I recently received an email (edited for content below) from a Southern Baptist pastor in downtown Chicago about some very cool opportunities to be a strategic leader in SBC work in downtown Chicago...
Last year we basically wiped the slate clean with staff [at the Chicago Metro Baptist Association] and designed three new full-time roles that we think will help our churches BRING GOOD NEWS to Chicago.
Director of Missional Leadership and Mobilization: This position will help to “develop ministers of the gospel” by equipping current and future pastors.
Director of Evangelism and Church Growth: This position will help to “strengthen local churches” by assisting them in bringing the Good News.
Director of Church Planting: This position will help to “expand the Kingdom of God” by planting new churches.
We advertised and tried to spread the word and got around 150 applications, but none of them have turned out. We really believe that these positions are so strategic that we want to make sure we get the right people here and have no false starts.
Chicago is an alpha class, major global city. Yet as far as a real movement of the gospel goes it’s pretty pathetic here. I really think these positions could potentially play a huge role in reaching our strategic city. Exciting stuff is happening in New York and Seattle and other major cities around the world. Why not Chicago?
I was wondering if you knew anyone for any of these positions that would be good for Chicago and getting a movement started here. They’re full time positions, partly funded by NAMB. But we want to take more initiative in going out and finding the right people. We’re praying like crazy and super excited about the potential.
I know I have some readers out there who would be well equipped for this sort of work. Chicago is a great city with far too few good churches. If you are interested and feel you fit as SBC/missional, email apply@chicagobaptist.com. If you feel your blog readers might be interested, please point them to this post. Thanks.