Job Description
Church Order Art 12. A.
a. A minister of the Word serving as a pastor of a congregation shall preach the Word, administer the sacraments, conduct public worship services, catechize the youth, and train members for Christian service. The minister, with other office-bearers, shall supervise the congregation and fellow office-bearers, exercise admonition and discipline, see to it that everything is done decently and in order, exercise pastoral care over the congregation, and engage in and promote the work of evangelism and diaconal outreach.

Under God’s guidance, with the support of the Sonrise Council, the pastor is to use his God-given skills to lead the church of Jesus Christ to fulfill the New Testament purposes of outreach, worship, fellowship, discipleship, and service

Qualifications
● The pastor will be a person who exhibits maturity and devotion to Christ
● The pastor shall possess a working knowledge of the Biblical Word
● The pastor practices good stewardship of time, talents, finances, and physical creations (Gen 1:27-28, Ps 8:6-8)
● Demonstrates personal growth and an eagerness to learn in and model being a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ
● Demonstrate a commitment to the congregational member(s) by establishing relationships and spiritual guidance
● The pastor shall be filled with love and possess the fruits of the spirit (Gal. 5:22-23)
● Valid Driver’s license with access to a reliable vehicle
● Able to be ordained in the Christian Reformed Church

Pastoral Responsibilities
1. Leadership & Administration 30%
○ Inspire, encourage, model and embrace Sonrise’s vision for the specific ministries of pastoral care, youth, young adults, congregational members and outreach.
○ Lead holiday/special services including Good Friday, Ascension Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Eve
○ To provide continual support and encouragement to the various ministerial leaders of Sonrise CRC.
○ Maintain communications with staff and volunteers to ensure administrative tasks of the church are being carried out efficiently.
○ Attend leadership meetings: Elders, Admin, Full Consistory, Worship Committee, Youth Leadership, Regional Denominational and the Ponoka Ministerial Association.
○ Conduct weddings, baptisms, communion and funerals
○ Teaches Profession of Faith classes as required
○ Perform such other responsibilities as from time to time deemed necessary by Council to accomplish the role.

2. Worship & Preaching 40%
○ Lead weekly worship up to four (4) Sundays per month. If there is a fifth Sunday, pulpit supply will be arranged by the Council to ensure time for rest/planning/administrative/pastoral duties. The fifth Sunday may be exchanged
for another Sunday in that or the following month at the discretion of the pastor and elders.
○ Prepare and deliver the message based on the biblical text.
○ Regular Administration of the Sacraments
○ Leadthe congregational member(s) of Sonrise CRC in worship and prayer ●
Work collaboratively with the Worship Director to prepare the order of worship and songs.

3. Outreach/Community Engagement 10%
○ Personally share (witness); defend (apologetics) the faith; and lead the church in reaching out to the lost, in receiving them.
○ To give guidance to the implementation of the Fellowship and Outreach teams
○ Encourage, train and support the leadership involved with the Outreach Ministry
○ Encourage and equip the congregation in the area of outreach.
○ Ensure a path for new member(s) growth and enfolding its people to live a life in Christ.
○ Engages in the community through involvement in committees and ministerial as a speaker and/or facilitator or volunteer in key community endeavors according to passion, giftedness and interest.
○ Respond to personal and community needs by partaking in the Ponoka Ministerial Meetings.

4. Congregational Relations/Pastoral Care 10%
○ Foster a nurturing Christian community.
○ Possess relational skills that enable him to provide personal and cooperative pastoral care via home visitations, involvement of small groups and catechism and guidance to the youth to give spiritual direction and community building.
○ The pastor will lead and cultivate the culture of care at Sonrise Christian Reformed Church in order to equip and enable its congregational members to “love the Lord your God… and your neighbor as yourself.” Luke 10.27-28.
○ Proactively identifies problems/challenges and offers creative solutions for resolution (conflict management).

5. Discipleship 5%
○ Raise, teach and nurture disciples making disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.
This will include:
■ providing training and resources for teachers/facilitators of various discipleship ministries
■ assisting in Catechism preparation as requested by Catechism teachers.

6. Professional Development/ Personal Growth 5%
○ Dedicate time to personal spiritual development (Prayer, reading, theology course or other development approved by Council)
○ Participate in extracurricular church activities according to interest Other Details
● Salary will be paid annually in 12 payments.
● Telephone and computer software upgrades at the expense of Sonrise CRC
● Minister pension contribution as set by Synod
● Health/Dental Insurance premiums coverage expenses of Sonrise CRC
● Option to have a designated health benefit allowance of $5000.00 instead of the CRC benefit plan
● Automobile expenses to be paid to the Minister as per the recorded mileage log as per CRA
● Allowance of 4 weeks vacation time may be taken on an annual basis. Three of the four weeks may be taken consecutively each year.
● Sonrise CRC Sabbatical Policy
● Annual continuing education/ professional allowance as per annual budget.
Requests may be brought forth to Council
● Evaluations will be conducted on an annual basis with Pastoral Elders in February or March.
● Obtain and submit CPIC Criminal Record Clearance Check and Vulnerable Sector Search to Admin.
● Standard cost of living increases 3% annually.

Sabbatical Policy
Intended Purpose and Use of Sabbatical Leave
The Sabbatical Leave is a period away from the pastor’s regular duties, offered to its pastors by the church, for the mutual benefit of the church and the pastor. Its purpose is to provide the pastor opportunities for exposure to and study of new ideas, improvement of professional skills relevant to the ministry, development of the pastor’s spiritual resources, and spiritual and physical renewal and refreshment.

Eligibility
A pastor is entitled to two weeks of sabbatical for every year of service. The first sabbatical eligible after the completion of four years of employment at the Sonrise Christian Reformed Church. Alternative study leave arrangements may be considered by Council in addition to the Sabbatical Leave. Since the Sabbatical Leave is for the long-term benefit of the congregation, church staff, and the individual pastor, the pastor may only apply for a Sabbatical Leave with the clear intent of returning to full ministry for at least one full year beyond the
conclusion of the Sabbatical.

Application Procedure
Application for a Sabbatical Leave is to be prepared by the pastor and submitted to Council for its approval. Council requests that the application be submitted, within a sufficient timeframe of six months before the leave, to allow for the suitable replacement of an interim pastor. It then will be brought forth to the congregational members of Sonrise Christian Reformed Church for its information.

It is expected that the application submitted will contain the following components;
1. A clear descriptive statement of the purpose and goals for the leave;
2. A projected proposal of intent containing the purpose and articulated goals which may consist of, but not be limited to continual educational courses, academic/theological studies, reading and writing material, pastoral care, etc.”
3. The envisioned benefit of the pastor’s personal, spiritual and professional development.
4. The benefit of the Congregational members and church ministry.
5. Any other issues Council deems as important/relevant information.

Furthermore, it is expected that within two months following the Sabbatical, the pastor will present an oral and written report of his experiences and studies accomplished to Council and the Congregation. To give testimony to the developmental and spiritual growth and insights gained while on Sabbatical Leave reflecting the benefits of both beneficiaries being the pastor and the church.

Financial Arrangements
Sonrise Christian Reformed Church will provide full remuneration (salary and benefits) to the pastor while on Sabbatical. Sonrise Christian Reformed Church will pay to cover the cost of replacement interim pastor preaching and other ministerial-related duties while on sabbatical. The Sabbatical Leave will be considered separate and distinct from the annual budgeted continued education allowance and professional allowance fund.

To cover the pastor’s costs while on Sabbatical leave, the pastor is encouraged to search out grants/scholarships/donations/funds for expenses incurred. If financial assistance from these sources is deemed inadequate, the Council will be receptive to a request from the pastor to help assist in covering these costs. These expenses may be about professional development courses, registration, tuition, books and or travel. Such requests should be submitted in advance of budget planning for the fiscal year in which the sabbatical will occur.
A leave may not be used to accept paid employment. The opportunity for occasional preaching assignments may be accepted if included in the Sabbatical Leave Proposal Plan. These opportunities should be kept to a minimum so that the benefits of the prepared plans and goals may be achieved while on leave. Requests to officiate weddings, baptisms and funerals may be accepted, provided they do not interfere with the approved sabbatical plan.