The Union Church of Guatemala (UCG) announces an opening for the position of Senior Pastor. For 75 years, the mission of UCG continues to be to serve the English-speaking population of Guatemala. Located in Guatemala City, the metropolitan area has an urban population of 3.3 million and is the largest city in Central America. The congregation is made up of national and international business men and women, employees and volunteers at non-government organizations, missionaries, entrepreneurs, diplomatic corps, and other third-country nationals who have settled there. The membership is equally divided between Guatemalan and foreign-born individuals and the leadership of the church reflects this diversity. The congregation is comprised of many nationalities with multiple denominational backgrounds. The three Sunday services reflect the worship preferences of members and includes a contemporary, traditional, and coffee-house style orientation and the church offers active children's, youth, and women's ministries on Sundays and throughout the week. Weekly attendance for the three services is around 200 unique individuals per week. The annual budget in recent years has consistently remained around US$260,000. The church is governed by a Board of Elders and an active Church Council. The Union Church of Guatemala is independent, self-supporting and self-governing and receives no financial assistance from any denomination or missionary society. The church has no indebtedness and, with the equivalent of four spacious buildings and an on-site parking lot, there are no current plans for expansion. The salary for this position will be competitive and no support needs to be raised. The Senior Pastor will be provided on-site housing.
Minimum Qualifications
The successful applicant must: • Be a man; • Believe that he has been called into the ministry by God. He shall meet the qualifications for a minister as recorded in the Bible (I Timothy 3:2-7); • Subscribe to all portions of the Apostle’s Creed; • Possess native or near-native fluency in English and have a working knowledge of Spanish, or at least, the willingness to learn the language for day to day life; • Have strong, mature, and godly character; • Demonstrate gifted insight into the Scripture and communicate well those insights to others; • Be ordained by a Protestant denomination; (Although there are denominational differences in ordination, the successful applicant must be qualified to perform church rites and sacraments, such as communion, baptisms, marriages and funerals.) • Be willing to relocate to Guatemala City; and, • Accept an initial contract of three years; and, • Be a team player willing to work together with staff and lay voluntary committees.
Preferred Qualifications (not prerequisite)
The exceptional applicant will also possess: • Advanced speaking, writing, and reading skills in Spanish; • Good understanding of the culture and dynamics of a church working in multicultural ministry; • A Bachelor's Degree from an accredited institution. Masters of Divinity or higher degree from an accredited Seminary or School of Theology preferred; • Experience in lay/pastoral capacities, serving in a church or other Christian ministry for at least 10 years combined; • Five years of experience in serving in the church with ministerial and pastoral care functions • A history of leading staff of different sizes, including mentoring and discipling younger leaders; • Knowledge of Guatemala City, Guatemala; and, • Strong track record of service and missions, both locally and globally
Responsibilities and Duties
The Senior Pastor at the Union Church of Guatemala is expected to: • Be responsible for the Sunday worship services; • Be responsible for leading the church to function as a New Testament church; • Promote the spiritual welfare of the congregation; • Lead the congregation; • Observe the traditions of the Church presented by the Board of Elders; • Be the under shepherd of the church and be responsible for leading the church Pastoral ministries. As such, he will work with the Board of Elders, Church Council, church staff, and church members to:
Lead the church, through congregational governance, in the achievement of its mission in compliance with the mission statement given in the church's Constitution and By-Laws and Manual of Operations,
Proclaim the gospel to believers and unbelievers, and
Care for the church's members and other persons in the community, including counseling and visitation.
• Be ex-officio member of all committees; • Be a voting member of the Board of Christian education; • Serve as a member of the crisis management team; • Conduct funeral services and wedding ceremonies; and, • Serve as chief-of-ministerial staff; and, • In consultation with the Board of Elders, shall arrange for the pulpit to be filled during his absences; and, • Work with the congregation in building a shared vision for the church’s future and developing the strategic plan to get there