Snapshot
Denomination: Presbyterian (PCUSA)
Weekly Attendance: 400
Location: Vero Beach, FL
The Role: Associate Pastor
First Presbyterian Church of Vero Beach, FL (FPCVB) is a strong and vibrant Christian community. We like to share with our congregation, friends, and guests that “We are a Church large enough to meet your needs and small enough to need you!” This belief complements our church’s mission statement: "Building Faith, Changing Lives, Sharing Christ!”
FPCVB is a congregation that is faithful to a vision of the gospel where unity, faithfulness, and love are promoted. While acknowledging our human frailty, FPCVB continues to be engaged in mission within the church and beyond. As a result of the strength and vitality of our congregation, FPCVB has a staff that is engaged and excited in ministry. The nature of our staff and leadership affords continuity for our congregation allowing them to take risks, seek upgrades, and promote new ideas in service to Christ.
The staff of FPCVB has six core values that drive our service: God is Good, Praise /Alleluia, Authenticity, Creativity, Generosity, and Team Accountability. FPCVB has established a "Five Talent Church" structure. This structure is based on the "five talents'' of the church found in Discipleship, Fellowship, Hospitality, Mission & Worship, Music, and Arts. FPCVB believes that we are more than a one-talent church and more than a two-talent church. We are a five-talent church. We are called to increase the blessings that God has bestowed upon us!
About the Associate Pastor:
This position serves as the full-time Associate Pastor for the First Presbyterian Church of Vero Beach, a multi-generational church located on the Treasure Coast of east central Florida. The Associate Pastor will have broadly defined skills which include, but are not limited to, preaching on average one Sunday per month, assisting with weekly Sunday worship services, administering the sacraments, teaching, leading talent committees, and providing pastoral care to members of the Congregation. In addition, the Associate Pastor will directly manage and oversee growing youth and young family ministries programs. This position encourages and supports the multi-generational ministry of the church, and through it connects the body of Christ across all age groups.
The Associate Pastor will serve as a generalist in the full scope of ministry the Associate will oversee and have oversight for ministry to and with youth and family ministries. The Associate Pastor will preach on average once a month and serve as a liturgist weekly. The Associate Pastor will be asked to teach and lead ministry teams.
The position of Associate Pastor will help build "Christlike" relationships with all our members and families beyond the walls and programmatic ministries of our church. In this “post-Covid age,” the church needs pastors who will serve as mentors, guides, and sojourners in faith who possess a strong theology of the body of Christ (i.e., the Church).
The characteristics needed to fill the position of Associate Pastor at First Presbyterian Church are bound first and foremost in love, faith, and hope. We expect our Associate Pastor to grow to love our church family as we are called to love one another in the great commandment. The characteristics of this love will be revealed in kindness, patience, grace, and understanding.
The great sentence used in ordination is also applicable to this position: we ask our Associate Pastor to serve with energy, intelligence, imagination, and love. The Ministry demands great effort. The characteristics of the Associate Pastor for First Presbyterian Church will certainly include a strong work ethic and great flexibility regarding time and talent.
The Associate Pastor will need to possess characteristics that allow them to work closely and effectively with the Senior Pastor, ministry and program staff, administrative staff, officers, youth, and volunteers in regard to planning and implementing ministry initiatives.
The Associate Pastor will have shared responsibilities with the Senior Pastor. The Associate Pastor will be responsible for managing their portions of the church’s budget. There will be planning for weekly, monthly, and yearly events. There will also be a need for strong time-management skills and to be able to share and track goals and objectives.
The Associate Pastor will be a partner in our travel, retreat, and mission ministries. Our congregation is very open and excited to support a variety of retreats and mission opportunities. First Presbyterian Church participates in Montreat Conferences, and we participate in many local, regional, and global mission endeavors. We support local and regional mission projects and hurricane response initiatives. Globally, our church supports mission initiatives in Cuba, Madagascar, the Ukraine, and South Africa.
Our church believes we should have a balanced representation of mission service. This includes local, regional, and global projects. Without supporting local missions, global missions seem empty. Without supporting the global mission, our local mission focus seems to narrow. We are called to engage in mission efforts throughout our world; locally, regionally, and globally.
The following describes many of the characteristics of the ideal candidate for the Associate Pastor.
Education & Experience
Undergrad degree relevant to this role
Master of Divinity required
Doctorate preferred
5+ years experience, preferred - but not required. Open to candidates where this would be their first call to full-time vocational ministry.
Ordained or ordainable in the Presbyterian denomination
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Decision-making skills
Preaching and worship leadership
Strong communication skills
Collaboration skills
Personal Characteristics & Qualifications
Serves with energy, intelligence, imagination, and love
Strong work ethic
Great flexibility regarding time and talent
Spiritual maturity
Teacher
Public communicator
Advisor
Initiatives
Vero Beach Florida is a small, "micropolitan", community on the Atlantic coast of Florida. Vero Beach possesses some of the best weather, golf, fishing, boating, kayaking, and surfing in Florida and is a great location for those who love the outdoors.
Vero Beach is well known for its culture, arts, and entertainment scene! Watch a show at the Riverside Theater or stroll through an art gallery. Residents and visitors can stop by the Vero Beach Museum of Art or find a quaint artist studio tucked away from the main streets.
The residents of Vero Beach share not just a place to live, but a genuine sense of camaraderie within its communities, making this coastal enclave more than just a location – it's a tight-knit community that cherishes its surrounding natural beauty.
Think you're a great fit for this role? Become a candidate below.