Snapshot

Denomination: Independent Baptist 

Weekly Attendance:  425

Location: Roanoke, Virginia

The Role:  Senior Pastor

Meet Shenandoah Baptist Church :

We are an independent Baptist church located in the Hollins area of Roanoke, VA.   Our campus is the center of a wide variety of ministry activities for the whole family.  Shenandoah Baptist Church is a people-oriented ministry.  The ultimate goal of the ministry is to glorify God and make disciples of Christ. 

Shenandoah Baptist Church offers a wide variety of ministry opportunities for everyone from children through Senior Adults. Roanoke Valley Christian Schools (offering grades K 2 thru 12), Awana, Children's Ministries, Discipleship Training, Student Ministries, Shenandoah Women’s Ministry, Seniors for Christ, Camp Eagle, and many more, are designed to help you grow in your relationship with the Lord Jesus.

Shenandoah not only seeks to assist members’ spiritual growth but also to encourage and equip them to serve. Through our local outreach ministries and our World Missions ministry, you can help share God’s love both here and around the world. There are also many ways to serve others through Music, LifeGroups, and other volunteer opportunities.  We seek to serve everyone and encourage everyone to serve.

While Shenandoah offers a wide range of ministries designed to serve the membership and enlist them in serving others, the key focus is helping everyone enter and grow in their personal relationship with Christ.

Roanoke Valley Christian Schools provides quality education for families of the Roanoke Valley and surrounding areas.  The school is dedicated to the development of Christian character, self-discipline and high moral and academic standards for its students.  RVCS occupies several of the campus buildings on Monday through Friday with the main school administrative office located in the Lower School Building. 

Camp Eagle provides year-round ministry by which people of all ages can separate from the worries of the world and saturate themselves in God’s creation and God’s Word.  The camp is located on 167 acres in Botetourt County, approximately 20 miles from the church campus.

Our foreign missions staff carries out the work and purposes of the Shenandoah Baptist Church around the world.  These staff members are located in various countries and locations.  Though separated by distance, they are a daily integral part of the ministry. 

About the Senior Pastor:

The next Senior Pastor of Shenandoah Baptist Church oversees the work and ministry of the church and protects the doctrinal purity and spiritual vitality of the church. His personal prayer and study of Scripture overflows into public expressions of both. He leads by providing vision and motivation through a healthy, mature, personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He shepherds staff, ministry leaders, and members in God’s mission for the church as overseer. He cares for the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of the flock as an under shepherd of the Great Shepherd.

The Senior Pastor Responsibilities Include: 

Preaching the Word

The Senior Pastor feeds the flock at Shenandoah as the body of Christ out of an overflow from his personal feeding from the Scriptures. Exegetical and expository preaching of God’s Word communicates the whole counsel of God while exhorting and equipping the saints to obey God’s will for their lives by faith while searching the Scriptures for themselves. Opportunities to protect the doctrinal purity and spiritual vitality of the church include but are not limited to:

• Weekly
• Preaching the Sunday morning sermon(s)
• Regularly
• Preaching Sunday evening
• Leading communion
• Leading small group
• Speaking at major church events
• Membership class
• Teaching Wednesday evenings (EquipU program)
• As Needed
• Officiating funerals
• Officiating weddings
• Baptisms
• Speaking at school and camp events

Prayer

The Senior Pastor makes daily communion with God through prayer a priority. He must be saturated in prayer in order to lead, protect, and feed the flock. His example will be a model to follow and sets the tone for a ministry soaked in prayer. The Senior Pastor’s public ministry must be rooted in his personal empowerment and filling of the Holy Spirit for the glory of Christ and the benefit of God’s people. He fosters a culture of prayer for the entire ministry by staying watchful for prayerlessness and consistently calling God’s people to prayer.

Leadership & Shepherding
The Senior Pastor serves as the presiding elder (Chairman of the Elder Board) and is responsible for setting the agenda for and leading Elders meetings. He equips Elders to fulfill their office and partners with Elders to oversee the work and ministry of the church.

The Senior Pastor trains and shepherds deacons for their ministry of member care.

The Senior Pastor leads regular pastoral and staff meetings through prayer, scripture, administrative planning, and vision-setting. He works closely with the Executive Pastor to shepherd the entire ministry with direct oversight for the “church ministry” pastors (Associate Pastors for Worship, Students, and Equipping & Local Mission) to ensure faithfulness to the mission, fulfillment of the vision, and care of the flock.

Pastoral Care & Protection
The Senior Pastor works alongside the elders, deacons, care teams, and pastoral staff to equip the flock to meet the care needs within the church, including protecting the doctrinal purity and spiritual vitality of the church. Building relationships with church members establishes a foundation for ministry, as well as occasional in-person visits with those grieving, hospitalized, homebound, etc.

The Senior Pastor serves alongside Associate Pastors for Worship, Students, and Equipping & Local Mission as the four “general membership pastors” in performing marriages, leading funerals, providing pastoral counseling, and identifying, training, and discipling future leaders within the church. 

What You Bring: 

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

Education & Experience

• Bachelor Degree - Required
• Seminary Degree - Preferred
• 10 + years of experience in ministry
• 5 + years of Senior Pastor experience or equivalent

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Spiritual and practical maturity
• Unifier of all ministries of Shenandoah Baptist Church
• Servant-leadership, exemplifying the humility and attitude of Christ
• High relational skills, and a love for people inside and outside the church
• Demonstrates the qualities of integrity, responsibility, and teachability as a gracious and loving pastor
• Evidence of humility and dependence on the Holy Spirit and wisdom of Scripture
• A comprehensive understanding of the Scriptures
• A skilled  preacher and teacher with a love for knowledge and the Bible. 
• Gifted to communicate to different generations through God’s Word

Personal Characteristics & Qualifications

• Passion for people and reaching out to people who don’t attend church
• Biblical qualifications of an Elder (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9)
• Evidence of God’s call to the pastoral ministry
• Passionate about missions - local and abroad
  
• Dedication to his family, exhibiting wisdom in balancing family and ministry
  
• Exemplary character and integrity
  
• Passionate personal worship and love for God
  
• Intentional evangelism and personal witness
  
• Full agreement with the Statement of Faith and general ministry philosophy, goals, and direction of Shenandoah Baptist Church  

What it's Like to Live in Roanoke, Virginia: 

As the 9th largest city in Virginia, Roanoke is home to just over 100,000 people in the city proper, with the “attendance radius” of Shenandoah Baptist Church covering the wider metro area of almost 250,000 people.  The population of the greater Roanoke Valley has been on an upward trend since 2000 with an influx of younger and middle-aged families. The average age in Roanoke is 38 years old and the demographics of Roanoke are trending toward being multiethnic, though it is still a predominantly white area (58%). The black population (28%), Hispanic/Latino population (7%), and Asian population (5%) are all growing demographics—especially in the vicinity of our church.  The region’s cost of living ranks consistently lower than the national average.  

Nestled between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny mountains, Roanoke offers the best of city culture and amenities with the best of outdoor recreation and beauty.  The area is a hub for the health services industry and is central to many colleges and universities offering a wide range of educational opportunities as well as arts and sports.  Smith Mountain Lake, an array of farmers’ markets, the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Appalachian Trail are all minutes away, while downtown is filled with unique shops, restaurants, museums, performance venues and parks, including Mill Mountain, the home of the iconic Roanoke Star.

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