christian church (restoration movement)

WEEKLY ATTENDANCE: 850

Meet Real Life Christian Church

Real Life Christian Church is an authentic, energetic faith community located in Chesapeake, Virginia, situated just a short drive from the coast. Built on a vision to see each person loved and transformed by the Gospel, the church is deeply committed to helping people live out a "Jesus > everything" lifestyle. Whether you are a lifelong resident or a relocating military family, Real Life offers a warm, inviting environment full of broken, imperfect people, ensuring that pretension is left at the door and there is always a seat saved for you.

At the center of everything they do is an unyielding commitment to biblical depth and truth. Their weekend services are characterized by tremendous, excellent worship and authentic teaching, mixing a relaxed, modern atmosphere with meaningful liturgical elements like weekly communion and corporate prayer. They have no interest in "playing church.” Instead, they unashamedly preach the fullness of Scripture to invite a genuine connection with Christ.

The heart of Real Life is seen in its incredibly caring, resilient congregation that truly rallies around one another. Through Community Groups, which serve as the engine for weekly discipleship, and a massive priority placed on nurturing the next generation of kids and students, they are passionate about developing lifelong followers of Christ. The church focuses on five key callings—to be a worshiper, witness, steward, servant, and connector—ensuring that everyone is invited to build deep relationships, serve the community, and participate in the work of the Kingdom.

About the Worship Pastor

The Worship Pastor at Real Life Christian Church is, at their core, a shepherd who deeply loves Jesus and is passionate about guiding the congregation to interact with God and live out the vision that "Jesus > everything". Rather than being solely a musical and technical position, this is also a deeply relational calling that requires a leader who values truly knowing the church, participating in community groups, and cultivating a high touch ministry. The ideal candidate understands the weight and responsibility of spiritual formation, eagerly disciples and develops their volunteer teams, and fully embeds themselves and their family into the authentic, everyday life of the church. Ultimately, the church is looking for someone who leads with both humility and drive, fostering an excellent, engaging worship culture while genuinely caring for the people they serve.

The Worship Pastor's responsibilities include:

• Service Planning & Execution: Plan and coordinate Sunday morning worship gatherings, as well as special services like Christmas Eve, Easter, and Family Sundays, ensuring the music and elements are relevant, engaging, and formative.
• Team Recruitment & Training: Actively recruit, develop, and train volunteer band members, vocalists, and all tech positions for weekend services.
• Vision Casting: Cast the overarching vision for the church's musical direction, ensuring it constantly reflects the church's goal of helping people live "Jesus > everything".
• Collaboration with the Lead Pastor: Meet with the Lead Pastor to learn from past weekend services and plan future ones, aiming to create moments of deep connection and encounter with the Lord.
• Creative Series Development: Facilitate brainstorming sessions for fresh service ideas and manage the systems required for the team to take a sermon series from an initial concept to full implementation.
• Pastoral Care: Maintain a high touch ministry by genuinely knowing the church, offering counseling when requested, and referring extensive cases to professional counselors.
• Technical Oversight: Manage the maintenance, programming, and purchasing of all audio, lighting, and video technology, including familiarity with Planning Center, ProPresenter, Resi.io, and specific hardware brands like Apple, Blackmagic, and Allen & Heath.
• Video & Graphic Production: Produce creative graphics and direct the creation of in-service videos, which includes drafting concepts, scripting, shooting, and editing.
• Administrative Tasks: Create detailed service plans in advance, handling tasks like charting, sound tracks, and volunteer scheduling.
• Aesthetic & Brand Management: Oversee the church's set design, service timing, and ensure consistent branding is used throughout worship, media, and the church building.
• Financial Stewardship: Provide leadership in developing, managing, and implementing the annual budget for the worship, tech, and creative arts areas.
• Special Event Support: Personally serve and coordinate the necessary tech team requirements for outside special services, such as funerals and weddings.

What you bring

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

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree preferred.
• 3 or more years of relevant experience in a church setting .

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Vocal and Musical Proficiency: Exceptional vocal ability and musicianship required to effectively lead the congregation and the band. 
• Service Planning and Coordination: Skill in designing, planning, and coordinating comprehensive weekend gatherings and special events, ensuring all elements are structured effectively.
• Team Recruitment and Development: The ability to actively recruit, train, and develop volunteer musicians, vocalists, and technical team members, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
• AVL Hardware Management: Knowledge regarding the maintenance, programming, and purchasing of audio, video, and lighting technology.
• Specialized Software and Equipment Expertise: High proficiency in operating specific industry platforms and hardware, including Planning Center, ProPresenter, Resi.io streaming software, Apple ecosystems, Blackmagic Design, Canon cameras, and Allen & Heath audio consoles.
• Video Production: Ideally skilled in producing in-service videos, which includes drafting concepts, scripting, shooting, editing, and post-production.
• Graphic Design and Branding: Ideally able to produce creative graphics, oversee set design, and ensure consistent visual branding is applied across all worship media and the building.
• Systems and Process Administration: Capability to build and manage the administrative workflows necessary to take a sermon series or creative idea from its initial concept to full implementation.
• Creative Facilitation: Expertise in guiding and leading brainstorming sessions to generate fresh, engaging ideas for service programming and marketing tactics.
• Eye for Improvement: The ability to assess weekend services and provide constructive, ongoing feedback to the worship team to maintain a high standard of excellence.

Personal Characteristics and Qualifications

• Spiritually Mature: Demonstrates a deep love for Jesus, steady spiritual growth, and a commitment to personal prayer and time in God's Word.
• Humble yet Driven: Displays a healthy balance of humility while possessing a strong internal drive to build God's kingdom.
• Pastoral and Caring: Possesses a true shepherd's heart and cares deeply for people, approaching the role as a pastor who loves their congregation rather than just a musical performer.
• Authentic and Genuine: Comfortable in a church culture that describes itself as "raw and real," valuing genuine connection over putting on a show or simply "playing church".
• Excellence-Driven: Constantly pursues excellence both on and off the stage, possessing a critical eye for small tweaks that can improve the overall experience.
• Theologically Mindful: Thinks deeply about how worship stirs people's affections for the Lord, understanding the weight and responsibility of spiritual formation.
• Eager and Energetic: Functions as a self-starter who brings an eager energy to the team, naturally taking initiative to run with fresh ideas.
• Accessible and Interruptable: Thrives in a highly relational, open-door staff culture.
• Receptive to Feedback: Shows an openness to constructive criticism, is willing to humbly admit mistakes, and does not let relational tension fester.
• Fun and Good Sense of Humor: Enjoys a lively staff culture that involves lots of joking, requiring a good sense of humor and thick skin.
• Collaborative: Acts as a team player who genuinely wants to see other staff members succeed and is willing to cross departmental lines to help out.
• Development-Oriented: Has a heart for meeting volunteers where they are and patiently helping them grow, rather than wanting to work only with highly polished professionals.

What it's like to live in Chesapeake and Virginia Beach, VA

Living in Chesapeake really strikes a wonderful balance, offering a sense of community that feels both established and welcoming. This area is filled with a variety of landscapes. Depending on where you land, you might find yourself surrounded by open farmland, quiet suburban neighborhoods, or closer to the bustling energy of the city. This area experiences the best of all four seasons, which keeps things interesting and beautiful throughout the year. Plus, with the area’s strong military presence, there’s a unique, friendly atmosphere where people are very aware of the constant transition and tend to jump in quickly to build connections, making it easy to feel right at home.

For families, it’s a fantastic place to settle down. The school systems across the region are highly regarded, which provides a lot of peace of mind for parents, and it’s common to run into teachers and staff active in the local community. Beyond the classroom, there is never a shortage of things to do. You’re perfectly positioned to enjoy the best of both worlds: you get the charm of a quieter, historic area with Jamestown and Williamsburg just a short drive away, yet you’re still only about 30 minutes from the beach and the boardwalk. It’s the kind of place where you can spend your morning exploring the local waterways or visiting the Virginia Aquarium and your afternoon planning a trip to a nearby amusement park or water park.

The lifestyle here is genuinely well-rounded, especially for those who love to get out and experience things. Foodies find plenty to celebrate with a growing culinary scene, and the proximity to diverse activities, from the Norfolk Zoo to hiking trails just a couple of hours away, means there is always an adventure on the horizon. It’s also incredibly convenient for travel. Being roughly four hours from D.C. and six from New York City makes weekend getaways very accessible. Whether you’re looking for a peaceful pace of life or a home base that keeps you connected to the broader region, Chesapeake offers a really lovely, balanced environment to build a life.