Job Opportunity

Associate Pastor

Thunder Bay ON, Canada

Meet Fort William Baptist Church

Fort William Baptist Church is a group of baptized followers of Jesus Christ who have by God’s grace been awakened to recognize that:

Our greatest treasure is God Himself (Father, Son, Holy Spirit). Therefore, we have a deep passion to prize God.
Our greatest pleasure is learning to bask in the incomparable greatness of God and to respond in free and full praise to His name. Therefore, we share a deep passion to praise God.
Our greatest calling is to proclaim to the nations the glory of our God and to call them to join us in the joy of being His people through faith in His Son. Therefore, we overflow in a passion to proclaim God.

Together, we are spreading a passion to prize God, to praise God, and to proclaim God.

Fort William Baptist has been rooted in Thunder Bay from the very beginning. Since 1892 we have sought to be a witness to the saving news of Jesus and his precious work in Northern Ontario. At present the mission continues. Outside of our Sunday services we have various ministries targeted to all ages––BLAST, Fusion, Little Seedlings, Growth Groups. And it is our desire in this next season of ministry to further strengthen these ministries.

About the Associate Pastor

Fort William Baptist Church is looking to hire an Associate Pastor that will provide elder oversight for Growth Group ministries and Family Ministries. Oversight of these various ministries includes leading these ministries to align with the vision of the elders of FWBC, training the many volunteers and lay leaders of these ministries to proclaim God’s word to God’s people, feeding the participants in these ministries with God’s word, and guarding the doctrine and practice of the ministries of FWBC. The Associate Pastor will work closely with the Elders, Senior Pastor, and Staff Team. This is a full-time, paid position with full benefits.

The Associate Pastor Responsibilities

General Pastoral Duties

Serve as the church’s second main teaching pastor
Engage and evangelize unbelievers, establish new Christians in the faith, equip and train the saints of God
Maintain a consistent study life of prayer, Bible reading, and theological study
Attend and participate in Elder meetings as a fellow elder
Attend and participate in weekly staff meetings
Champion the core values and commitments of FWBC
Share in the work of pastoral visitation

Other responsibilities as directed by the Senior Pastor and Elders

Growth Group Ministries

Understand and be conversant in the following books: The Trellis and the Vine, The Vine Project, and Growth Groups
Lead and teach church members to understand the principles, methods, and goals of Growth Group ministries
Lead in the selection of appropriate teaching material for Growth Groups
Evaluate Growth Groups and their leaders
Recruit and train Growth Group leaders
Lead Growth Groups to be an outward-looking, evangelistic ministry
Lead a Growth Group
Build accessible pathways to Growth Groups so that both newcomers and new members can easily join in

Family Ministries

Characteristics of an Ideal Candidate

Exemplifies a life of godliness and the character of an elder as detailed in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 2
Heartily agrees with the governing documents (Constitution, Statement of Faith, Church Covenant), practices, and theological vision (Prize, Praise, and Proclaim) of FWBC
A happy Christian Hedonist, a lover of God’s sovereignty in salvation, a convictional Baptist, an exponent of Christ-centered preaching, a student of Redemptive-Historical Theology
Skilled teacher of Scripture who can both teach large and small groups of people
A generalist who is willing to throw in and help where needed
A humble, teachable spirit that is responsive, open to constructive evaluation, and eager to learn
An ability to recruit, organize, develop, encourage, and communicate with leaders and teams
An aptitude to organize systems, work with technology, plan, budget, and manage events and projects
A self-starting attitude that identifies, strategizes, and implements what needs to be done
A willingness to work as a team member and submit to a plurality of elders
Evidence of consistent biblical maturity in leadership and teaching
A willingness to be ordained in FEB Central

What it's like to live in Thunder Bay

With over 100,000 inhabitants Thunder Bay has many of the amenities that larger cities boast. For outdoor enthusiasts Thunder Bay is an ideal landing spot. Biking and hiking trails, lakes and rivers, all abound and are easily accessible. Also, Thunder Bay ranks as one of the most affordable cities in Ontario to buy a home.

Thunder Bay is located on the western shores of Lake Superior approximately 8 hours from Winnipeg, MB, and 8 hours from Sault Saint Marie, ON. It is situated about 40 minutes north of the United States border, 3.5 hours from Duluth, MN, and 6 hours from Minneapolis, MN.