Snapshot

Denomination: Non-Denominational

Weekly Attendance:  4000

Location: Lenexa, KS

The Role: Lead Teaching Pastor

Meet Westside Family:

Westside began in 1976, with 29 people launching Quivira Road Baptist Church, a small neighborhood community of faith with a heart to reach families for Jesus. In 1994 a spiritual awakening through Promise Keepers ignited a new passion to pray for and reach the community, and the church began to grow. By 1997 a growing congregation of 275 embraced the Purpose Driven  church-health movement, changing its name to Westside Family Church and committing to build a new facility to make room for new families. 

In 1999 Westside completed a new church building and opened its doors to our community, and soon became one of the top 20 fastest growing churches in America. In 2005 Westside engaged more families by launching its Speedway Campus in KCK, and by caring for hundreds of needy and vulnerable orphans in South Africa, India, and Thailand. Westside made even more room for new families in 2006 when it opened its current 100,000-square-foot Lenexa campus, and the church grew as thousands of adults and kids came to discover the love of Jesus through Westside.

Following a difficult leadership transition in 2007, Westside entered a new season with a refreshed leadership team and reorganized the church over the next two years around a clear, revitalized Christ-centered mission of: Loving Jesus, Becoming Like Jesus, and Sharing Jesus. The church thrived in a newly healthy, focused, and Jesus-centered direction.

In 2013 the Westside congregation boldly committed to go All In to reach 1500 new families for Jesus. The church expanded our care for orphans globally and locally, accelerated church planting, expanded Impact investments in the city, upgraded the Speedway campus, and made room for more families through a 30,000-square-foot expansion on the Lenexa campus—all without adding long-term debt. 1,600 people were baptized over three years and Westside followed this effort in 2016 by planting a new Westside Leavenworth church with 650 now attending.

In 2017 Westside called Randy Frazee to join our Pastoral-Elder team as our Lead Teaching Pastor, and were blessed by an increased emphasis on bible engagement—the proven primary catalyst of spiritual growth. Our pastors embarked on a season of prayer and discussion with the goal of refreshing and clarifying our identity, vision, mission, method, and values (See Mission, Vision, Values and Beliefs below)

With our foundation on Jesus, biblical teaching, robust online capabilities, and a solid small group network, Westside not only survived but thrived through Covid. We emerged more focused, our worship strengthened, and our leadership fully committed to engaging people to authentically follow Jesus. We re-emphasized ‘engagement’ (spiritual next steps) over ‘attendance,’ and developed a dynamic discipleship pathway to empower our congregation to take their next steps of faith. This strategy engages our people to grow in biblical community through over 155 active A2 Groups (modeled after Acts 2:42-46), 14 Area Communities (care and connection within elementary school neighborhood zones), and our many new Westside Essentials Classes available on campus and online. In 2022 Westside was recognized by Outreach magazine as the 44^th fastest growing church in America. That year we launched our Unshakeable Faith Initiative, culminating in 1827 households committing to their next steps of faith, and making refreshed 2-year generosity commitments of $23,768,000—representing 37% income growth.

We are committed to be a loving presence in our communities and, like Jesus, meet people at their point of pain. We are in the process of building a state of the art $9.6M Family Care Center to multiply our counseling and care capacities to address the growing mental health crisis in our community. Westside continues to build good will and influence through our thriving city partnerships and extensive community development and church-planting in Thailand/Laos, India, and South Africa.

Our church-family continues to grow and produce spiritual fruit as we center our lives on Jesus through our Christ-centered mission of loving Jesus, becoming like Jesus, and sharing Jesus. Westside’s best days are ahead.

About the Lead Teaching Pastor:

The Lead Teaching Pastor serves as Westside’s primary teacher, visionary, public congregational connection, and champion of congregational engagement in our mission, health, and growth. The Lead Teaching Pastor position carries significant visibility and influence while sharing the weight of the church’s general leadership responsibilities with the Pastoral Elder team. The Lead Teaching Pastor co-leads the Executive Team, working in close partnership with the Executive Pastor and Staff Development Pastor, and in collaboration with the other specialized Pastors on the Executive Team. Key to Westside’s culture at every level is the equipping and empowerment of the congregation into their Christlike character and calling as fully engaged members of the body of Christ.

This key position on Westside’s team requires a candidate with the highest character, and a proven track record as an experienced executive level leader and teacher who also understands and appreciates the importance of team—that we are better together. Westside’s polity rests on a biblical plurality of Elders so this Lead Teaching Pastor position differs from the traditional Senior Pastor role and requires a leader who thrives in an empowering, collaborative, and consensus-building team leadership environment. 

Westside has determined that rather than a “push-pull” leadership shift, our church family will be best served by a season of transition-over-time with the previous Lead Teaching Pastor and new Lead Teaching pastor partnering over time to smoothly taper and transition leadership. This approach will require wisdom and selflessness on the part of all our leaders. Our current Lead Teaching Pastor and incoming Lead Teaching Pastor will work in close collaboration during the key “overlap” year to honor Jesus and his church and transition smoothly with our congregation and staff. Our plan will be to modulate the speed of this transition handoff to maximize the success of the new Lead Teaching Pastor.

The Lead Teaching Pastor's Responsibilities Include: 

• Communicate vision and directional leadership to passionately and effectively engage the congregation in accomplishing Westside's existing mission of: “Loving Jesus, becoming like Jesus, sharing Jesus.”

• Provide (evolving over the transition) primary weekend teaching and directional leadership

• • Oversee the Teaching Team, guiding teaching vision and direction, equipping, content planning, scheduling, ministry integration, outcomes, and evaluation

• • Lead the Worship Arts team in support of effective weekend outcomes and congregational engagement

• • Provide leadership for satellite campuses & campus pastors

• Partner with the Executive Pastor and Staff Development Pastor to shepherd and lead the Pastoral Elder Executive Team and PAT

• Champion and integrate church mission initiatives, including our foundational Next Steps disciple development process, youth programs, outreach and care to our communities, church expansion and growth, and healthy marriages & families.

• Engage the congregation in accomplishing the church’s mission through the rudder of the pulpit and personal influence and modeling. 

• Graciously and effectively teach and defend sound biblical truth in practical, relevant, and applicable ways that change lives, and move people to deeper intimacy with Jesus.

• Contribute to and steward the development of a generosity culture, working in concert with the current LTP to transition ownership over time

What You Bring: 

The following describes many of the characteristics of the ideal candidate for the Lead Teaching Pastor:

Education & Experience

• Undergraduate degree required. A  Seminary degree is strongly preferred.

• Has Served in a large church (prefer 2,000+)

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Teacher, Shepherd, Apostle

• Proven healthy, high-capacity executive leader

• Gifted teacher, communicator

• Possesses strong teaching, shepherding, and vision-casting  gifts

• Collaborative, team player

• Loves connecting with people

• Has a track record of growth

• Strong organizational, strategic, and management skills 

• Able to make wise, effective, and difficult decisions

Personal Characteristics & Qualifications

• Godly character modeling the life of a disciple of Jesus

• Cultivates a deep personal relationship with God

• Winsome personality, high ‘Woo’

• Maintains a healthy, thriving marriage

• Has been tested and refined by pain in life; has developed emotionally healthy spirituality

• Is passionate about the Gospel, developing disciples, building up families, reaching the lost, and impacting communities for Christ

• High-relational gifting, clearly loving people and enjoying serving as the congregation’s primary visible leader-connector

• Possesses solid orthodox theological foundations and a strong and personal understanding of God’s grace. Is able to winsomely and effectively teach a biblical worldview in an increasingly worldly culture

• Has developed and demonstrated Christlikeness, and is living a life worthy of Christ governed under the authority and guidance of the Spirit of God

• Models a life of authenticity, transparency, humility, and servanthood 

• Possesses energy and zeal for the work of pastoral leadership and ministry

What it's Like to Live in Lenexa, KS: 

Westside is located in western Johnson County with its 20 incorporated cities that include beautiful Lenexa, Overland Park, Shawnee, and Olathe KS. Johnson County is Kansas City’s metropolitan area’s growth engine, boasting nationally ranked schools, a low crime rate, high quality neighborhoods, a moderate cost of living, and a wealth of cultural and entertainment amenities. With “Heartland” values and a strong family focus, Johnson County is a great place to live and raise a family. Westside’s neighboring cities are nationally rated:, Overland Park (Fortune’s 8^th Best for Families), Lenexa (#1 City in KS, CNN/Money #47 in US), Olathe (Fortune’s 3^rd  Best for Families), Shawnee (# 17 Money Mag Best Small Cities).

Johnson County comprises 19% of Kansas’ population (620,000), with population growth of 7.4% over the past 5 years, and a median household income of $103,644. Johnson County ranks among the most highly educated in the nation, and offers families top ranked schools (43 National Blue Ribbon Schools), and ample activities for kids. Johnson County’s economy is growing, with labor and employment conditions among the best in the United States. In Western Johnson County, where our Lenexa campus resides, we are experiencing a significant housing boom, with hundreds of rooftops currently being built within a 10-mile radius, largely catalyzed by the construction of a $4B Panasonic battery plant nine miles to our West.

Johnson County residents also enjoy a wide variety of recreational and sports opportunities. Within the Kansas City Metropolitan Area there are over 50 museums and historic sites, 65,000 acres of park land, and 65 golf courses (28 in Johnson County), and 14 lakes within a three-hour drive providing abundant opportunities for families to enjoy boating, water skiing, fishing, and camping.

The City of Lenexa is growing quickly: the immediate area surrounding our Westside’s Lenexa Campus will see growth of over 1200 homes and apartments within walking distance in the next 4 years, with hundreds more being constructed within a 5-mile radius.

Think you're a great fit for this role? Become a candidate below.