Transitional Lead Pastor
The River Church Community
San Jose, CA 95126
Denomination: Evangelical Covenant - ECC
Category: Senior Pastor, Lead Pastor
Church Size: 250 - 500
Salary: $100,000+
Posted on: June 09, 2025
Time Type: Full Time
Job Description:
Position Summary
The Transitional Lead Pastor will shepherd The River through a season of discernment and restructuring while we search for a permanent Lead Pastor. Partnering with wise lay leaders, strong staff, and an engaged Board, the Transitional Lead Pastor will:
offer steady, Christ-centered leadership
nurture spiritual and organizational health
equip the congregation to embrace future vision and change
The assignment concludes once a permanent Lead Pastor is called (anticipated 6–24 months).
Key Responsibilities
Preaching & Worship
Oversee Sunday morning teachings, either delivering the teaching or delegating the teaching in collaboration with staff and lay leaders. Ensure that messages are biblically anchored, culturally relevant, and reflect The River's ethos of thoughtful orthodoxy, Spirit-led insight, and practical application.
Shape Sunday gatherings with the worship planning team, honoring our blended style and weekly Eucharist.
Spiritual & Pastoral Leadership
Model a prayer-saturated, Spirit-dependent life that invites the congregation into deeper communion with Christ.
Provide pastoral care—especially to staff and leaders—through listening, prayer, and counsel.
Protect and promote The River's "Third Way" approach to potentially polarizing social and political issues, ensuring our open table and inclusive culture remain vibrant.
Shepherd the congregation through a season of external judicial processes and investigations, especially for segments of the church most deeply affected.
Organizational Health & Transition Management
Collaboratively assess church vision, ministries, structures, processes, and operations for health and opportunities. Recommend changes to maintain the overall vibrancy of the church and prepare the organization for new leadership.
Supervise and coach church staff team in ongoing needs, including ministry year planning and tracking personal and professional goals.
Offer leadership, mentorship, and strategic planning in key ministries, including Adult Spiritual Formation, Compassion & Justice, Youth Group, Kids Community, Young Adults, and Seniors.
Facilitate healthy communication and conflict-resolution processes, maintaining transparency and trust.
Work closely with the Board and Lead Pastor Search Task Force to guide the search for a permanent lead pastor.
Mission & Community Engagement
Champion our call to live as Jesus's blessing to Silicon Valley—locally and globally—by encouraging justice and evangelism initiatives.
Cultivate relationships within the Evangelical Covenant Church for resourcing and accountability.
Personal Profile
Deep love for Jesus and his Church, evidenced by mature character and spiritual practices.
Warm relational presence: approachable, empathetic, and trustworthy.
Strategic thinker able to see the big picture while attending to pastoral details.
Culturally agile, able to engage Silicon Valley's tech-driven, multi-ethnic context.
Ability to discern areas of tension, conflict, and difficulty; and a willingness to proactively step into those areas to facilitate healthy resolution
Compensation & Terms
Full-time salary commensurate with experience and Bay Area cost of living.
Housing allowance (per IRS clergy guidelines), health benefits, retirement contribution, and professional development funds.
Paid vacation, retreat, and study time as negotiated.
Application Process
Submit a résumé/CV, cover letter, two recent sermon links (video or audio), and three professional references to hr@the-river.org.
Include a one-page reflection on leading a church through transition and change.
Qualified candidates will be contacted for an initial interview; subsequent steps include meetings with staff and key leaders, reference checks, and in-person visit.
The Transitional Lead Pastor will shepherd The River through a season of discernment and restructuring while we search for a permanent Lead Pastor. Partnering with wise lay leaders, strong staff, and an engaged Board, the Transitional Lead Pastor will:
offer steady, Christ-centered leadership
nurture spiritual and organizational health
equip the congregation to embrace future vision and change
The assignment concludes once a permanent Lead Pastor is called (anticipated 6–24 months).
Key Responsibilities
Preaching & Worship
Oversee Sunday morning teachings, either delivering the teaching or delegating the teaching in collaboration with staff and lay leaders. Ensure that messages are biblically anchored, culturally relevant, and reflect The River's ethos of thoughtful orthodoxy, Spirit-led insight, and practical application.
Shape Sunday gatherings with the worship planning team, honoring our blended style and weekly Eucharist.
Spiritual & Pastoral Leadership
Model a prayer-saturated, Spirit-dependent life that invites the congregation into deeper communion with Christ.
Provide pastoral care—especially to staff and leaders—through listening, prayer, and counsel.
Protect and promote The River's "Third Way" approach to potentially polarizing social and political issues, ensuring our open table and inclusive culture remain vibrant.
Shepherd the congregation through a season of external judicial processes and investigations, especially for segments of the church most deeply affected.
Organizational Health & Transition Management
Collaboratively assess church vision, ministries, structures, processes, and operations for health and opportunities. Recommend changes to maintain the overall vibrancy of the church and prepare the organization for new leadership.
Supervise and coach church staff team in ongoing needs, including ministry year planning and tracking personal and professional goals.
Offer leadership, mentorship, and strategic planning in key ministries, including Adult Spiritual Formation, Compassion & Justice, Youth Group, Kids Community, Young Adults, and Seniors.
Facilitate healthy communication and conflict-resolution processes, maintaining transparency and trust.
Work closely with the Board and Lead Pastor Search Task Force to guide the search for a permanent lead pastor.
Mission & Community Engagement
Champion our call to live as Jesus's blessing to Silicon Valley—locally and globally—by encouraging justice and evangelism initiatives.
Cultivate relationships within the Evangelical Covenant Church for resourcing and accountability.
Personal Profile
Deep love for Jesus and his Church, evidenced by mature character and spiritual practices.
Warm relational presence: approachable, empathetic, and trustworthy.
Strategic thinker able to see the big picture while attending to pastoral details.
Culturally agile, able to engage Silicon Valley's tech-driven, multi-ethnic context.
Ability to discern areas of tension, conflict, and difficulty; and a willingness to proactively step into those areas to facilitate healthy resolution
Compensation & Terms
Full-time salary commensurate with experience and Bay Area cost of living.
Housing allowance (per IRS clergy guidelines), health benefits, retirement contribution, and professional development funds.
Paid vacation, retreat, and study time as negotiated.
Application Process
Submit a résumé/CV, cover letter, two recent sermon links (video or audio), and three professional references to hr@the-river.org.
Include a one-page reflection on leading a church through transition and change.
Qualified candidates will be contacted for an initial interview; subsequent steps include meetings with staff and key leaders, reference checks, and in-person visit.
About The River Church Community:
The River Church Community is an intergenerational, multi-ethnic congregation in the heart of Silicon Valley. Rooted in historic evangelical faith and affiliated with the Evangelical Covenant Church, our four counter-cultural core values—Communion, Community, Commission, and Contribution—shape a gracious yet challenging culture that welcomes all who seek the life-changing person and teaching of Jesus. Sunday worship blends ancient liturgy with contemporary creativity, centers on weekly open communion, and invites robust participation across ages and backgrounds. Leadership is intentionally shared, egalitarian, and team-oriented.
Job Qualifications:
Demonstrated pastoral experience (7+ years) in a comparable multi-staff, diverse congregation; prior transitional-interim work a plus.
Demonstrated experience with change management within complex, multifaceted organizations.
Master of Divinity (or equivalent); ordination in a credentialed evangelical tradition. ECC ordination is welcomed but not required; must be willing to work with and submit to ECC denominational leaders.
Excellent teaching and interpersonal communication gifts that unite head and heart.
Commitment to egalitarian leadership and comfort with ministering amid theological diversity on secondary issues.
Emotional intelligence, resilience, and the capacity to lead with both humility and decisive clarity.
Demonstrated competence with staff management, delegation, and administration.
Demonstrated experience with change management within complex, multifaceted organizations.
Master of Divinity (or equivalent); ordination in a credentialed evangelical tradition. ECC ordination is welcomed but not required; must be willing to work with and submit to ECC denominational leaders.
Excellent teaching and interpersonal communication gifts that unite head and heart.
Commitment to egalitarian leadership and comfort with ministering amid theological diversity on secondary issues.
Emotional intelligence, resilience, and the capacity to lead with both humility and decisive clarity.
Demonstrated competence with staff management, delegation, and administration.
Position Information:
Job Title:
Transitional Lead Pastor
Time Type:
Full Time
Job Category:
Salary:
$100,000+
Organization Type:
Church
Denomination:
Worship Style:
Blended
Church Size:
250 - 500
Contact Information:
Organization Name:
Contact Name:
Cameron Ashizawa
Address1:
670 Lincoln Ave.
Address2:
Suite 200
City:
San Jose
State or Province:
ZIP Code:
95126
Country:
United States
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Contact Organization:
Organization Website:
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