Lead Pastor Dalhousie Church - Calgary, AB, Canada - Briercrest College and Seminary

Description

Lead Pastor Dalhousie Church

Dalhousie Church is excited to welcome a lead pastor into our family to share the love of Jesus, worship, serve, and grow in faith together.
This opportunity profile provides an overview of the role and the community you would be joining.
Who we are
Our Mission
We believe that a relationship with Jesus transforms one?s life now and for eternity. We strive to be a community where we deepen this relationship by helping people belong, grow and serve.

Our Values
Belonging: We are a welcoming community that cares for each other through the highs and lows of life.
Growing: We open our hearts and minds to the life changing truth of God's Word.
Serving: We demonstrate God's love by serving others.

Our Story
Dalhousie Church was founded in 1984 as a church plant from Highland Mennonite Brethren Church in Calgary. We are a multi-generational congregation that gathers in person for a weekly Sunday morning service. We currently have 110 members with an average Sunday morning attendance of 200 people. We are an active member of the Alberta Mennonite Brethren Conference (ABMB).
The previous Lead Pastor left Dalhousie Church in June 2022. Since September 2022, a transition pastor, Dr. Dave Spate, has been leading us. The church has been extremely engaged through this transition process, regularly attending meetings and providing feedback regarding shared history, values, mission, and hopes for our community. The church has also worked hard during this time to update bylaws, renew the mission statement, update safety policies and procedures, formalize applications for baptism, membership, and volunteers, create an accountability and support structure for all paid and unpaid ministry positions, and improve communication about the various ministries and missions.
Our Ministries and Missions
We are a multigenerational church. We invest in ministries such as Sunday morning children?s programs, SMYBS (Sunday Morning Youth Bible Study), boys and girls club, youth, young adults, men?s, women?s, prayer and care ministries. We highly value our worship ministry and have a growing number of passionate musicians in the church, and a growing songwriter?s collective.
Small groups are a vital source of support and spiritual growth for our church community, The church engages with the community and neighbours through initiatives such as Alpha, blessing bags to people experiencing homelessness and an annual Stampede breakfast.
Our local and global mission partnerships include Action International, Camp Evergreen, International Justice Mission, Multiply, Next Step Ministries, Overseas Missionary Fellowship, Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), Power to Change, and Skatelife. We help these organizations through prayer and financial support.

Our Home Base
We are located in the neighbourhood of Dalhousie in the NW quadrant of Calgary, close to a major artery (Crowchild Trail), the LRT line, and a Calgary Housing Company affordable housing complex. Calgary is a multicultural city of 1.6 million with expanding suburbs, a revitalized downtown core, beautiful park space, and proximity to the Rocky Mountains.
The church building was built in 1984 and includes a sanctuary that seats 400, a gymnasium, a kitchen, several offices and classrooms, as well as a large parking lot. Our spaces are used by outside groups on a regular basis, including the Metro Church, Fun2Learn Preschool, and AA. We are in a strong position financially, and do not carry any debt or mortgage. In fact, we have been saving for a capital renovation, elements of which have already begun.
Who we are looking for
Qualities
Must meet the qualifications of a leader found in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 2.
Must be a shepherd leader with a strong gift of Biblical teaching/preaching.

Qualifications
Theology & Credentialing
Must be in agreement with the Canadian Mennonite Brethren Confession of Faith. See
Must be able to be Credentialed through the Alberta Mennonite Brethren Conference within 18 months of the start date.
Must be in agreement with the Dalhousie Church constitution, bylaws, mission statement, policies and practices (available to candidates upon request).
Formal Education
Must have advanced Bible School and/or seminary training. It is preferred that the candidate has a Master?s degree (i.e. M.Th., M.Div. or similar) from a recognized seminary.
Must demonstrate a commitment to ongoing formal and informal professional development.
Experience
Previous experience as a senior or lead pastor is preferred.
We will also consider someone who has leadership experience at the Associate Pastor level, who is ready to lead their own congregation. The onus will be on the candidate to demonstrate that they have the ability to step into a senior/lead pastor role.
Previous experience leading / supervising staff is preferred.
Previous experience working with a leadership board is preferred.

Key Responsibilities
Preaching (approximately 50% of time)
The Candidate will be expected to be the primary Sunday morning preacher (~75% of Sunday sermons). This involves the ability to plan out sermon series and preach sermons that align with the MB Confession of Faith and have practical applications for living out one?s faith.
Leadership (approximately 25% of time)
Lead, mentor (with the goal of multiplication), and equip staff and volunteer ministry leaders. There are currently five staff members (see and a number of volunteer ministry leaders.
Community and Collaboration Abilities (approximately 25% of time)
Dalhousie Church is a congregationally engaged church. The lead pastor will work collaboratively with the Spiritual Leadership Team (SLT) in engaging the congregation around shared mission and priorities.
Our community is important to us, and we want someone to help that community continue to thrive and care for each other, while also challenging us to look outside our walls to the communities around us.

Other Notes
This is a full-time salaried position.
A competitive salary and benefits will be provided. A relocation package will be considered for candidates applying from outside the Calgary area.
The preferred start date of this position is in mid-2024.
Applications will be reviewed as they are received.
Additional information pertaining to the position and the church will be provided to short-listed candidates.
We acknowledge that considering another role may complicate relationships with a Candidate?s current church/employer. Any applications or inquiries will be held in confidence by the Search Committee.
How to Apply
Candidates can apply in confidence by emailing the Dalhousie Church Search Committee at
To apply, please submit the following:
Cover Letter
Current CV/Resume
Any questions pertaining to this position or the search process can be directed to Chris Enns (Chair of Search Committee) at the email above.

Details