position description
The pastoral associate will work alongside the interim pastor during the congregation’s period of transition to a new settled pastor after the retirement of University Baptist Church’s pastor of 25 years. The Pastoral Associate is a position ideal for a seminary student who wishes to engage in work across the arts of ministry, and gain insight into the particularities of interim pastoral work and a congregation’s life during a period of pastoral transition.
Responsibilities will include:
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Assisting in the cultivation of ministries and programs across the lifespan
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Visitation/spiritual care of congregants
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Assisting in the church’s outreach and belonging ministries
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Occasional Sunday School teaching
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Occasional worship leadership in Sunday services
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The possibility of occasional preaching for Sunday service
The pastoral associate reports to the interim pastor and will work in a collaborative fashion with the strong lay leadership of the congregation.
congregation description
Our mission at UBC is to be a loving and inclusive community seeking faith, joy, and action nurtured by the biblical traditions, the teachings of Christ, and God's continuing revelation. UBC is adjacent to the University of Minnesota in historic Dinkytown. We have a focus on inclusion, justice-seeking, and peace-making. UBC has a long history of inclusion of all people. We have been actively welcoming and affirming of the LGBTQ community since the early 1980s. The congregation affiliates with the American Baptist
Churches USA, the Alliance of Baptists, the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists, and the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America BPFNA ~ Bautistas por la Paz, as well as many local partners. We worship weekly on Sunday mornings at 10:00am.
qualifications
The ideal candidate will have some experience in congregational ministry – paid or volunteer – and exhibit a passion for the cultivation of congregational life and ministry. Some seminary education is preferred, but not required. The position is ideal for a current seminary student who can dedicate at least a year to this part-time ministerial engagement, gaining experience across the arts of congregational ministry with special attention to interim/transitional ministry. Applicant should be committed to a peace-and-justice orientation to the practice of the Christian tradition and does not need to be Baptist to apply.
duration and compensation
The pastoral associate will serve alongside UBC’s interim pastor during the period of pastoral transition. The candidate will be hired on a one-year contract with possibility of contract renewal. The start date is negotiable, as soon as July 1, 2026, and ideally no later than September 1, 2026.
The pastoral associate is a part-time position (12 hours/week) compensated at a rate of $23.00/hour. No other benefits are included in the position.
to apply
Send a resumé and cover letter to:
Congregational President
University Baptist Church
1219 University Ave. S.E.
Minneapolis, MN
55414
Applications will be considered on a rolling basis starting June 1, 2026.