PRESENTS

PASTOR OF COLLEGE MINISTRY

AT

THE CHAPEL

Akron, OH


http://thechapel.life

HISTORY &
​CURRENT STATUS

In January of 1934, about 40 people gathered to worship in the 5 Points area of Akron in Northeast Ohio. The church that resulted would be named “The Chapel” to signify a small and humble place where teaching was based solely on the basics of the Bible. Since that time, The Chapel has had a rich heritage of intentional and relational evangelism that has seen a significant impact in their surrounding communities and around the world through their extensive local and global outreach work. Over the years, explosive growth has led to the planting of several autonomous churches and in the last ten years the addition of four campuses in the greater Akron area.

Today, around 5,000 adults worship each weekend on their five campuses. The mission of The Chapel is to see every person Believing in Jesus, Belonging to Family, Becoming a Disciple, and Building His Kingdom. They are known for expositional preaching and for being a safe place for the broken and hurting. The Chapel takes seriously their responsibility to share the Truth with grace. They also have a strong reputation in their community for civic engagement and their efforts in racial reconciliation.

Senior Pastor Tim Armstrong came to The Chapel in 2014 and has brought compelling vision and strong leadership. The Chapel is experiencing renewed joy and energy and is poised for new heights of effectiveness in the years to come. They have a vision to plant 10 additional campuses over the next decade. While The Chapel is currently one church in five locations, “Akron” is the original campus and is headquarters. Weekend attendance at Akron is averaging 2600 so far in the 2018/2019 year (adults, kids, and online viewers).



The Chapel Beliefs

As a body of believers, The Chapel embraces these core beliefs:

God

We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons; Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three in one, co-equal, which is the Trinity.

Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ was begotten of God, conceived of the Holy Spirit, and born of the Virgin Mary. Jesus died for our sins according to Scripture as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice, and that all who believe in him are justified on the grounds of his shed blood. Jesus was resurrected from his crucified body, he ascended into heaven, and is present there as High Priest and Advocate for all believers. There will be a “blessed hope,” the personal, premillennial, and imminent return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is one of the three persons of the Trinity, who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He is the life of every believer, and he empowers the preaching and teaching of the gospel.

Bible

The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as verbally inspired of God and inerrant in the original writings, and that they are of supreme and final authority.

P e o p l e

People were created in the image of God, that they sinned, and thereby incurred not only physical death, but spiritual death, which is separation from God, and that all human beings are born with a sinful nature and are sinners in thought, word, and deed.

S a l v a t i o n

All who receive by faith the Lord Jesus Christ are born again of the Holy Spirit and become children of God and heirs of eternal life. This is a relationship in which they are eternally secure. There is a personal devil, who is working in the world to destroy the souls of people, and that he and all his angels, and all who do not receive Christ as their Savior, will eternally perish in the lake of fire.

The Chapel is non-denominational, evangelistic, and Bible loving. For additional information regarding their beliefs as a church (including white papers on certain theological distinctives) CLICK HERE.


LEADERSHIP

Across all of their campuses, The Chapel is a staff led church. The governance structure is that the pastors serve as the Elders who give spiritual leadership, set vision, and execute the ministry (while also equipping the saints to do the work of ministry!). Executive leadership for the whole church entity comes from Senior Pastor, Tim Armstrong and Executive Pastor Jim Mitchell.

The Chapel also has a Board of Trustees comprised of 12 laymen who provide oversight and accountability for the finances and property of The Church. This board also provides accountability for the Senior Pastor, but has no direct oversight of any other staff or ministries. Each of our campuses is led by a local Campus Pastor who preaches live, leads the staff at his location, and sets local strategy that gives unique, contextual expression to our overall shared vision. On the Akron campus, the staff is committed to leadership, each other, and the shared mission and vision.

Tim spent over 17 years as the church planter and pastor of Crossroads Church in Mansfield, OH when he felt God pulling him to become the Senior Pastor at The Chapel. In the middle of 2014, he and his family left the church they had planted years before in order to follow God’s direction to Akron. Tim embraces a leadership style that is directive but relational. He places a high value on independent decision-making, but also on a collaborative process ahead of decisions. Tim is a strong communicator with a conversational style and is an intuitive leader.

Jim Mitchell serves as the Executive Pastor and is the “right hand” to Pastor Tim. He has been in Ohio since 1991 and, prior to his current role, served for 24 years as the Worship Pastor at The Chapel. Jim is highly collaborative and empowering, seeking to remove obstacles so teammates can run hard after the vision.

The Chapel has a remarkable staff, dedicated to the mission, vision, and values that defines their culture. This is an exciting season of ministry and they are eager to add a called and gifted leader to help them reach and disciple university students in the Akron area. And together, they believe the time is now!

College Ministry Overview

The Chapel continues to highly value ministry to college age students and young adults – especially since it is located across the street from The University of Akron. For over 45 years God has continued to faithfully use The Chapel’s College Ministry to reach students for Christ and raise future leaders for both full-time ministry and ministry in the workplace. 

Currently, the "Campus Focus" ministry model includes:

Worship & Teaching

    • Sunday multi-generational worship services.
    • Thursday night college-age large gathering that draws over 350 students.
  • Discipleship
    • A robust system of small groups with participation of over 300 students and leaders.
    • A discipleship and service trip over winter break.
    • A weeklong discipleship intensive in May right when school gets out.
  • Outreach
    • Key fall kick-off student engagement events.
    • Campus evangelistic events throughout the school year.
  • Missions
    • College-Age Short-Term Mission trips with our Global Outreach Partners.

The Chapel also owns two residential houses on campus where non—paid interns reside along with other student residents.  The houses are used for both strategic and organic discipleship & outreach to The University of Akron

You can find out more about Campus Focus at http://campusfocus.org/ and on their social media feeds HERE and HERE

Challenge & Opportunity

The College Pastor will join a team and ministry that is in transition but has a track record of ministry growth and is positioned for a new season of fruitful ministry under this new leadership. The Chapel desires to hire an innovative College Pastor who will develop a culture of discipleship where students are growing and active in their faith. There is freedom to be creative, build, and do ministry with a great team in a growing community of believers. The Chapel is looking for the next leader to build on the current strengths to re-envision and redesign a ministry model for college students centered around the following priorities:

  • Local Church Integration – A focus on college-age students participating, growing, and serving in the local church (as opposed to a more “para-church” model).
  • Evangelistic Outreach - Evangelistic outreach to the campus of The University of Akron with growth unto the campuses of Stark State and Kent State.
  • Robust Discipleship - Robust system of spiritual formation ministry for students in the college season of life.
  • Inclusion & Care – Inclusion and Care of students from other regional schools as well as ministry to Chapel college-age students away at college (staying in touch and drawing them in when home).
  • Strategic Next Generation Vision – a unified approach to church integration, discipleship, and leadership development among the Next Generation between Family Ministry (birth through high school), College, and Young Adult Ministry (post-college) to ensure philosophical alignment, continuity, and smooth transitions for students.

He must also align with certain distinctive matters of theology and practice that are a layer beneath the general statement of faith outlined in the first section including:

  • Reformed view of Salvation – especially God’s sovereignty in election/call and man’s total depravity.
  • Complementarian view of genders.
  • Expository preaching and teaching of the Scriptures.
  • Ecclesiology that sees the church gathering for worship and edification and then sent out to evangelize.
  • Orthodox view of Biblical Authority despite matters of drift in cultural morals, especially in matters of marriage and sexuality.

This is a great place in which to raise a family, and an amazing church for people to belong to and thrive!

LOCATION

The Chapel (Akron Campus) is located in the heart of Akron, situated in the northeastern region of Ohio. Nicknamed “Rubber City”, “The City of Invention”, and “Rubber Capital of the World”, Akron is a city rich with history. In the early 1900’s, it became the nation’s fastest growing city because of industries such as stoneware, fishing tackle, farming equipment, match, toy and (most notably) rubber. At one time, the companies General Tire, B.F. Goodrich, Firestone, and Goodyear all had headquarters here. Goodyear’s world headquarters still remains in Akron to this day. Airships, blimps, dirigibles and zeppelins have been manufactured at the Goodyear Airdock since World War II. Tires aren’t Akron’s only legacy, however. More recently, the city has been listed by Newsweek as one of 10 Information Age high-tech havens and has been named one of the world’s most livable cities.

Akron has also been touted as one of the most affordable cities in which to live. Housing options are plentiful here, from new construction to historic homes on brick streets. If urban living is the thing for you, there are a number of housing options within minutes of the church campus. If you prefer a suburban lifestyle, there are also many suburban communities within a 15-minute drive. These offer the benefit of being in close proximity to a larger metropolitan area while enjoying a more relaxed “community” environment. The median price of a home within the Akron city limits is $61,500, while the median price in Tallmadge (a nearby suburb) is $153,000. All in all, one could expect to purchase a great house in a good school district for $150-225K. However, something more along the lines of a “starter” home can be purchased for far less.

Akron is in the Great Lakes Region and is situated approximately 39 miles south of Lake Erie. About 200,000 people live within the city limits and the Akron Metro area has a population of over 700,000. The city has all of the amenities one could desire in a major metropolitan area. If Akron doesn’t have what you’re looking for the city of Cleveland is a short 40 minutes away. In either of these cities you can enjoy a great arts scene and many cultural offerings (the Cleveland Symphony is one of the best in the world). This area of Ohio also has a great parks system where you can be outdoors enjoying this truly beautiful part of the country. If sports are more your thing, it’s only a short drive to a Browns or Indians game. These cities are great!


JOB DESCRIPTION

JOB TITLE: Pastor of College Ministry

[To be adapted based on ministry model that’s developed]

Scope

The College Pastor will give direction to the College Ministry in alignment with the Next Generation Vision as it supports the Purpose and Mission of The Chapel of seeing everyone Believing in Jesus, Belonging to Family, Becoming a Disciple, and Building His Kingdom. He gives oversight to the College Ministry Team as they carry out these values through the lens of College Ministry.

Vision Casting & Implemenation (15%)

He is responsible for casting and articulating the College Ministry Values as they support the Purpose and Mission of The Chapel. He is responsible for shaping  the culture of the College Ministry within the Next Generation Vision. He will lead in the development and implementation of a comprehensive, unified, aligned, and integrated ministry model of discipleship for college-aged students. 

Teaching & Programming (40%)

He is responsible for developing and executing the scope and sequence of the college students’ experience while in the ministry. This includes weekly and yearly environments where students grow in their faith. This also includes the development and assignment of the teaching calendar. He places his highest priority on prayer and the weekly study and teaching of the Word.

Leadership Development & Team Management (20%)

His leadership role is that of a Player/Coach. He will develop and manage the College Ministry Team through discipleship, ministry mentorship, personal development, and assessments. He will oversee the development of volunteers for the College Ministry that reflect the values of The Chapel through recruiting, discipleship, and training.

College Outreach (10%)

He will develop and oversee student engagement and Evangelistic initiatives both on the local college campuses and in the church. These will be events where college-age students can invite their friends so that they can hear the gospel and have opportunity to respond to Jesus’ call. This includes developing good relationships with key faculty/staff at the University of Akron.

Next Generation Development (10%)

The Next Generation Vision is one of a unified approach to church integration, discipleship, and leadership development among the Next Generation. He will help develop and promote the Next Generation Vision as a whole through active involvement as part of the Next Generation Team, Akron Campus Ministry Leaders Team, and cross-departmental initiatives. 

General Church Staff Involvement (5%)

He will work to promote Chapel alignment and unity. He will also oversee the college-age baptism process. As a staff member of The Chapel, he will participate in campus and all staff meetings as well as Christmas, Easter, other special events and assigned responsibilities. He will also be on rotation as an “on-call pastor.”

Candidate Profile for College Pastor

The Pastor of College Ministry is responsible to make disciples of college-age students. This includes evangelistic efforts with a focus on the local college campuses of the University of Akron, Stark State, and Kent State. Developing a ministry in alignment with the Next Generation Vision as it supports the Purpose and Mission of The Chapel.

  • Desired Ministry Experience Possibilities in Order of Preference:
    • (Candidate preference given to experience in a church of 1000+)
    • Local Church College Ministry Experience
    • College Campus Ministry Experience
    • Large High School Ministry or Young Adult Ministry Experience
  • History of Ministry Growth
  • Gifting in teaching the Word of God clearly to college-age students
    • Clear - Clear and effective communicator
    • Deep - Grounded in the text with consistent in-depth exegesis that teaches students how to study God's Word. 
    • Engaging - Invites participation, culturally informed, and relevant to college-age students' lives
    • Applicable - Relevant application that college-age students can apply to their lives. A clear response or ask.
  • Ability to lead and manage a team of full and part-time staff
  • Gifted in leadership development with both college-age students and adults
  • Passionate about discipleship and can implement discipleship systematically and organically.
    • Systematically – A clear process for moving college-age students through discipleship and toward mission.
    • Organically – Can personally disciple college-age students and train others to disciple college-age students as well.
  • Ability to Collaborate and thrive in team settings whether leading or participating
  • Organized, Self-Assessing, Life-Long Learner 
  • Bible School minimum, Seminary preferred
  • Preference given to those who are already ordained or meet our ordination criteria.

Reports to: Outreach Pastor

Works closely with: Next Generation Team and Akron Campus Ministry Leaders 

Direct Reports: College Ministry Team, A2 Interns

Status: Full-Time Salary – Exempt

CONTACT

Ready to take the next step?

For additional information on The Chapel, visit
​http://thechapel.life

If you sense this role and church culture could be a good fit, contact Keith Robinson at any of the options below.


​Keith Robinson// 812.781.0187 // krobinson@slingshotgroup.org