Gathered Worship & Spiritual Lead, Part-Time

About Farm Church

We are a spiritual community that meets on an urban farm and leverages the resources of the farm to address food insecurity in Durham by asking the question: how can we love and honor people with good food?

For us, “farm” means urban garden plot. We are located in the Trinity Park neighborhood of Durham. Our lot is ¼ acre, and we maximize it to grow good quality produce. Since its founding in 2016, Farm Church has evolved in scope, leadership, and community makeup, but still asserts that as long as people are meeting to grow food and gather for worship – and the food is being shared with the larger community – Farm Church is fulfilling its mission.

We are grounded in Progressive Christianity and informed by other wisdom and traditions. Our spiritual and community practices are largely drawn from asking how our faith traditions inform our relationships with food, community, social justice, past and present empire, and the earth.

On Sunday mornings, we meet for Garden and Gathered Worship. The first hour, we engage in our main spiritual practice of gardening, in which we embody liturgy as the work of the people. We then follow with an hour of Gathered Worship, which includes group discussions, music, Communion, and a sermon in a dialogical format. We refer to sharing and leading in Gathered Worship as “words” rather than preaching, and the words portion includes questions for small group discussion and possibly other creative activities. Additionally, we often refer to the people who gather and take part in Farm Church as a community rather than a congregation, as we do not have membership. To learn more about our community, visit farmchurch.org.

The current season is a time to examine and interrogate Farm Church’s past and present, our context within the broader community and world, and how we move forward in the most authentic way. We’re seeking a Gathered Worship and Spiritual Lead who is excited and well-equipped to guide and participate in the sacred work of such a season.

Job Summary

The Gathered Worship and Spiritual Lead is an in-person, on-the-ground pastoral role that shares responsibility for the leadership of the Farm Church community, serving in partnership with the Garden Lead and the Council of Stewards. Primary responsibilities include:

• Leading and coordinating gathered worship
• Offering spiritual guidance
• Fostering engagement among community members and other stakeholders
• Leading financial stewardship and fundraising
• Cultivating relationships with external community partners and organizations

In partnership with the Council of Stewards and other staff, and dependent on individual skills, interests, and qualifications, the Gathered Worship and Spiritual Lead may also provide support in the following areas:

• Internal and external communications
• External community partnerships and outreach
• Organizational administration

Essential Job Functions

GATHERED WORSHIP

• Plan and lead (or ensure leadership of) weekly gathered worship services and special holiday services, including announcements, centering/grounding, relevant liturgy, “doing words” (see introduction for explanation), prayers, communion, blessings, and children’s programming
• Coordinate regular guest speakers for Sunday morning (approximately once per month)
• Work with Farm Church community musicians to plan music for Sunday mornings
• Plan seasonal or long-range themes according to the church calendar and other community interests (e.g., Advent, Lent, or thematic series based on books and relevant social/theological topics)
• Engage community participants in all aspects of Gathered Worship, including delivery of various materials (poems, quotes, prayers, scripture, etc.) and dialogical participation
• Ensure timely set up and clean up and maintenance of supplies
• Ensure worship and spiritual formation are theologically grounded in food/ecological justice and are attentive to broader justice frameworks

CONGREGATIONAL CARE

• Provide consistent, individualized spiritual guidance and pastoral care, and follow up on prayer requests, concerns, and identified issues in a timely manner
• Follow up with first-time visitors and regular Farm Church participants who have been absent for more than a month
• Conduct sacramental counseling and plan events when appropriate (e.g., baptism, memorials, etc.)
• Assess community interests and engage community with formation and spiritual growth opportunities according to thoughtful discernment of needs
• Create and facilitate and/or support community members in facilitating discussion groups, study groups, or other learning opportunities for participants in all seasons of life
• Share relevant local events and learning opportunities that support spiritual growth
• Plan and/or support community in planning fellowship opportunities and gatherings that encourage social connection outside of worship
• Serve as a primary point of contact for Farm Church community and external partners
• Facilitate conflict resolution and engagement across differences within the community, as needs arise
• Engage and integrate food/ecological justice along with broader justice frameworks in community care efforts

STEWARDSHIP AND FUNDRAISING

• Lead robust, theologically-grounded stewardship initiatives
• Develop and conduct yearly stewardship campaigns, engaging congregants and donors
• Work continually with the Council to cultivate donors and ensure sustainability of financial resources
• Work continually with the Council to identify and submit grant applications and provide reports as needed
• Maintain a consistent theologically-grounded dialogue of awareness and responsibility within the congregation about the importance of dedicating resources – financial and otherwise – to sustain Farm Church, with attention to related food/ecological and broader justice principles

Minimum Qualifications

• Training and experience in spiritual leadership and/or guidance (e.g., MDiv, ordained minister, spiritual direction training, chaplain training)
  • Please note: while Farm Church does not require a particular ordination or denominational affiliation for this position, we do require formal training and experience in spiritual leadership.
• Leadership experience within progressive Christian organizations or initiatives
• Comfort with dialogical preaching and/or a willingness to learn and practice
• Understanding of and engagement in food/ecological justice and their relationship to faith, spirituality, and broader justice issues
• Willingness to participate in garden activities and understanding of relationship between spirituality and garden work
• Excellent written and oral communication skills and experience communicating with institutional leadership bodies, partner organizations, stakeholders, and congregants of diverse backgrounds and abilities
• Comfortable working in a self-directed capacity, without intensive organizational structure, and with a high level of reliability
• Commitment to Farm Church’s values of respect, inclusivity, justice, diversity, community, authenticity, environmental stewardship, and courageous love
  • Farm Church is committed to LGBTQIA+ inclusion and affirmation, anti-racism, and anti-Christian nationalism. We continually examine our part in local, national, and global issues and how our faith calls us toward justice. We welcome candidates who share these commitments.
• Local to Durham, NC or willing and able to relocate on one’s own
• Please note: because our spiritual community meets in a garden, this job requires standing for extended periods, positioning self to work in the garden (e.g., kneeling, bending), working in outdoor weather conditions including heat, and moving garden materials (e.g., fencing, soil, produce, wheelbarrows, etc.) weighing up to 50 lbs.

Desired Qualifications

• Experience with non-hierarchical organizational models

Ordination & Denominational Considerations

• We do not require ordination within any specific denomination and encourage anyone to apply who has relevant experience and qualifications as described here and is aligned with our mission and values.
• Farm Church began as a New Worshipping Community of the PC(USA). While we have since moved out of that program, we have not become a Chartered Congregation. We have previously received funding from the Presbyterian Church (USA) and are part of the New Hope Presbytery.
• Farm Church welcomes community members from any background, religion, or denomination, and our community identity does not lie within any specific denomination.

Compensation & other benefits

Part-time (20 hours/week) salary and housing stipend totaling $27,000 to $30,000, commensurate with experience and qualifications

Additional benefits include:

• Annual contribution to medical insurance
• Annual contribution to retirement
• Death and disability insurance
• Self-employment tax contribution, if applicable
• Three-quarter or full-time employment may be considered throughout the hiring process depending on the candidate’s interest and Farm Church’s resources. The current position as described here could also expand to three-quarter or full-time in the future.

Our organization primarily communicates in English, and we welcome proficiency in other languages.