Associate Pastor for Families/Discipleship & Outreach

Overview The River Church (non-denominational(affiliated with Church of God,Anderson), multi-site, 350+ combined attendance) is seeking a full-time Associate Pastor to serve at our Sewickley Campus (100+). This role partners closely with the Campus Pastor to strengthen family ministry, discipleship pathways, outreach, and the systems that help people move from first-time guest to mature disciple and leader.

We are looking for a shepherd-leader who is gifted in both relational ministry and organizational execution, The ideal candidate can take our vision and turn it into clear, scalable structures while caring well for people.

This position gives a person the opportunity to create brand new ministries in our church with Young Families, Teens, small groups and the entire church body. These ministries are not large in scale currently but we are looking forward to growth and impact in these areas. These are much needed areas of growth in our church. This does not mean that this person will hands on lead each of these ministries but will be responsible for building teams and working with additional staff that do.

Key Responsibilities

Organizational Leadership & Systems

• Partner with the Campus Pastor to translate vision into actionable strategies, goals, and ministry structures.

• Improve operational health: workflows, communication, volunteer onboarding, and ministry alignment.

• Identify bottlenecks and develop practical solutions that support healthy growth without sacrificing pastoral care.

Family Ministries

• Provide oversight of existing youth ministry (grades 7–12), including monthly programming, events, and missions.

• Develop a holistic family ministry approach that supports parents and engages the whole family unit.

• Partner with ministry leaders to create environments where children, students, and parents grow together in faith.

Discipleship & Assimilation

• Build and oversee clear pathways that help people move from first-time guest → connected attender → growing disciple → equipped servant leader.

• Strengthen small groups, volunteer systems, care/follow-up processes, and leadership development.

• Create simple next steps so people are not only attending but actively growing and serving.

Outreach & Community Engagement

• Lead and support outreach and evangelism efforts that engage the local community.

• Help the church remain outward-focused while building authentic relationships.

Teaching & Pastoral Care

• Preach 4–6 times per year.

• Share in pastoral care responsibilities (counseling, weddings, funerals, visitations) as needed.

• Model spiritual maturity, humility, and a heart for people.

Key Qualifications

Spiritual

• Clear testimony of saving faith in Jesus Christ and a growing walk with Him.

• Theologically sound and fully aligned with the church’s doctrine, mission, and values. We are a theologically conservative church that holds to Scripture as our authority in belief and practice but contemporary in our means to reach people.

• Demonstrates biblical character consistent with the qualifications for church leadership (1 Timothy 3 / Titus 1).

• Passionate about evangelism, discipleship, and the local church.

Leadership & Experience

• Proven ability to lead teams, develop leaders, and build sustainable ministry systems.

• Strong organizational skills with the ability to balance relational ministry and operational excellence.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills; able to work well with staff, volunteers, and elders.

• Previous church ministry experience required; experience in a growing church preferred. Have church experience at least 2-3 years, PREFERABLY 5+

• Formal biblical/theological education preferred but not required—character, competency, and calling are prioritized.

• Able to obtain required state and federal clearances under our Safe Sanctuary Child Protection Policy.

Reporting Reports to the Campus Pastor and works also with the Lead Pastor, elders, additional staff, and key volunteers.

To Apply Please send the following to markhelselmail@yahoo.com:

• Cover letter

• Resume

• Link to a recent preaching sample (if available)

• Photo

About The River Church We exist to help people experience, know, and share the love of Jesus. Our lived values: Show Grace | Speak Truth | Share Jesus | Serve Generously | Seek Community.

We are passionate about Scripture-centered preaching, authentic community, and reaching the unchurched and dechurched in the greater Pittsburgh area. Our primary demographic is young professionals and young families. Services can be viewed on our YouTube channel (The River Franklin Park). More info at our Facebook Page or at www.goriverchurch.org.

Location Sewickley/Franklin Park, PA — approximately 10–15 minutes north of downtown Pittsburgh. A family-friendly suburb with strong schools and easy 20 min drive to access to the city.