New Church Director - Job Opening

Here's an announcement from the Texas Annual Conference. Note: I am NOT inside the loop on this hiring process, just a concerned by-stander.

January 27, 2006

The Texas Annual Conference is seeking a Director of New Church Development to
work in the new Office of Congregational Excellence.

A complete job description follows.
Resumes and salary expectations should be sent by February 21, 2006, to Dr.
Karen S. Dorris, 3900 Lexington Blvd., Missouri City, Texas, 77459, or
kdorris@hswdistrict.org.

Director of New Church Development
Texas Annual Conference


Primary focus of the position: Director of New Church Development will work with
the Director of the Center for Congregational Excellence to resource local
churches and districts for the purpose of implementing the conference priority
of starting new churches.

Primary task: Resource districts and local churches in the task of starting new
congregations which are vibrant, growing. And reflect the population of the
Texas Annual Confrence

Results of Director's work:

+ Create a culture of new church development across the annual conference

+ In partnership with the Director of Congregational Excellence and district
superintendents develop, implement, resource and coordinate a process/system for
New Church Development.

Identify and prioritize sites for 10-15 new church/satellites each year.
Develop criteria for churches that should be encouraged to do a new church start
or satellite.
Align and coordinate resources for new church starts and satellites.
In consultation with the bishop, cabinet, director of congregational excellence,
and director of clergy excellence, identify, recruit and equip clergy to do a
new church start or satellite.
Establish the criteria and policies used in assessment to determine continuing
support and termination of a new church start or satellite.

System Results: To work with Bishop, Director Congregational Excellence, staff,
Coference Council (by whatever name it shall be called) and district
superintendents to align the system to achieve the following Conference
outcomes.
+ Increased number of trained clergy prepared to provide spiritual leadership
for a new church start or satellite.
+ Increased number of churches starting a new church or satellite.
+ Increased number of healthy, growing new churches and satellites.
+ Lowering of average age of congregation.
+ Congregational demographics better aligned with neighborhoods.


Supervision and Accountability
The Director of New Church Development will be directly responsible to
the Director of the Center for Congregational Excellence.

Leadership Qualities and Characteristics
+ A healthy relationship with God: understands, knows and celebrates the power
of the gospel of Jesus Christ to bring healing and wholeness, forgiveness and
reconciliation plus justice and peace to the lives of individuals,
congregations,and their respective communities.
+ A maturing spirituality: maintains a disciplined spiritual life, desires to
be a lifelong learner, maintains healthy boundaries and is accountable for one's
work and actions.
+ Integrity: external behavior is aligned with internal Christian beliefs and
healthy relationship with God.
+ A caring heart: a servant leader who cultivates the gifts of the spirit and
empowers others to claim their call.
+ Flexible: implements changes in personal job description and work patterns,
the work of staff or in staff personnel as the needs of the local
churches, districts and/or conference change.
+ Developed evidences and/or history of relating positively to diverse persons,
cultures, languages and economic groups.


Skills and Competencies
+ Visioning and implementation skills: the ability to identify and articulate
the vision plus the assessment and administrative skills to make the vision
become reality.
+ Procamation skills: possesses and articulates a working knowledge of
biblical faith; demonstrates the ability to communicate and apply the gospel of
Jesus Christ in culturally relevant ways to the diverse population groups of the
Texas Annual Conference
+ Relational Skills: ability to listen, develop working teams, equip persons
for ministry and manage conflict in ways that lead to healthy resolution.
+ Self Care Skills: possesses the time management skills that lead to a healthy
balance between work, relationship, and self-care responsibilities.
+ Demonstrated administrative, management, and supervisory skills.
+ Demonstrated knowledge of new church start models and necessary demographic
information, and demonstrated skills in the training and supervision of new
church start pastors and congregations.


Salary Negotiable