Burke Presbyterian Church is a 600-member congregation with 270 average Sunday worship in suburban Northern Virginia (less than 20 miles west of Washington, DC) that is welcoming to all. We are seeking an Associate Pastor! The principal focus would be on our great youth; but there are other duties as well, including preaching a sermon to the congregation roughly once a month (in person and streamed online) and pastoral care as needed.
The Associate Pastor would be mentored by the Senior Pastor, serve on a full-time staff of eight employees, and have an office. Previous associate pastors at BPC have gone on to become senior pastors at PC(USA) churches, authors, and coaches in the denomination. We are looking for radical hospitality, deep friendship, and vibrant articulation of the Christian faith in the Presbyterian tradition. We hope the Associate Pastor would demonstrate vital engagement in and beyond BPC, including in the ecumenical and interfaith community, and ministry in the larger PC(USA).
During the school year, the youth program (for grades 7-12) includes a weekly meal and gathering for activities and fellowship, where all feel valued. On the education side, there is a monthly confirmation class (usually for 8 th graders) and weekly Sunday School for middle school and high school classes. Special events in the past have included Youth Sunday (in which the entire service is planned and conducted by the youth) and a musical, with youth as cast and crew (and sometimes members of the band) that involves about two months of rehearsals.
During the summer, the program includes mission trips (usually to inner city Washington, DC), retreats, a lock-in, the junior high retreat (at Massanetta Springs, near Harrisonburg, Virginia) and senior high youth conference (at Montreat, North Carolina). The good news is that the youth are a diverse and fun group to be around, and there is no shortage of help from fellow staffers (especially the ones dedicated to ministries of education and music) and many volunteer adults (including an elder whose main focus is youth).
Your gifts of energy, imagination and love are sought to strengthen youth ministry at BPC and deepen diverse, intergenerational connections across our congregation and community. When we look to the future, we are seeking numerical growth and spiritual depth in the youth program as well as the congregation as a whole.
In general, BPC has strong local and international mission programs focusing on hunger, housing, health, education and family issues. We have a long-standing relationship with the Presbyterian Church of East Africa, including regular mission trips to Kenya. And in the last year, the congregation has become particularly energized around social justice and non-partisan political activism. We are a strong, healthy, open, adaptable, intellectual, and multi-generational congregation, willing to take risks for the betterment of our congregants, our church, and our community. We seek an Associate Pastor for Youth who will educate, challenge, and inspire with a message of Christ’s love and inclusion. We also welcome your ideas, initiatives, and innovative spirit.
For further information on Burke Presbyterian Church and our community:
BPC website: www.burkepreschurch.org
Fairfax County: www.fairfaxcounty.gov
You may also send resume, cover letter and any supporting materials to:
APNC-Application@burkepreschurch.org