Lead Pastor

Lead pastor for Castle Oaks Covenant Church in Castle Rock, CO

Below you will find a letter explaining who we are and what we seek, and below that a general job description (keep scrolling).  If you have any questions, please forward them to Deb Lawson at djlawson06@comcast.net or 720-482-0748.  Thank you!

Summer 2025

Dear Potential Pastor,

We are so glad you are considering making your home and life among us.  You honor us simply by your prayerful consideration.  Castle Oaks is a part of the Evangelical Covenant Church denomination (https://covchurch.org/) and was a church plant 25 years ago.  We are now in a transition, seeking a new lead pastor to shepherd us forward.  What we’re hoping to share here is a bit more of who we are and the heartbeat of this congregation.

Our congregation is a suburban community in the Colorado front range, between Denver and Colorado Springs. Attendance on a Sunday morning is approximately 350, with 225 in person and another 125 online.  As is typical for suburban Colorado, we tend to be educated, active in a variety of ways, and caught up in the demands of our busy culture, longing for deeper connections with one another, while still tending to be independent and distracted by many things.

And yet, there’s something unique about Castle Oaks, too, something refreshing.  There’s a tone of grace that runs deep in our DNA.  We strive to be “more gracious, more generous, more compassionate… more like Jesus.”  You will quickly discover a real depth of wisdom, humor and a love for God and his kingdom in our people.  Something here is very alive.  Though we don’t tend to be a program-driven church, many ministries have originated or are served by Castle Oaks members.  We consist of old and young, introverts and extroverts, Democrats and Republicans, long-time Covenanters and people new to the Covenant.  We like each other and accept one another’s differences without judgment or self-righteousness, or at least that’s our aim.

We see ourselves as a healthy congregation, and one that is poised for a new season.  We are seeking a visionary person who can take us forward, while still cherishing that which is uniquely beautiful here.  In this busy world, we sometimes lack a sense of connectedness in our relationships with one another. We love each other, but we often feel detached, especially those of us in the 18-50 age range.   We would love vision in our identity as a church body, in our relationships with one another, in our personal walks with God, and in our interactions with the world.  So we need you to set a tone for us, a tone that deeply honors spiritual formation, authentic, messy, iron-sharpening-iron relationships with one another, and the inspiration to take that internal and relational fire into the world.  Infuse us with vision and hope and a continued understanding of what is so very good about the Good News in our ongoing lives.  The energy of grace is crucial to us.  If someone were still swimming in the stale waters of “evange-legalism” with more energy to fix us than to know us and love us and God, this would not be a good fit.

Your own personal walk with God is of paramount importance to us as well.  We want you to be fresh, passionate, real, genuine and current in your relationship with God. We hope you crave (and take!) time alone with Him.  We realize that may include wrestling with God along the way with your own doubts and fears and sufferings and failures, being honest with Him. We hope you have let God speak into your life and that you now walk more wisely and freely because of those struggles.  If you have fully faced hard things, we welcome your presence in the hard things we face, knowing that at a certain level you can only lead us where you have gone before.

Preaching is a high priority to us.  We are looking for someone relational, personable, delivering what you say in down-to-earth, understandable, relatable ways, with a twinkle in your eye and a sense of humor.  We value sound theology and depth in what you offer us.  We value an understanding of the pervasive goodness of God’s absolute grace, viewing sin and shame in that light, and the ability to articulate this well.

And of course, we want to know you, and your family if you have one, and have you know us.  We want to laugh with you, cry with you, think with you, and adventure into the love of God with you.  We want you and the fullness of who you are, and are more than willing to come alongside you.  Because we strive to be a gracious and compassionate people, we allow for mistakes.  There is room for you to misstep.  We know we are all in process and we want to walk with you well there, too.

So there you have it!  We hope this gives you a better feel for who we are and what we are seeking.  Whether you decide to take the next steps with us or not, we are grateful that you are prayerfully, intentionally pondering whether this would be a good fit for you and for us.  May God deeply bless you in the next steps of your life and career.

Sincerely,

The Castle Oaks Search Team

Contact:  Deb Lawson at djlawson06@comcast.net or 720-482-0748

Job Description

General Statement of Purpose and Duties

The Senior Pastor has responsibility for the overall preaching, teaching and pastoral ministry in the life of the church.  The Senior Pastor provides leadership and guidance to the congregation, the Leadership Team, and church staff.

Qualifications

1. Be a passionate follower of Jesus Christ, with an active, prevailing relationship with Him, and guided by God’s Word.
2. Be a motivated person of emotional and relational maturity who works well within a team environment and is committed to the total ministry of Castle Oaks Covenant Church.
3. Be creative, energetic, engaging, and enthusiastic in preaching the Word of God with clearness of thought, adhering to the basics of the Christian faith, and with an active theology of grace for all people.
4. Have a love for all people and a desire to see them come to faith in Christ and grow to spiritual maturity.
5. Be knowledgeable of the heritage of the Evangelical Covenant Church.  Have ordination standing in the denomination or be committed to pursuing ordination in the denomination. Be supportive of the policies, goals, and ministries of the denomination and the Midwest Conference.
6. Have and develop the ability to balance all responsibilities and areas of life – including prioritizing time, delegating responsibility when appropriate, and making time to recharge, reflect, and renew one’s own spiritual walk.

General Responsibilities

1. Oversee the leadership of worship activities, preaching at services, coordinating with the Leadership Team regarding times not preaching, and obtaining coverage for those times from other individuals.
2. Be actively involved in Pastoral congregational care and visitation, delegating this responsibility where appropriate.
3. Attend staff meetings and church leadership meetings, supervising staff to the extent not delegated to other appropriate individuals, and providing monthly written reports to the leadership team.
4. Cultivate cooperative relationships with pastors and civic leaders in the community.