Lead Pastor

Primary Responsibility

The Lead Pastor serves as the primary preacher, teacher, and spiritual leader of the church. He is responsible for the overall leadership, direction, and effectiveness of the church’s ministries and operations, aligned with its vision and Statement of Faith.

The Lead Pastor reports to the Board on organizational matters and to the membership as the church's main spiritual leader.

Who We Are

Located in the heart of Victoria, Central Baptist Church has a strong vision to bring the renewing power of the gospel into people’s lives.  We are looking for an organized, spiritually mature Lead Pastor to oversee our church’s operations, to lead and direct our staff, and to serve our people through pastoral ministry.

We are a community of 300-400 people who are relatively diverse in age, ethnic background, and interests, though we are an aging congregation. The gospel is the centre of all we are and all we do. Our vision is to be a church that is “renewing our community through the gospel.”  By “our community” we mean ourselves, our neighbourhood, our city, and those places in the world where we can have influence.  By God’s grace, this vision is being achieved through numerous local and global initiatives. 

Central is at a unique moment in its history. Though we have a strong 99-year history, we have an aging group of buildings, and we are situated in a neighbourhood that has many challenges involving addiction, mental-health issues and homelessness. Our church is located at the epicentre of these challenges, which also presents tremendous opportunities to spread the Good News about our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Who You Are

You love Christ, love His Church, and want to make Him known.  You are someone who not only meets the biblical qualifications for a pastor but has also served in leadership positions, raised leaders, and is a leader of leaders. You are an adventurer, skilled in innovation, organization, strategy, systems development, and problem-solving. You see challenges as opportunities. You want to be out among the people and involved in the day-to-day pastoral ministry of discipling and caring, primarily through teaching the Word of God. 

You can clearly define what the gospel is and how it connects to everyday life and ministry. You are motivated by this, and by your drive to bring the Good News to people at a gospel-centred church.  You have convictions about many secondary theological matters, but are gracious and patient when you disagree with others, ensuring the gospel remains primary.

You love the urban environment and the many opportunities and challenges that it presents, including an inner city in which few attend church in a city where Christianity is often viewed with suspicion,  even hostility.  Although being part of a downtown church comes with diverse challenges, you get excited about turning these into opportunities.  Your heart is gladdened to see people come to know Christ, and you long to help the Church focus its ministries so this can happen.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide overall spiritual leadership of the church
• Establish a compelling vision for the church
• Ensure ministries are aligned, and leaders are developed
• Develop the staff team
• Guide the church to be well represented in the broader community

Skill Set Highlights

• Proven ability to lead staff and develop ministry teams
• Experience in vision-setting and guiding ministry direction
• A clear communicator, capable of effective delegation, and the building of strong interpersonal relationships

Qualifications Highlights

• Lives a life consistent with the life of Christ.
• Experience in pastoral ministry and organizational leadership (familiar with the Policy Governance model)
• Preferred MA in theological education

A more detailed job description is available on our website.

How to Apply

Please download the full Job Description, Statement of Faith, Vision Brief, and Ministry Plan Summary found on our website. Then fill out the application form and send your resume and cover letter to View email address on christiancareerscanada.com .

Interviews will begin in the Fall of 2026.