Associate Pastor

About Haven Community Church

At Haven Community Church, our mission is to transform spiritual seekers into fully devoted followers of Jesus. We strive to be an intentionally diverse and safe place where individuals can explore the claims of Christ, experience His healing, fall in love with Jesus, and live lives filled with joy and purpose. We are a Christ-centered congregation deeply valuing ethnic, generational, and ability diversity, authentic prayer, relational ministry, and long-term spiritual health.

Position Summary & Leadership Succession Plan

Haven Community Church is seeking a relationally gifted, spiritually grounded minister to serve as Associate Pastor, with the intentional goal of transitioning into the Lead Pastor role over a 1 to 2 year period.

The incoming Associate Pastor will work alongside our current pastoral leadership during a guided onboarding phase. This transitional period will allow the candidate to build deep relationships with the congregation, engage actively in church life, invest in leadership development, and naturally step into full lead pastoral duties.

Key Responsibilities

1. Leadership Development & Spiritual Formation

• Equip, empower, and mentor staff, committed volunteers, and lay leaders to foster distributed leadership.

• Meet regularly with key leaders. 

• Drive spiritual formation processes to cultivate deep relational and spiritual growth within the community.

• Lead or host 1 to 2 small groups as primary contexts for intentional discipleship.

• Maintain dedicated daily time for personal prayer and Scripture study as a spiritual discipline.

2. Preaching & Pastoral Care

• Deliver Christ-centered, engaging, and biblically sound preaching.

• Provide warm, compassionate pastoral care and build authentic personal relationships across the congregation.

• Actively participate in congregational life beyond Sunday morning worship services.

• Conduct weekly member follow-up (such as reviewing Sunday rosters and reaching out to absent members).

3. Community Outreach, Evangelism & Diversity Culture

• Demonstrate a strong heart for evangelism, community outreach, and connecting with the surrounding Marysville community.

• Partner with the Marysville Area Ministerial Association (MAMA).

• Actively foster, champion, and celebrate Haven’s core values of ethnic, generational, and ability diversity (including sensitivity to individuals with special needs).

• Serve as a relational peacemaker who prioritizes and elevates relationships.

Key Qualifications & Profile

• Biblical Leadership Standards: Meets the character and leadership qualifications outlined in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1.

• Heart & Spiritual Character: A deeply Christ-centered leader who prioritizes spiritual discipline, daily prayer, and warm pastoral care.

• Experience Level: Preferred candidates with 5-10 years of experience seeking a long-term ministry home (prior Lead Pastor experience is not required, provided the candidate demonstrates strong spiritual maturity and relational leadership capacity).

• Discipleship Focus: Proven track record in spiritual formation, small group leadership, and developing lay leaders.

• Preaching & Communication: Strong biblical preaching skills and clear communication.

• Teaching: Strong biblical teaching skills.

• Cultural & Special Needs Sensitivity: Cultural awareness and empathy, including special needs sensitivity, across diverse backgrounds, age groups, and life stages.

• Relational Competency & Peacemaking: Demonstrated ability as a peacemaker who values people and builds healthy, trust-filled relationships with staff and the congregation. 

• Contextual Familiarity: Experience or comfort in suburban or urban/city ministry settings.