Non-Denominational

WEEKLY ATTENDANCE: 200

Meet Grace Community Church

Grace Community Church is a Non-Denominational, “wide-tent church” that emphasizes community and navigating life’s challenges together, choosing hope, and living for the good of the world. It was founded in 2021, emerging organically from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Grace desires to be a diverse community that unites around the hope of Christ and is united in belief that the historical person of Jesus is the Son of God, and that his life, death, and resurrection reveal love as reality and a future of restoration.

Grace is committed to being a community that travels through the messiness of life together, chooses hope, and loves the world.

In a world of division, Grace wants to be a people of unity.

About the Pastor of Teaching and Community Life

The Pastor of Teaching and Community Life at Grace Community Church is focused on providing pastoral ministry that realizes Grace Community’s Vision. This new pastor will report directly to Lead Pastor Kyle Pipes and serve as a Council Advisor. Initially, the position involves partnering with Kyle, who intends to reduce his duties over 3-5 years, with the new pastor hopefully (and eventually) becoming the primary pastoral presence for the church. This transition plan is hoped for but not promised and will be dependent on a number of factors, such as demonstrating both the hard skills (Preaching, Leadership, Strategy, etc) and soft skills (EQ, wisdom, pastoral sensitivity, and leadership) necessary to lead at Grace Community Church. The role demands an individual who embraces Grace Community Church’s unique DNA and history that has fostered an authentic, vulnerable, and highly relational “wide-tent” community committed to supporting one another through life’s challenges and pursuing human flourishing in the world.

The Pastor of Teaching and Community Life’s responsibilities include:

Preaching & Service Development

• Leading the development and delivery of weekly worship gatherings that embody and fulfill the church’s vision. Services are designed to be about an hour long, blending prayer, music, a message, and communion.
• Being responsible for approximately 70% of the sermon load over time. The transition plan for preaching load is outlined as 50/50 in Year 1, 60/40 in Year 2, and 70/30 in Year 3, though this transition could be faster or slower depending on the readiness of the new pastor to take on this preaching load.
• Partnering with the Music Minister in sermon creation, “sermonettes,” and general communication to the church.

Pastoral Care & Connection

1. Knowing the names, stories, and gifts of the congregation helps everyone feel seen, known, and connected to the community.
2. Performing pastoral counseling, weddings, and funerals as needed.
3. Leading in creating and implementing healthy welcome strategies, groups (small groups), and connection events.  
4. Proactively providing pastoral care and having the capacity to step into hard places.

Local Community Engagement

• Helping Grace Community Church engage and serve the local community. This includes partnering with local organizations, other churches, and community events.
• The church is committed to pursuing human flourishing for their neighborhoods, schools, and city, with a particular focus on the most vulnerable. Current partnerships include organizations like Sleep in Heavenly Peace, The Samaritan Center, Young Life, and Meals on Wheels.
• Actively collaborating with Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, where services are held, building on a strong, trusting relationship.
• Engaging with other local clergy.

What you bring

The following describes many of the characteristics of the ideal candidate for the Pastor of Teaching and Community Life:

Education and Experience

• A completed (or nearly completed) Master’s degree (MA in Theology or similar, or a M.Div) is required.
• A minimum of approximately 10 years of experience serving and leading in a local church is strongly preferred.

Personal Characteristics and Qualifications

• Teachable – inquisitive and willing to learn and grow from others
• Theologically aligned with Grace’s “big tent” approach to theology, holds the historical Jesus and
• A talented speaker who is accessible, relatable, and provides a practical approach to life in their preaching. The church is also open to a variety of voices in preaching.
• Ecumenical in nature, desiring to collaborate with other local clergy and the partner Lutheran church.
• Possess a strong desire to build a relationally focused church and to help connect people within the community through small groups and gatherings.
• Desire to live and engage with the local community in Fayetteville, NY.
• Be Authentic, transparent, and vulnerable, not afraid to show flaws, and understand that people are broken and walk through the messiness of life.
• Possess a shepherd/pastoral gifting with the capacity to step into hard places and provide proactive pastoral care.
• Be Humble but capable of challenging and questioning respectfully.
• Be someone who is fun and quick to laugh, enjoying living in the world.
• Servant-hearted and does not bring a “mega church mentality”.
• Instantly likeable, friendly, outgoing, charismatic but humble, and invitational.
• Willing and able to step into hard places; someone good with community groups and able to do proactive pastoral care.
• Be a “connector” and relationship builder.
• Have the desire to be part of a church community and not just lead one.
• Someone who is “all in” on the kind of community Grace Community Church fosters.

What it’s like to live in Fayetteville, NY

Fayetteville, NY, located in the premier suburbs of Syracuse, offers a beautiful area that is generally affordable, allowing for a comfortable lifestyle. The region boasts excellent schools, making it a great place to raise kids, and includes access to highly-rated public school districts like Fayetteville-Manlius and Jamesville-DeWitt. The community itself is described as an enclave of highly educated individuals, including engineers, professors, and doctors, but also as a kind and accessible place. Syracuse, while not a “church town,” offers a growing economy and rising population, notably with Micron’s plan to build a massive semiconductor fabrication facility nearby, expected to create thousands of jobs and significant infrastructure upgrades. Although the climate includes a lot of snow, the area is known to be a great place to live and raise a family, with plenty of outdoor activities to go along with access to the benefits of living near a university town.

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