Lead Pastor Full Time

Lead Pastor / Senior Pastor
Kinnaird Church of God — Castlegar, BC

Job Type: Full-time preferred
Salary: $50,000–$65,000 annually, based on experience, qualifications, church budget, and financial sustainability
Benefits: Health, prescription drug, and dental benefits provided
Housing: No housing or parsonage is provided

About Kinnaird Church of God
Kinnaird Church of God is a welcoming, Bible-believing church located in Castlegar, British Columbia, in the heart of the beautiful West Kootenay region. Castlegar offers a small-town lifestyle surrounded by mountains, rivers, lakes, and outdoor recreation.

KCOG is affiliated with Church of God Ministries and is committed to biblical teaching, Spirit-led ministry, prayer, discipleship, worship, outreach, and Christian unity. Our congregation includes long-time members, families, children, youth, adults, and seniors. We are blessed with a newer church building, a strong children’s ministry, a heart for prayer, and ministries such as our prayer tent.

We are a small congregation of approximately 35–45 people. Like many smaller churches, we are in a season of transition and opportunity. Parts of our congregation are aging, and we have a strong desire to reach younger families, strengthen discipleship, grow in community outreach, and continue building a healthy future for the church.

Position Summary
Kinnaird Church of God is prayerfully seeking a Lead Pastor / Senior Pastor to provide biblical preaching, pastoral care, spiritual leadership, community engagement, and basic administrative oversight.

We are looking for more than someone to preach on Sundays. We desire a pastor who will love this church and community, lead with a clear prayerful vision, encourage healthy change, and walk alongside the congregation throughout the week.

The ideal candidate will be deeply committed to Jesus Christ, grounded in Scripture, filled with and guided by the Holy Spirit, compassionate, collaborative, and able to lead the church forward with humility, wisdom, and faith.

Church Context and Work Environment
KCOG is a small-town church with a largely volunteer-based ministry model. The pastor is currently the only paid staff member, and there is no secretary, administrative assistant, or support staff.

While there is no administrative staff, the administrative and public communication needs of the church are relatively light. The pastor should be organized, self-directed, and comfortable handling basic church communication, scheduling, planning, follow-up, and ministry coordination.

The church uses Google Workspace for administration, including Gmail, Google Drive, Google Docs, and Google Calendar. The pastor should be comfortable using these tools or willing to learn.

We recognize that many members of our congregation work full-time, commute, have families, and carry other responsibilities. We are seeking a pastor who understands small-town church life and can build ministry in a way that is relational, realistic, sustainable, and encouraging.

Compensation, Benefits, Vacation, and Leave
The salary range for this role is $50,000–$65,000 annually, based on experience, qualifications, church budget, and financial sustainability. Health, prescription drug, and dental benefits are provided. No housing or parsonage is provided.

The Lead Pastor will receive two weeks of allowed vacation annually, including up to two Sundays away from the pulpit. Vacation time should be scheduled in consultation with the church council to ensure appropriate coverage for worship services and pastoral needs. Annual vacation time will be increased to three weeks once a five-year service milestone is reached, and will further expand to four weeks after ten years of service.

The pastor is also expected to maintain a regular weekly day off, recognizing that pastoral ministry often includes evenings, weekends, and emergency availability.

Additional study, conference, or professional development leave may be considered based on church budget and ministry needs.

Accountability and Outside Commitments
The Lead Pastor is expected to be transparent with the church council regarding any outside ministry, teaching, employment, consulting, or speaking commitments. Outside commitments are welcome when they do not interfere with the pastor’s responsibilities to KCOG; however, any outside commitments that take place during regular working time, affect availability, or use church resources must be disclosed to and approved by the church council in advance.

The pastor will provide a brief monthly ministry report to the church council summarizing key ministry activities, pastoral care, outreach, administration, and upcoming priorities, while respecting confidentiality.

Key Responsibilities:

• Preaching and Teaching
  • Prepare and deliver biblically faithful, doctrinally sound sermons.
  • Teach Scripture clearly and practically.
  • Support Bible studies, discipleship, and spiritual growth opportunities.
  • Help the congregation grow in biblical understanding and faithful Christian living.
  • Spiritual Leadership and Vision
  • Prayerfully seek God’s direction for the future of the church.
  • Cast a clear and hopeful vision for growth, discipleship, outreach, and ministry.
  • Lead the church through healthy change while honoring its history and values.
  • Encourage unity, spiritual maturity, and renewed purpose.
• Pastoral Care
  • Shepherd the congregation through prayer, encouragement, presence, and relationship.
  • Care for the sick, elderly, grieving, vulnerable, and those in crisis.
  • Visit members in homes, hospitals, care facilities, and other settings as needed.
  • Provide biblical counseling, prayer, and spiritual guidance.
  • Be available in times of need, not only during regular office hours.
• Church Life and Community
  • Build meaningful relationships with congregation members.
  • Be present and involved in church events, fellowship gatherings, and ministries.
  • Help create a welcoming environment for visitors, families, children, youth, adults, and seniors.
  • Encourage authentic Christian community and a sense of belonging.
  • Desire to “do life together” with the congregation.
• Outreach and Public Ministry
  • Lead and encourage community outreach and evangelism.
  • Help the church build meaningful connections in Castlegar and the surrounding area.
  • Support ministries that reach children, families, seniors, newcomers, and those in need.
  • Provide a monthly church service at the local care home.
  • Contribute entries to the Faith Foundations newspaper column.
  • Represent the church well in the wider community.
• Equipping Leaders and Volunteers
  • Identify, encourage, and develop leaders within the congregation.
  • Support ministry leaders, volunteers, and ministry teams.
  • Help members discover and use their gifts.
  • Build sustainable ministries that do not depend on one person alone.
• Administration and Communication
  • Manage basic church communication, scheduling, planning, and follow-up.
  • Use Google Workspace for church administration and organization.
  • Attend regular church council meetings as an ex officio member.
  • Work collaboratively with council, ministry leaders, and volunteers.
  • Answer phone calls and return messages in a timely and caring manner.
  • Communicate through phone, email, text, Facebook, and other digital tools as appropriate.

Desired Characteristics
We are prayerfully seeking a pastor who is:

• Deeply committed to Jesus Christ and living a Spirit-filled life.
• Grounded in Scripture and doctrinally sound.
• Prayerful, humble, and spiritually mature.
• A clear and engaging preacher and teacher.
• A strong communicator and listener.
• A visionary leader who can guide the church toward growth and renewal.
• Collaborative rather than controlling.
• Compassionate, caring, and servant-hearted.
• Committed to pastoral care beyond Sunday mornings and office hours.
• Relational and willing to engage with the congregation and community.
• Passionate about community outreach and evangelism.
• Comfortable in, or experienced with, rural and small-town ministry.
• Organized, self-directed, and able to handle basic administrative responsibilities.
• Flexible, practical, and realistic in a smaller volunteer-based church setting.
• Able to equip, encourage, and develop leaders.
• Emotionally mature, accountable, and able to handle conflict with grace.
• Honest, trustworthy, and of strong moral character.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous pastoral, ministry, or church leadership experience.
• Experience in a rural, small-town, or smaller congregation context is an asset.
• Formal biblical or theological training, or equivalent ministry experience.
• Strong understanding of Scripture and Christian doctrine.
• Agreement with the beliefs, values, and mission of Kinnaird Church of God.
• Strong verbal, written, and digital communication skills.
• Comfort using Google Workspace, Facebook, and other communication tools.
• Musical ability or worship-leading experience is an asset but not required.

Application Requirements
Interested applicants are invited to submit:

• Cover letter
• Current resume
• Personal testimony / faith journey
• Summary of doctrinal beliefs
• Links to recent sermon recordings, if available
• 3 references

Applicants are encouraged to speak about their experience with preaching, pastoral care, small-town ministry, basic administration, community outreach, volunteer leadership, and church growth.

Applications may be submitted to:

[email protected]

Closing Statement
Kinnaird Church of God is seeking a pastor who will preach the Word, pray faithfully, shepherd the people, equip the church, and lead with vision.

We are looking for someone who sees ministry not simply as a Sunday role, but as a calling to walk alongside the congregation and serve the wider community with faith, compassion, and love.