We're excited to announce our pastoral search!

On November 20th, we announced to the congregation the kick-off of our search for COG's first, full-time pastor. We rejoice in the goodness of God that has brought us to this moment - a significant one in the life of any congregation. 

Interested candidates can find the application steps at the bottom of this page. A downloadable version of the job description below is available here.

Job Description: Pastor

About Covenant of Grace

Covenant of Grace exists for the gathering and perfecting of the saints. God accomplishes this work as we worship in truth, grow by grace, and live as disciples.

We're a congregation of ~60 members in Dunwoody, a northern suburb of Atlanta, GA. We were planted in 2018 with the cooperation and assistance of Christ Covenant Church ARP (Greensboro, NC) as well as help from Midway PCA (Powder Springs, GA). We are currently denominationally independent (https://www.cogatlanta.com/about).

Our Session is comprised of three elders, who were ordained upon meeting the Biblical qualifications and after successful examination by the Session of a supporting church. One of our elders holds an M.Div. from RTS-Charlotte and another previously served as an elder in the PCA.

We have a long-term lease on a nicely renovated and newly expanded facility.

Attitude and Spirit

We’re a grateful, optimistic, and joyful congregation. We articulate the Christian life as a “get to,” not a “have to.” Jesus Christ unburdens his people in the Gospel, and we believe our ethos as a church should make that reality visible. We are seeking a pastor who shares that conviction.

Summary

We are looking for a shepherd-preacher to love the people of God and proclaim his Word to them. We are not looking for a church administrator, a professor of theology, a one-man show, or an ecclesiastical politician. 

Pastoral Responsibilities

Preaching the Word - In and Out of Season

We believe that the useful and persuasive preaching of God’s Word to his people is the most important responsibility of the pastor. This requires:

  • Theological Orthodoxy
    • Our Session affirms, without exception, the Nicene Creed and the Heidelberg Catechism. We also have deep appreciation for the Westminster Standards.
    • We believe that the Scriptures should generally be preached by working through books one passage at a time. This practice helps us not to shrink from preaching of the whole counsel of God. We also believe that this pattern must be broken from time to time when prudence and sensitivity to the congregation and Spirit of God demand it.
  • Excellence
    • Our God is excellent and those who seek to labor in his kingdom should endeavor to do all things to his glory. Applied to preaching, we understand this to mean that sermons should be:
      • Engaging and Persuasive – suited in content to the Word of God and in form to the reception of that Word by its hearers.
      • Useful – weekly worship is the gathering of the Saints of God. While a faithful service, like all of Scripture, is itself a powerful means of evangelism, the primary hearer of the weekly sermon is the believer. The sermon should facilitate their growth by grace. We do not believe RH-only preaching is what’s best for God’s people and feel strongly that sermons should provide application that extends beyond calls to faith (without excluding such calls!).

Feed His Lambs, Tend His Sheep, Feed His Sheep

We need a pastor who understands that even we who love God are “prone to wander…prone to leave the God [we] love.” Such a man will be compassionate with God’s people, going after them with love, and calling them back to a vibrant, daily walk with Christ.

Since our founding in 2018, our elders have each had “Shepherding Lists” - households in the congregation assigned to their care. More than once a month, they engage with these households, praying for them, encouraging godliness and service to the kingdom, providing counsel and advice, and building relationships of trust.

  • Shepherding the Shepherds
    • The pastor’s “Shepherding List” will be the elders and their families. He should tend these sheep with tenderness and zeal.
    • Through that shepherding, and through direct instruction, the pastor should help the other elders to become more excellent in their own abilities and practice as shepherds.
  • Shepherding the Flock
    • The pastor should quickly learn the names of every person in the congregation.
    • The pastor should meet with every household at least once each calendar year.
    • The pastor should meet with member households during, and in the wake of, significant events. This includes important celebratory events, as well as events of sickness, injury, job loss, or the death of a loved one.
    • The pastor should meet with members of the congregation as needed to assess the need for additional shepherding or counseling. In general, the pastor should not be engaged in long-term counseling.

With the Other Overseers, Manage God’s Household

We are a Session-led church. Our pastor will be the spiritual leader of the Session and hold special honor within it. Focused on the work of preaching and shepherding, the pastor will not also shoulder the executive and administrative responsibilities of the church. 

  • Session Meetings
    • The pastor should regularly identify matters that require the Session’s attention and provide notice of them to the clerk for inclusion on business meeting agendas.
    • He should provide pastoral insight and perspective in all discussions and seek to persuade the session to do what is right.
    • The pastor should vote his Scripture-bound conscience on all matters before the Session.
    • The pastor will lead the monthly Session prayer call.
  • Worship Services
    • The pastor should collaborate weekly with the elder in charge of worship to provide guidance on the content and structure of the service.
    • The pastor will function as the primary worship leader, with a rotation of the elders providing (among other benefits) a monthly opportunity for the pastor to participate with his family or the congregation in worship.
  • Additional Meetings
    • The Session meets an additional three times per year for non-business meetings. The pastor should provide ideas for books, articles, and topics to discuss during these meetings. He will generally lead these meetings. 

Interested Candidates

If you're interested in being considered, please do the following:

1) Introduce yourself via an email to info@cogatlanta.com

Please include - Resume/Work & Education History, Ministerial Data Form*, links or files to sermon audio/video.

* Any denomination's MDF is fine - no need to redo work you've already done. If you don't already have one, what we're looking for are your doctrinal views (especially as regards the historic Reformed standards) and your views on pastoral ministry, worship, and the local church.

2) Spend a few minutes (usually takes less than 5) on the Predictive Index. This is a work traits assessment that gives us some insight into how you prefer to communicate, work, and make decisions. 
https://assessment.predictiveindex.com/bo/53NB/COG-Pastor