Assistant Pastor

Description

Faith Presbyterian Church in Anchorage, Alaska is a thirty-year-old congregation located in the heart of Anchorage, Alaska's largest city. Founded within the OPC, Faith joined the PCA nearly twenty years ago and remains firmly committed to Reformed theology and practice. On a typical Sunday, approximately 170 to 200 people gather for worship, representing a wide range of ages, backgrounds, and life circumstances.

Because of Anchorage's military presence and energy industry, the congregation includes many who come for a season and then move on, shaping a church accustomed to welcoming, discipling, and sending people well.

Faith is committed to the ordinary means of grace. The ministry of the church centers on Word, sacrament, prayer, fellowship, and pastoral care. In addition to the Lord's Day morning service, the church holds a monthly evening service, offers Sunday School for most of the year, and maintains community groups, Bible studies, prayer gatherings, and regular opportunities for service and mercy.

Worship follows a classic Reformed order, marked by reverence, congregational participation, and clear, Word-centered preaching.

The church is led by three active elders (with more in training) and eight deacons, and maintains a strong commitment to missions and mercy ministries, expressed through prayer and sustained financial support of missionaries and church planting efforts.

Faith Presbyterian Church is seeking a full-time Assistant Pastor to serve as a member of the pastoral staff, working closely with the Senior Pastor and the Session in the shepherding and ministry of the congregation. This position is particularly well suited for a recent or near-future M.Div. graduate who desires substantive pastoral responsibility within a supportive and collegial environment.

The Assistant Pastor will share broadly in the life and work of the church, including preaching, pastoral care, discipleship, and ministry leadership. There will be regular preaching opportunities, typically between twelve and twenty sermons per year, during both morning and evening worship services. The role also includes leadership in youth ministry, with responsibilities shaped by gifting and season.

This position is structured as an initial three-year call. For some men, this may serve as a formative season of pastoral ministry before moving on to another call. For others, it may develop into a longer-term role within the church or in Alaska, depending on gifting, mutual discernment, and the needs of the church. Faith Presbyterian Church is intentionally open-handed regarding vocational trajectories, recognizing that service in Alaska is a unique calling, and is committed to supporting faithful ministry wherever the Lord may lead.

The Assistant Pastor is expected to work with a high degree of initiative and independence, while also valuing collaboration, shared planning, and regular interaction with staff and the Session.

Primary responsibilities include:

* Serving alongside the Senior Pastor and Session in the shepherding, teaching, and spiritual care of the congregation

* Preaching regularly, typically twelve to twenty times per year, in both morning and evening worship services

* Participating actively in pastoral care, including visitation, prayer, counseling, and presence in the lives of church members

* Leading and supporting discipleship and evangelism efforts

* Teaching Sunday School and contributing to community group ministry

* Providing leadership for youth ministry, either through direct involvement or by organizing and supervising volunteers

* Helping plan and carry out ministry projects, events, and administrative responsibilities

* Participating in weekly staff meetings and attending Session meetings as a non-voting participant

Salary: $60K-$89K

Requirements

* Commitment to Reformed theology and practice and to ministry shaped by the ordinary means of grace

* Meets the biblical and confessional qualifications for ordination in the PCA

* Recent or near-future completion of an M.Div. degree (or equivalent)

* Demonstrated pastoral maturity, including teachability, humility, and relational wisdom

* Ability to work with initiative and independence while remaining accountable to pastoral oversight

* Capacity to serve in a multi-faceted, ever-shifting, and busy ministry context

How to Apply

Anchorage is a distinctive place to live and serve, and Alaska meaningfully shapes both life and ministry here. Nestled between the Chugach Mountains and Cook Inlet, the city offers the amenities of an urban center alongside immediate access to wilderness. Trails, mountains, water, and wildlife are minutes away, and for many families, outdoor life becomes part of the regular pattern of life rather than an occasional escape.

The pace of life in Anchorage is full, but not frantic.

Ministry at Faith reflects this same character. The work is active and varied, requiring flexibility, presence, and the ability to move between preaching, pastoral care,…