HISTORY & CURRENT STATUS
Calvary started in 1911 as an evangelistic Bible Study, and numerically grew the most under the leadership of Larry Burd, Pastor from 1983-2016. Paul Wilson joined the team as the Assistant Pastor of Adult Ministries in 2009, and transitioned to Lead Pastor in 2016.
Following this transition, there was a lot of turnover 2016-2020. However, coming out of the pandemic, attendance has been very consistent and growing. The vision for the last few years has been to unify (as a family) and multiply (for the mission). This led Calvary to move to one worship gathering in 2022 (partly out of conviction for what a church is supposed to be), and to move towards planting a church.
In September 2024, the congregation approved to plant another local church, with the previous Student Ministry Pastor leading the charge. The church is still on the journey of helping launch that plant while strengthening discipleship, evangelism, and equipping parents at Calvary.
Calvary averages 500 in attendance, with 50-70 students attending on Wednesday nights.
BUILDING GOSPEL COMMUNITIES
Calvary Baptist Church is looking for a Family Pastor to directly lead Student Ministry (75%) and oversee all of Family Ministry (25%), including Kid's Ministry (led by a Kid's Director) and another part-time staff person they can hire to lead how they see fit. They will also champion a strong partnership with parents.
LEADERSHIP
Lead Pastor,
Paul Wilson
Paul was born in Canada (no, he doesn’t play hockey), moved around a bit growing up, and landed in Ohio as a teenager. He became a Christian at an early age, as well as the desire to be a pastor.
After college, he worked part-time as a kids/students pastor while going through Southern Seminary in Louisville. After serving as an interim pastor in New York, he served for three years as a pastor at a small church in Pittsburgh. There, he met and soon married Laura, who also made him become a Steelers fan. They sensed the Lord calling them somewhere new as they entered marriage, and Calvary became that place. Today, they are blessed with four kids: Asher (grade 6); Kai (grade 5 and adopted from China); Charlie (1st grade); and Ella (Kindergarten and adopted from India).
Paul is excited to work with a new Family Pastor.
To learn more about the ministry at Calvary Baptist Church, click HERE.
KIDS MINISTRY
Infants through 4th grade
Calvary Kids seeks to come alongside parents to prosper life-long followers of Jesus through Sunday morning classes, a library of parenting resources, and family-based events.
Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me... ...and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." -Matthew 19:14
BETWEENS (5th-7th Grade)
BeTweens is a unique environment geared towards the needs of preteens. As students are growing up, so should their activities. BeTweens is a safe place for students to be challenged by God's Word and for them to ask challenging questions they may have. It is no longer Children's Ministry, but it's not quite Student Ministry, either. The goal is to prepare them for the next steps in their faith journey.
STUDENT MINISTRY
Calvary’s Student Ministry exists to integrate students into the life of Calvary Baptist Church by mentoring them to be part of the church today and training them to lead the church tomorrow. Calvary Students meet on Wednesday nights from 7-9PM.
Students at Calvary take ownership of the student ministry and lead aspects of the gathering every week.
They also serve in other volunteer roles throughout the church. Serving is a high priority and a big part of their discipleship.
There is a strong volunteer team that consistently serves each week and is bought into the mission of partnering with parents to help students take their next step toward Christ.
There is a lot of buy-in from parents, many of whom serve in the ministry.
CHALLENGE & OPPORTUNITY
LEADER
The new Family Pastor at Calvary must be a strong leader who is driven and ready to guide the family ministries to the next level. They should have good discernment and conviction in decision-making regarding leading kids, students, volunteers, and the ministries overall.
The amazing volunteers and leaders within the kids and student ministry are looking for leadership and direction. They are ready to embrace a new leader with a compelling vision.
TEAM BUILDER
Calvary has some fantastic volunteers leading throughout the kids and student ministries. With so much opportunity ahead, Calvary needs a strong team builder to lead the staff and current volunteers while recruiting to expand the volunteer teams. The Family Pastor should be able to cast a compelling vision and empower volunteers to lead at a high level. They need to balance leading the Student Ministry directly while overseeing Kid's Ministry and have a 30,000-foot view to support all areas of the ministry as needed.
BIBLICAL TEACHER
The new Family Pastor will have the ability to communicate to students and teach the Bible effectively. They will also take responsibility for developing others to teach, empowering other communicators. The new leader should have the gift of teaching and the coachability to grow that gift with help along the way.
RELATIONAL CONNECTOR
Calvary is looking for someone who will connect with students inside and outside the church. The new Family Pastor will also connect relationally with volunteers, parents, and the broader church. They will help disciple students specifically while leading volunteers to follow suit.
SUCCESSION
Following a well-loved leader is always a challenge, and this is the case with the transition of the Youth Pastor. The current Youth Pastor is planting a new church after 8 years with Calvary. With established leadership left behind, the new Family Pastor will need to earn the trust of staff and key volunteer leadership. However, the church leadership is excited about a new day in Kids and Student Ministry with a desire to see the ministries thrive.
LOCATION & DEMOGRAPHICS
Calvary sits near the east side of the Lehigh Valley, which mainly comprises the cities of Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton. The Lehigh Valley is the 3rd most populated area in PA, and is the fastest growing area in PA. It is right next to New Jersey, about 80 minutes from both New York City and Philadelphia. The middle-class lifestyle of the Lehigh Valley is strong and growing, and many families see it as a desirable place to live. Families can enjoy everything they could want in the Lehigh Valley, make occasional trips to the nearby big cities if they want, or even drive 40 minutes north to the beautiful Pocono mountains. In other words, the Lehigh Valley offers what so many modern American families value. And families do stay busy. Accomplishment and achievement are high priorities/idols. But so is leisure, as the area has many unique festivals (Garlic fest, Bacon fest, Celtic fest, and the highly attended music festival, to name a few). |
POSITION PROFILE
FAMILY PASTOR
OVERVIEW
The Family Pastor will lead Calvary Baptist Church’s ministry to Kids, BeTweens, Students, and their parents. He will provide the vision for, and will plan, promote, and provide continuous direction, supervision, and coordination of a ministry which shepherds Kids, BeTweens, Students, and parents. He will directly teach in the students’ mid-week programming.
He will report to the Lead Pastor, participate in Pastoral staff meetings, and work with the Staff in developing church wide programs.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
The Family Pastor’s responsibilities shall include but not be limited to:
STUDENT MINISTRY (75%)
- Directly shepherd students through their teen years, including overseeing Wednesday Night programming for Students.
- Create and manage relational environments where discipleship takes place.
- Serve as a primary teacher for students on Wednesdays.
FAMILY MINISTRY (25%)
- Cast and communicate a vision that coincides with Calvary Baptist Church’s vision for the discipleship of everyone birth through high school.
- Partner with parents by encouraging and equipping them in their role to disciple their kids.
- Recruit and train a team of Calvary members who will minister to and disciple Kids, BeTweens and Students.
- Build a unified plan and structure for discipleship from birth through high school and communicate regularly with the Calvary Family concerning program direction.
- Provide supervision and mentorship for the kids, betweens, and student ministry staff.
- Counsel students and families and participate in crisis intervention when necessary.
- Develop and oversee the budget for children and young adult ministries.
QUALIFICATIONS
Beliefs
- Knows Christ as personal Savior and Lord and is willing to testify accordingly
- Agrees with the Statement of Faith, the Church Covenant, and The Biblical Principles for Christian Living as written in the CBC Constitution
Character
- Has unchallenged mature Christian character
- Has demonstrated ability to work with many different types of people
- Has the ability to communicate with sensitivity
- Have relationships with his family, associates, and friends that honor the Lord
- Has a humble, teachable spirit
Competency
- A strong recruiter and trainer
- A gifted teacher for this age group
- Self-starting
- Creative/Innovative
- Detailed in follow through
- Able to motivate others, both staff and volunteers
- Accountable
- Discipleship oriented
Education and Experience
- The Family Pastor must have a degree from an acceptable educational institution, preferably a seminary, and prior full-time Christian student ministry experience.
CONTACT
Ready to take the next step?
To find out more about CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH, please check out their website at calvarybaptistpa.org and learn more about their doctrinal beliefs, vision and values and the many other ministries of the church.
If after a thorough look at these documents, you sense that this would be a good fit for you, please contact:
Nick Blevins // nblevins@slingshotgroup.org