Shining God's Love in the Islands

Island Fellowship Church, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands

Part-Time Senior Pastor Job Description

Job Title:                  Pastor, part-time

Salary:                      $21,000-$24,000/year

Employed by:          Island Fellowship Church (IFC), St. Thomas, VI

Accountable to:      The Board

Hours of Work:        Part Time (16 hours per week), preach 48 Sundays per year

Length of Contract: One year, renewable (subject to 6-month probationary period)

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Overall Purpose of the Post

We are looking for a solid 1 Timothy 3:1-13 man with a love for God and for extending His kingdom

to help us be the church God wants us to be in the community of St. Thomas.

to listen with us to hear what God is saying to us, to see what God is revealing to us about the

       community around us, and to work with us to build God’s kingdom on the island.     

to work with the church so that we all grow together in Christ and reach out to those to whom God

       leads us.

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REQUIRED SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES:

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Faith:

To have a committed personal faith in Jesus Christ.

To be committed to growing in the grace and truths of the Christian faith through personal Bible study and prayer.

To personally model the Christian life in such a way that inspires others to do the same.

To be passionate about seeing people come to faith in Jesus Christ and growing as disciples.

To have demonstrable ability to understand and communicate Biblical teaching.

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Relationships:

To be able to operate with the Board and alongside the families of IFC.

To have the ability to manage and encourage volunteers and work collaboratively with them.

To be friendly and approachable.

To be aware of the issues that Evangelicals do not always agree on, and to be able to work/worship alongside those whose convictions on these issues may differ.

To be able to keep going when things or people prove difficult.

To be teachable.

To be able to balance working under your own initiative and as a team player.

To support members through pastoral care and counseling.

To seek opportunities to unapologetically share the truths of the Gospel.

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Organization:

To have the self-discipline and enthusiasm to initiate new approaches.

To have good time management skills.

To have a willingness to work flexible hours when appropriate.

To be able to perform basic administrative tasks efficiently.

​Qualifications and Training (essential):

To be educated to Degree or Diploma level in an appropriate discipline.

To be ordained as a pastor by a Christian church or denomination that is acceptable to the Congregational Board

To have experience in church leadership.

To be committed to continuing spiritual development.

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Support and Development Opportunities

Our IFC pastor will receive:

Support from the Board at Island Fellowship Church.

Encouragement to associate with other pastors and churches on St. Thomas and nearby islands.

Church expenses will be reimbursed.

Three weeks of paid leave.

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​If you wish to discuss this opportunity, send an inquiry to islandfellowshipchurch@gmail.com 

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Pastor Profile for Island Fellowship Church

The Pastor Search Committee of Island Fellowship Church sought the input of our church family to help us understand the kind of man we will be searching for in our next senior pastor. Conversations have been full of joyful expectation, and while there was a wide range and variety of answers to some degree, there was great unity overall. 

IFC is searching for a pastor who is committed to the inerrancy and authority of the Bible. He will possess the biblical character qualities of a pastor described in 1 Timothy 3:1-13, agree with the IFC Statement of Faith (What We Believe), and lead our church on the strong foundations of biblical authority. We desire a man who is being transformed by God’s Word himself as he leads our congregation to be transformed and convicted by God’s Word as well. He will be a text-driven expositor of the biblical text. He will be relational in his delivery, and firm in his conviction.

Our next pastor will be easily approachable, and a man who is skilled in relationship building. He will lead our staff with a team-based approach, but will steward well the authority of the office of pastor for all matters of final say. He will value the insight of the members of the church, and he will be upright, holy, and disciplined in his approach.  He will make biblical decisions concerning the direction of the church and communicate them with grace while leading gently over time.

He will put God first, his family second and the church third. We desire a pastor who models faithful leadership in the home and allows that to overflow into his leadership at church. Our congregation is excited about their incoming pastor, and whoever he is, he will be a gift to us and us to him.

About Island Fellowship Church

Island Fellowship Church grew out of mostly a home church that started in 2014, and in 2019, it officially became recognized as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization in the territory. Our church has been meeting in public facilities since 2016, and since January 2019 we have been meeting in a leased commercial space on the East End of St. Thomas. The church started as mainly temporary residents but has developed into a very diverse core group of lifelong locals, long-term transplants, snowbirds, and vacationers passing through each week. We reflect the ethnic diversity of our community well. 

Our Sunday morning worship begins at 10:00am and averages 35-40 people each week including children. Children’s Church consists of 6-7 children from preschool to 5th grade and is taught by a rotating group of four women. Our current church location can seat 75 people with the ability to expand and has two classrooms for the Children's Ministry. 

 Currently, three members of our Board rotate preaching for the Sunday service. Our services last 1 ¼ - 1 ½ hours, and each week a family will provide lunch for the congregation to fellowship together after service. We serve communion on the first and third Sundays of the month. Once a quarter, we meet at Magens Bay Beach for our worship service in Shed #2 which is right next to the bar/restaurant; we follow the service with a cookout and fun in the sun.

The Church weekly giving was approximately $6,500 a month for 2022. For 2023, our annual budget is set at $78,000.

IFC is hungry for leadership, structure, and a vision for the future that will grow the church and reach our community. We have amazing people seeking God’s Word and incredible volunteers contributing to furthering His kingdom. Overall, IFC is a warm and welcoming church family who is serious about the Great Commission, and about reaching the next generations in our community.  We value expository, scripture filled preaching and practical community ministries.  We are excited about what God will do through the leadership of our next pastor.

For more information visit our Facebook Page or YouTube Channel   https://www.youtube.com/@user-ys4wg6or5i/videos          

About St. Thomas

The Virgin Islands are a melting pot of other Caribbean Islands as well as Stateside residents. The U.S. Virgin Islands include St. Thomas, St. Croix, and St. John, and the British Virgin Islands are right nearby. St. Thomas is home to 39,118 permanent residents. Many tourists visit our island for a few months as snowbirds or stay for a week or two at a time for vacation. On cruise ship days, the island population will increase for the day with upwards of 15,000 passengers swarming Charlotte Amalia and the best known beaches.

The ethnic demographic of the Virgin Islands is quite varied. About 85% are of Caribbean or West Indian descent.  We have an East Indian population from India, Pakistan, and Trinidad and Tobago. St. Thomas is home to an Arab population mostly from Palestine, and we have two Jewish Communities, the Orthodox and more progressive synagogue with origins from Sephardic Jews of the Island of Saba.

The permanent residents, known as locals, are often lovingly described as the Island of Misfit Toys.  Some of us just fit right in. For others, the stress of the imperfections of our island home is not an easy adjustment. Things are slower and more simple on St. Thomas, and you cannot always get what you want exactly in the time you want it. Reading the book “Don’t Stop the Carnival” by Herman Wouk is an excellent introduction to the imperfect way we live.

There are several different areas of St. Thomas that have unique features. While we are only 32 square miles (13 miles long by four miles wide), and the tallest mountain peak is 1,550 high, our island is quite varied. The Northside is bound by the Atlantic Ocean, and the Southside by the Caribbean Sea.

Northside:

This area is a more lush and mountainous area that is mostly residential with a few convenience stores. The very curvy narrow roads add to the excitement of driving on the left. The temperatures at the higher elevations are chillier and Northside residents enjoy a Coki frog symphony each night. The beaches are often better protected on the Northside; spectacular Northside beaches include Magens, Dorthea, Mandal, Hull Bay , Neltjberg, Bordeaux, Stumpy to name a few.

East End:

The East End of the Island tends to be the hotspot for tourists, nice beaches, good dining and nightlife.  The most noted Charter boat services, fishing boats, snorkeling trips and diving activities as well as our best hotels are on the East End. Beaches include Lindquist, Secret Harbor, and Coki. Just a 20 minute ride away, the ferry to St. John is on the East End in Redhook. St. John is considered the Jewel of God’s natural beauty and we are blessed to have St. John as one of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Although it is not as mountainous on the east end  and it is much drier than the Northside, the East End also has narrow, curvy roads.

Town:

Our downtown St Thomas, Charlotte Amalia, is referred to as just Town to those who live here. 

This area really is blessed with the charm of old architecture from the Danish era. The buildings and shops are connected by steep streets tucked in an often extremely mountainous topography. In the early days of the 1980’s this place was pure magic. Town was a lovely example of old world culture and shops nestled in a quiet residential area.  Abundant shopping opportunities and wonderful restaurants are in Town and the most extraordinary yachts dock at the waterfront. Today, many of those original families have moved into the hillsides around the island. As more government services and housing communities became available, pockets of low income, less safe areas emerged, and most of our homeless live at Market Square and the two parks there. Over the years we have seen an increase of mentally challenged residing in downtown Charlotte Amalie.  

Frenchtown: 

In the early days, Frenchtown was a fishing village with beautiful wooden boats with fishing nets draped over the bows and an active fish market. The wooden boats, known as Flemmings, were made by a man from Anguilla whose signature hull handled the seas very well. Most of these boats were adoringly named after the wife of each fisherman.  Today, Frenchtown is the home to a few of the most awesome restaurants, some baseball fields and a few charter boats. The St. Thomas Seaplane lands and takes off daily from the waterfront of Frenchtown, and Hassel Island is in the background with remnants of a historic steam driven hullover steamboat repair yard owned by the Creque family.

Tutu:

Tutu is a central island area that residents refer to as “out country,”and it includes a shopping mall, large grocery stores, auto parts stores and several residential areas. Much of the Tutu area encompasses land that was owned by the Rockefeller family who sold it to the people who built much of the Caneel resort on St John.

As believers we feel we have an excellent mission field to share the Gospel with a community that has turned away from the truth and is embracing the world. The St. Thomas police battle a high crime rate and drug trafficking. Fatherless homes are prevalent leaving so many families hungry for God’s Word. God has provided us with virgin island beauty and a paradise to spread the truth of the Gospel verse by verse and we are blessed to be part of His Great Commission. 

For more information on St. Thomas, visit www.visitstthomas.com

Todd Hecht (Board Member)

Antoinette Hecht

Steve Johnson (Board Member)

Jen Foley

Eric Namowicz (Board Member)