Executive Pastor

Overview

The Bridge Church is seeking a high-capacity, high-trust Executive Pastor to serve as the strategic integrator, culture carrier, and organizational leader who will bring clarity, alignment, and execution to our growing church. This role is designed for a gifted second-chair leader who thrives in operations, leadership development, systems, and staff oversight—freeing our Lead Pastor to focus on vision, preaching, and key relationships.

Who You Are

• A relational shepherd who leads spiritually with care, emotional intelligence, and a deep love for the staff and people of the church.
• A strategic thinker who can translate vision into actionable strategy and execute with discipline and clarity.
• A gifted leader of leaders with a proven ability to recruit, develop, and manage high-performance teams.
• A systems and structure builder who thrives on creating organizational clarity, accountability, and alignment.
• A steady force and culture champion, reinforcing our mission and values through your words, actions, and leadership presence.
• A second-chair leader who finds purpose and calling in making someone else’s vision a reality—someone who thrives behind the scenes, not in the spotlight.
• A trusted partner and integrator for the Lead Pastor—deeply aligned, relationally connected, and sharing mutual respect and friendship.
• A fast-paced operator who brings cadence, consistency, and momentum—driving toward results without needing to be pulled along.
• A discernment-driven thinker who offers intellectual and spiritual depth, not just agreement—able to assess ideas critically and push back in love.
• A unifier, capable of aligning diverse teams and functions, keeping everyone rowing in the same direction with shared values, priorities, and focus.
• A filter and finisher, capable of translating big-picture vision into executable plans—removing obstacles, resolving tension, and delivering results.
• A capable communicator, able to preach 3–4 times per year and step in during emergencies as needed.
• A personally accountable and self-managing leader who demonstrates resilience, humility, adaptability, and sound judgment.
• A long-haul partner in ministry—committed not just to a position, but to a people and a purpose.
• A relational fit with our Lead Pastor and team. If you wouldn’t want to be stuck in an airport together for 8 hours, this probably isn’t the right match.
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Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the Integrator and right hand to the Lead Pastor, translating vision into systems, strategy, and execution.
• Provide leadership and oversight to the entire staff team, including hiring, coaching, goal-setting, and accountability.
• Own the organizational structure, ensuring every team member is aligned, empowered, and in the right seat.
• Lead all day-to-day operations of the church, including ministries, staff management, and strategic initiatives.
• Build and maintain organizational clarity—keeping communication flowing, people aligned, and culture healthy.
• Serve as the primary driver of execution, ensuring church-wide initiatives move forward on time, with excellence.
• Filter and sharpen the Lead Pastor’s ideas—serving as a strategic sounding board and trusted decision-making partner.
• Champion and implement EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System), ensuring systems are followed and traction is gained across all departments.
• Manage the annual ministry plan and budgeting process, working in tandem with our accounting partners and ministry leaders.
• Maintain a data-driven approach, ensuring we have clear insights into attendance, engagement, giving, and health.
• Serve as a conflict resolver and tiebreaker, fostering unity and keeping momentum when teams are stuck.
• Provide organizational cadence, leading staff rhythms such as weekly lead team meetings, all-staff gatherings, and development rhythms.
• Support campus expansion, preparing systems, staffing, and infrastructure for healthy multi-site growth.
• Shepherd the staff team spiritually and personally, reinforcing care, character, and calling.
• Occasionally preach or teach as needed in alignment with the teaching team’s needs and opportunities.
• Serves as a member on the elder board. Upon hire, a season of examination as an elder candidate will begin. Formal eldership will not commence until the candidate is confirmed and voted as an elder by the elder board.
  

Required Qualifications

• A deep love for Jesus, his church, and a lifestyle of integrity, holiness and authenticity.
• A clear sense of calling to pastoral ministry.
• Full alignment with the Statement of Beliefs, the Values of The Bridge Church, the Values of the Staff, and the 7 C’s of Staff.
• Previous church leadership experience in a large or growing church.
• History of leading teams, managing staff, supervising direct reports, and overseeing complex organizational operations.
• Strong organizational, management, relational, and communication skills with a passion for clarity and excellence.
• Experience working humbly and effectively behind the scenes to make others successful.
  

Desired Qualifications

• Previous Executive Pastor experience in a large or growing church environment.
• Experience implementing organizational systems and frameworks such as EOS, LEAN, or similar models.
• Formal theological education (seminary degree or equivalent).
• Church planting leadership experience.
• Proven ability to navigate change management in complex organizations.
• Track record of mentoring and developing leaders at multiple levels.
• Ability to analyze and steward large budgets and resources with wisdom.
• Prior experience and competence in the area of preaching and teaching.
  

Why This Role Matters

This isn’t just a job—it’s a calling. The Executive Pastor will be the single most important staff hire for our next season of growth and impact. This role will be catalytic to unleashing the full vision God has given The Bridge Church: to lead as many people as possible into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and multiply the kingdom of God in Wilmington and beyond.

Employee Expectations

1. 7 C’s of a Staff Member

Fulfills the expectations of a staff member at The Bridge Church written in the Staff 7 C’s.

2. Employee Handbook

Fulfills all requirements and expectations written in the Employee Handbook of The Bridge Church.

3. Weekly Office Hours and Work Schedule

Fulfills the following weekly office hours for employees.

• Monday-Thursday, office hours 8:30am–4:30pm
• Sunday hours for regularly scheduled worship gatherings
• As needed for church events requiring staff attendance

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