
THE PASTOR
The Local Lead Pastor is called first and foremost to be a pastor. This includes:
- Being a man of prayer and humility, filled with the Spirit and saturated in God’s Word
- Shepherding those within his charge through knowing, leading, feeding, caring for, and protecting the church
- Exemplifying the qualifications of 1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9, and 1 Peter 5:1-5 as an example to the flock
- Prioritizing his marriage and family as his primary ministry
- Maintaining a shepherding list within the Westside congregation, ensuring meaningful and consistent pastoral care
- Studying God’s Word with focus and humility, consistently growing theologically
- Handling God’s Word with precision and integrity, preaching Christ from all of Scripture
PREACHING & TEACHING
The Local Lead Pastor is responsible for the oversight of preaching and teaching at Westside. This includes:
- Preaching regularly at Westside, modeling expositional, book-by-book preaching consistent with NGC’s teaching vision
- Participating in the NGC-wide teaching team, contributing to shared sermon series planning across all five local churches
- Identifying and developing preachers and teachers within the Westside congregation, equipping them to share the teaching load over time
- “Guarding the gate” as it relates to the Sunday morning pulpit
VISION & MISSION
The Local Lead Pastor is responsible for contextualizing and implementing the vision of Northwest Gospel Church at Westside This includes:
- Serving on the NGC Directional Lead Team, contributing Westside’s unique perspective to the broader development of NGC’s shared vision
- Contextualizing NGC’s global vision for the specific community, culture, and makeup of the Westside congregation
- Cultivating a church planting culture at Westside by regularly casting the vision for planting and raising up potential plant team members from within the congregation
- Communicating vision clearly and consistently to the Westside congregation and staff, keeping the church aligned with NGC’s missional direction
LOCAL LEADERSHIP OVERSIGHT
The Local Lead Pastor oversees multiple layers of leadership at Westside. This includes:
- Overseeing the Local Elder Team (LET)
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- managing the implementation of the elder training process
- equipping the LET with the annual vision and overall goals of the local church
- guarding the gate regarding the onboarding of men into the training process and through it to congregational affirmation
- providing vision to the team in their various responsibilities including deacon appointments, membership shepherding, and general local church oversight
- Overseeing the hiring, onboarding, and ongoing development of Westside staff, in coordination with the Local Executive Pastor
- Fostering a culture of mentorship and leadership development among both vocational and non-vocational leaders at Westside
- Overseeing the local church budget — building it annually in collaboration with the CST finance team and ensuring faithful stewardship of the resources God has entrusted to the local church
Skills and Abilities:
- Bachelor’s degree required; graduate-level theological education preferred
- Multiple years of experience in regular pulpit ministry
- Demonstrated experience in personnel oversight or team leadership
- Strong familiarity with the NGC elder training processes, or the capacity to learn them quickly
- Clear understanding of and commitment to the doctrine, DNA, and vision of Northwest Gospel Church
- Strong interpersonal, communication, and relational skills
- Technically proficient in tools and platforms required for leading and developing people in ministry
Expectations:
- A clear testimony of faith in Jesus and a vital growing personal relationship with Him.
- Must meet the biblical qualifications for eldership as outlined in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9
- A mature follower of Jesus with a demonstrated commitment to personal spiritual growth
- Humble, teachable, and able to work collaboratively with other leaders
- Strong shepherd’s heart with a genuine passion for caring for people and equipping them for ministry
- Become a member at Westside regularly attending while embracing the mission and vision of NGC.
- Thrives in a high-paced, dynamic environment with adaptability and resilience.
- Effectively manages multiple priorities with strong problem-solving instincts,
- Detail oriented with high standards of excellence, accuracy and timeliness
- Professional in appearance and communication
- Maintain confidentiality with regard to office and church information
- Teachable and eager to learn
- A servant’s heart
- Relates well with a diverse group of people in a variety of settings
- Manage and diffuse difficult situations with composure and professionalism
- Comfortable and growing in IT skills including Microsoft Office, Google suite, Planning Center and other platforms
Compensation/Benefits
The salary range for this position is $90,000-$130,000 and will be determined based on experience, qualifications, and internal equity. This position is eligible for a comprehensive benefits package, which includes medical, dental, and vision coverage, retirement plan participation, paid time off, and other employee benefits.
Job Progress Metrics and Evaluation
This position reports directly to the Executive Pastor of Local Churches and will receive regular performance evaluations. Compensation is reviewed regularly. The following are clear and tangible ways that you can assess your progress in your job. You'll notice these metrics are related to the most important parts of your job (the people you're impacting) and are areas that you directly influence on a weekly and monthly basis.
- Quality and consistency of preaching in form, delivery, and theological faithfulness
- Intentional equipping of the saints through the development of vocational and non-vocational leaders across all areas of oversight
- Purposeful and meaningful shepherding of the congregation
- Closing the loop on projects, initiatives, meetings, and people