Appendix 2: Sample Pastor and Congregation Commitment and Covenant

Sample “Pastor and Congregation Commitment and Covenant”

Agreeing on a list of basic responsibilities will help the pastor and congregation begin with a shared understanding of expectations.

Our Pastor will provide pastoral leadership in the following ways:

z Provide spiritual leadership through growth in personal spiritual disciplines, faithful preaching from Scripture, personal evangelism, and focus on the Great Commission. z Discern, develop consensus, and communicate vision and movement forward to what God would have our church to be and do. z Lead in corporate worship, including the celebration of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. z Model and oversee pastoral care to the sick, bereaved, and those with other needs. z Perform and/or delegate administrative duties related to office, staff, and property that are necessary in the ongoing life and ministry of the church. z Work through the decision-making structure of the church (committees, ministry teams, etc.) to help them perform their assigned tasks. z Serve as the supervisor of all paid staff. z Represent the church in community and denominational activities. z Provide training for our people in the areas of personal evangelism, discipleship, age group leadership, and other ministry areas related to the vision of the church. z Work with the deacons to provide spiritual leadership and service to the congregation. z Minister to families through major life events such as births, weddings, funerals, and other milestones.

Our Church will provide support to the pastor’s leadership in the following ways:

z Pray regularly for the pastor and his family. z Maintain strong personal growth in an individual relationship with Jesus that understands each church member’s responsibility to personally participate in the Great Commission.

z Participate in this family of faith by ministering to and caring for the needs of each other. z Support the pastor and church leadership through faithful attendance and giving. z Provide salary, benefits, and expenses adequate to meet the pastor’s financial needs and including opportunities for continued service and growth. z Provide budget resources necessary for fulfilling the expectations of his job and for accomplishing the vision and mission of the church. z Believe the best about his motives and leadership and talk with the pastor about concerns rather than talking about him to others. z Continually look for ways to personally serve and contribute to the ministry of the church. z Remain prayerfully open to new ideas, strategies, and methods for reaching and baptizing more people than ever before.

Note: Some churches have a very detailed job description for the pastor. This document is a summary of the job description and the addition of the congregation’s commitment.