CANDIDATE INFORMATION PACKET - Ryan Fields

Briefly describe the role of the senior pastor as part of the elder board: The senior pastor is "first among equals" on the elder board, in the sense that all of the elders of the church are shepherds, called to keep watch over the flock (Acts 20:28, 1 Peter 5:2). I believe that healthy pastoral leadership recognizes both the significant role of the senior pastor as well as the constraints of what the senior pastor can do by himself. An effective senior pastor will thus work closely with the other shepherds, seeing that they are doing well spiritually and helping them to grow in their shepherding abilities. The senior pastor is called to cultivate a culture of gospel vulnerability among this group of men, leading in this by being transparent with them about areas of struggle and any need of prayer. The elders are the men that the senior pastor has the primary calling to come alongside and mentor, so that the church would have an increase of mature shepherds who can share the shepherding responsibility. This also means being proactive in developing leaders who could potentially serve as elders one day. The senior pastor (in conjunction with the chair of the elder board) is ultimately to provide leadership for this group of men, maintaining the priorities of word and prayer (Acts 6:2) and facilitating their care for the flock and oversight of its life and ministries in accordance with the Word of God. Briefly describe the role and relationship of the associate pastors to the senior pastor: The senior pastor and the associate pastors are, first and foremost, brothers in Christ and colleagues in the vital ministry of being vocational shepherds of the flock. The senior pastor labors alongside of the associate pastors as equals in the sense that they are all pastors, all charged with the high calling of pastoral ministry. The senior pastor is ultimately responsible for overseeing the staff on behalf of the elders, and so he is responsible for seeing that the associate pastors are faithful to their pastoral duties and mentored so that they grow in their capacity to shepherd the flock well. While senior and associate pastors would have distinct areas of responsibility, I would desire that they work extremely closely together, collaborating on various ministry efforts and praying for one another frequently. I would also desire that there would be a sharing of general pastoral duties in a way that is appropriate to their job descriptions (sharing preaching responsibilities, visitation, conducting weddings and funerals, presiding over baptism and the Lord's Supper, overseeing various ministry teams, etc.) The challenges for growing the body and reaching more lost people for Christ amidst Covid- 19 center around the fact that Christians cannot be physically present for fellowship and corporate worship together, and they cannot be physically present in their various spheres of influence to be salt and light and available for gospel witness as the Spirit opens a door for this. This includes limitations on the frequency and size of gatherings for corporate worship, where the believer is ministered to in a powerful way and where the lost can not only hear the gospel proclaimed but behold the gospel visualized in the sacraments and see the gospel lived out by the community. Yet, there may very well be more opportunities to grow the body and reach the lost for Christ amidst Covid-19. Consider that believers who might have become stagnant in their faith might be awakened by this global pandemic to how much they (and the world) need Jesus. Consider that Christians may have had more time for In your opinion, what ministry challenges and opportunities have been created by Covid- 19 for growing the body and reaching more of the lost for Christ?

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