Snapshot

Denomination: Non-Denominational

Affiliation: Acts 29 and Orchard Group

Weekly Attendance:  50-75

Location: Seattle, WA

The Role: Lead Pastor

Meet Icon Church:

Icon began with a group of people meeting together in a home in 2018 with a vision to plant a new church in the heart of Seattle. God blessed that mission and vision and in the fall of 2019 Icon officially launched. After six months, COVID-19 forced a shift to online-only services from March 2020 - March 2021. As in-person gatherings resumed, Icon found a home in Seattle’s Central District, gathering at Emerald City Seventh Day Adventist Church.

From the beginning, theology and community have been priorities at Icon. If we are to faithfully follow Jesus in real life we need each other for encouragement and accountability, and we need to be grounded in the truth of who God is and how he works in the world. The first sermon series we walked through in 2019 was ten weeks focused on ten tough questions surrounding Christianity, focused on both grounding the congregation and communicating publicly what Icon Church stands for. Community groups were established even before the official public launch of the church, to give people a connection point during the week with a group of other believers walking out their faith together.

At Icon, you’ll find a community of people connecting their careers, families, and relationships with their faith. We root ourselves in the Bible, believing it’s God’s spoken testimony about himself. We orient our lives around grace, knowing that no one ever graduates from need. We also know this isn’t a solo journey, so we gather regularly for friendship and fellowship with a desire for families to flourish in an urban context.  Icon also values partnerships with other like-minded and like-hearted organizations and churches committed to impacting our city for Jesus.

About the Lead Pastor:

Icon Church exists to make disciples who follow Jesus faithfully in real life. Icon has a plurality of elders, with a Lead Pastor who serves as an elder as well. The Lead Pastor is the primary person responsible for the vision and direction of the church, he is the first among equals with the church eldership and he leads the congregation through the preaching and teaching of the Word of God.

The lead pastor is the primary role that stewards the vision, strategy, and goals of the church. He oversees and is responsible for the direction and growth of the staff and other key leaders in the church.

While we don’t know what comes next, this transition has formed relationships that will last the rest of our lives. It is our hope and prayer that God still has a role for Icon to play in Seattle and that the next Lead Pastor will be called to serve Icon Church for years to come.

The Lead Pastor's Responsibilities Include: 

Organizational Leadership

• Lead the staff and be viewed by them as a pastor, resource, and developer who helps them maximize their God-given potential

• Develop ministry strategies with Staff and ministry team leads

• Support Executive Director with the administrative and operational functions of the church

• Delegate tasks and responsibilities to Executive Director, Elders, and volunteers in a way that empowers them to use their God-given talents and resources

• Provide ongoing feedback and encouragement to employees and volunteers and perform quarterly performance reviews with employees

• Develop annual budget proposals for submittal to and approval by the Elder board and steward the church finances well by adhering to the budget

Public Ministry of the Word | Icon Church places a high value on expositional preaching. However, we also recognize that there are seasons in the life of a local church that are served well by topical Sermons.

• One of the Lead Pastor’s primary responsibilities is to plan and preach both expositional and topical sermon series in a manner that encourages godly Christian living and is in accord with sound doctrine

• Train, equip, and delegate the public preaching of God’s word to other faithful leaders

• Pray faithfully for the congregation

• Provide theological direction and emphasis to overall ministry teaching efforts

• Collaborate weekly planning of the worship services and liturgy with the Worship Director and other staff and volunteers

Pastoral Care

• Pastors and Elders are called first to shepherd their family (1 Timothy 3:2,4), and then the flock of God (1 Peter 5:1-4)

• With the Elders, oversee ministry to partners, including but not limited to: discipleship, counseling, hospital visits, weddings, and funerals

Local & Global Advance of the Gospel

• Connect and build a network of support and partnership with other local church leaders

• Partner with parachurch ministries in the Seattle area (i.e Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission)

• Partner with parachurch ministries and missionaries around the world

• Lead by example, living an evangelistic life with our neighbors in Seattle

Development of Those Desiring Ministry as Vocation

• Oversee theological and pastoral growth of staff members

• Oversee spiritual equipping and practical training of members expressing strong interest in or call toward ministry as vocation

• Help identify members appearing to have gifts or desires toward ministry as vocation

What You Bring: 

The following describes many of the characteristics of the ideal candidate for the Lead Pastor:

Education & Experience

• 5+ years ministry experience preferred with lead or executive pastor experience

• Ordained or able to be ordained

• Completion of a seminary degree or in-progress toward a seminary degree

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Demonstrated qualifications set forth in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9

• Demonstrated effectiveness in evangelism, teaching, and discipling adults

• Demonstrated effectiveness in pastoral care and ministry in a post-Christian urban context

• Effective communicator, ability to bring clarity to a variety of objectives and plans

• Significant interpersonal skills, situational awareness, and the ability to navigate complex social situations and conflict

• Demonstrated expressions of the fruit of the Spirit in daily life

• Skills in fostering teamwork and resolving conflict

• Able to wisely delegate to others

• Desire and effectiveness in interacting with the local community

• Empowering staff leadership; hire, develop, and retain staff; develop and equip the church body in their gifts

Personal Characteristics & Qualifications

• Must be a born-again, baptized believer

• Committed to pursuing a life of holiness and purity with a pattern of mortifying sin in life

• Demonstrated practice of spiritual disciplines

• Demonstrated healthy pattern of sabbath rest, serving from an overflow of rest

• Compelling and effective leader

• Spirit led wisdom and discernment

• Effective verbal and written communicator across vast audiences

• Shepherder

• Exhorter

• Strong faith

What it's Like to Live in Seattle, WA: 

Seattle, a city on Puget Sound in the Pacific Northwest, is surrounded by water, mountains and evergreen forests, and contains thousands of acres of parkland. Seattle’s nickname is the Emerald City, due to its proximity to nature and the greenery that surrounds the city. For outdoor enthusiasts, the mountains are very close by for all kinds of hiking, skiing, and climbing. Washington’s best national parks are only a few hours away. There is water everywhere, from lakes to the Puget Sound. The weather is mild and all 4 seasons are experienced. Residents are not far from Canada. Seattle continuously ranks as one of the top 10 places to live in the country for jobs, especially in the tech industry. Washington State’s largest city is home to a large tech industry, with Microsoft and Amazon headquartered in its metropolitan area. Seattle also boasts an incredible food scene, particularly in regard to their great selection of seafood restaurants. The city itself offers wonderful food, entertainment, and sports. It is a great place to live and work!

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