Lead Pastor

New Port Richey First Church of the Nazarene

Lead Pastor

New Port Richey, Florida

 

Weekly Attendance: 40

 

Meet New Port Richey First Church of the Nazarene

 

New Port Richey First Church of the Nazarene is a welcoming and loving congregation with a faithful core of people who care deeply about their church and its future. The congregation values meaningful worship, strong relationships, and serving together. The church is blessed with committed board members who participate faithfully, give generously, and believe strongly in the ministry and potential of the church.

 

Among the church’s current strengths are its welcoming atmosphere, worship services, men’s ministry, and a faithful group of leaders who are willing to serve. There is a genuine desire to use the gifts of people within the congregation and to see those gifts become part of the church’s ministry.

 

At the same time, New Port Richey First recognizes that this is an important season of renewal and opportunity. The church desires to become more intentional about evangelism, discipleship, developing lay leaders, building stronger connections within the congregation, and reaching younger generations. There is particular interest in strengthening children’s and youth ministry and increasing the age diversity of the church.

 

The congregation is looking for a Lead Pastor who can appreciate the foundation that already exists while helping the church discover what God is calling it to become next.

 

About the Lead Pastor

 

The next Lead Pastor of New Port Richey First should be a relational, collaborative leader who loves people and communicates the message of Jesus with clarity and conviction.

 

Both the congregation and church board identified leadership, preaching and communication, evangelism, and people skills as especially important characteristics for the next pastor.

The church is not looking for a pastor who needs to control every area of ministry or personally make every decision. Rather, they desire someone who trusts others, delegates responsibility, develops people, and empowers the congregation to use their gifts.

 

The next pastor should be comfortable building genuine friendships with people while also providing clear spiritual leadership. The congregation would value someone who understands seasons of brokenness and spiritual healing and who can patiently help individuals and the church move toward greater spiritual health and maturity.

 

This pastor should be able to speak to people rather than at people—communicating biblical truth in a way that connects Scripture with everyday life and challenges people to respond.

 

Key Responsibilities

Pastoral Leadership

Provide spiritual leadership through:
Biblical preaching
Prayer
Discipleship
Pastoral presence
Personal example
Cultivate an atmosphere where people feel known, valued, and connected.
Build meaningful relationships with people throughout the congregation.
Encourage deeper relationships with Christ and with one another.
Build upon the church’s welcoming and caring culture.
Encourage greater spiritual growth and participation in the life and mission of the church.
Vision and Strategy

Work collaboratively with the church board and congregation to discern God’s direction for New Port Richey First.
Listen and learn before introducing new programs or initiatives.
Help develop a clear ministry action plan for the future.
Evaluate current ministries and their effectiveness.
Identify ministry opportunities within the surrounding community.
Establish clear ministry priorities and help move the church from vision to action.
Bring creativity and practical leadership to ministry planning.
Be willing to explore new approaches while honoring the church’s history and people.
Leadership Development

Develop a culture where ministry is shared rather than centered around the pastor.
Identify the gifts and abilities of people within the congregation.
Intentionally invite, equip, and empower people for ministry.
Delegate responsibility and trust capable leaders.
Create opportunities for new people to become involved in ministry.
Develop lay leaders to strengthen:
Discipleship
Children’s ministry
Youth ministry
Outreach
Congregational life
Community Engagement

Help the church develop a renewed evangelistic focus.
Regularly challenge the congregation to:
Share the gospel
Serve their neighbors
Participate in local and global missions
Help the church better understand the people and needs of the surrounding community.
Evaluate how church ministries can connect with the interests, needs, and realities of local residents.
Focus outreach on more than increasing attendance.
Help people:
Encounter Jesus
Become disciples
Find meaningful Christian community
Participate in the mission of God
What a Strong Candidate Would Look Like

 

A strong candidate for New Port Richey First would likely be:

 

A gifted biblical preacher and communicator who connects Scripture with everyday life.
A capable leader who can provide direction without becoming a micromanager.
Relational and approachable—a genuine people person who enjoys building friendships.
Passionate about evangelism and willing to challenge the congregation to actively share the gospel.
Collaborative and comfortable working alongside a faithful church board.
Trusting of others and willing to delegate and empower lay leaders.
Sensitive to people who have experienced brokenness and able to help cultivate spiritual healing and healthy relationships.
Creative and willing to explore new ministry approaches.
Comfortable with technology, media, and using communication tools effectively in ministry.
Practical and willing to work alongside others when something needs to be accomplished.
Possessing enough organizational and business awareness to help the church steward its resources and ministry responsibly.
Able to appreciate and minister effectively to the church’s current congregation while helping it reach children, youth, young adults, families, and others not presently represented within the church.
Above all, the church needs a pastor who will love the people, lead them collaboratively, preach the Word faithfully, and help them rediscover a shared passion for reaching their community.

 

 

 

The Church’s Dreams for the Future

 

New Port Richey First believes there is another chapter of fruitful ministry ahead.

 

The church dreams of becoming a congregation increasingly known for reaching people for Jesus and helping them become growing disciples.

 

They envision a church where:

 

People throughout the congregation are actively sharing their faith.
New people are welcomed and quickly develop meaningful relationships.
Children, teenagers, young adults, families, and older adults worship and serve together.
Lay leaders are discovering their gifts and taking meaningful responsibility for ministry.
Discipleship extends beyond Sunday morning into authentic Christian community.
Children’s and youth ministries are growing and reaching families in the community.
The church understands the needs of its neighbors and develops ministries that genuinely connect with them.
The congregation and pastor work together to discern and pursue a clear ministry action plan.
The church is not simply looking for someone to maintain what currently exists. They are praying for a pastor who can help them recognize what God is doing, build on their strengths, address areas that need renewed attention, and courageously move forward together.

 

What It’s Like to Live in New Port Richey

 

New Port Richey is a Gulf Coast community in Pasco County, located north of the Tampa Bay area. It offers a combination of established neighborhoods, growing communities, local businesses, outdoor recreation, and access to the broader Tampa Bay region.

 

The area provides opportunities to enjoy Florida’s Gulf Coast lifestyle while remaining within reach of the employment, entertainment, healthcare, airports, and cultural opportunities available throughout the Tampa Bay area.

 

For ministry, New Port Richey represents a diverse and changing mission field. Longtime residents live alongside newer families and individuals moving into the region, creating opportunities for a church that is willing to build relationships across generations and intentionally engage its community.

 

For the next Lead Pastor, New Port Richey First offers the opportunity to serve a congregation with a faithful foundation while helping it become increasingly connected to the people growing and living around it.

 

New Port Richey First Church of the Nazarene is praying for a pastor who will love their people, lead collaboratively, proclaim the gospel clearly, develop leaders, and help the congregation move confidently into its next season of Kingdom ministry.