Pastoral Leader Expectations
Meito Christ International Church
Outline of Duties for a Pastoral Leader
Our pastoral leader shall either be lay or an ordained pastor. In general they should be from an evangelical Protestant denomination. Our preference is for our pastoral leader to be from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Episcopal or Anglican Church, the Moravian, the Reformed Church in America, United Church of Christ, Presbyterian Church (USA) or United Methodist Church. However, a person from another denomination in Japan or from around the world, not listed above will be considered on a case by case basis.
The pastoral leader is to be a native or near native English speaker. Japanese language ability is a plus but not necessary. The pastoral leader is expected to preach and preside weekly and once on Christmas Eve.[1] Other worship services may be added in discussion with the pastor leader for example during Lent. If absent from worship, the pastoral leader will be solely responsible to arrange for a substitute.
The person is expected to provide worship leadership at all worship services and lead an adult Bible Study and/or junior high/youth class on Sundays or other day depending on the pastoral leader’s schedule and flexibility. The person will develop and provide the weekly worship service which includes printing and copying and/or projecting the bulletin or program, as well as leading the liturgy based on our available resources and/or the gifts and talents of the person. In the past this has largely taken from 20 to 25 hours of weekly missionary’s time to develop the service and a sermon. The Pastoral leader will be solely responsible for time management.
Our pastoral leader shall provide volunteer opportunities to facilitate worship and programming and will communicate those opportunities periodically to our attendees. The pastoral leader will develop, distribute (each fall season and/or as necessary) and maintain our annual stewardship time, talent and financial covenants. Our pastoral leader shall oversee our Sunday School. They will not be obligated to teach our younger children’s Sunday School.
Our pastoral leader is to maintain our inter-denominational fellowship and shall assist in our relationship with our local partner Nagoya-Kibo Lutheran Church, and the Tokai District and the JELC as necessary. In that regard, the pastoral leader may on occasion be asked to attend a meeting with our partner churches. Those meetings will be limited to the minimum extent necessary to maintain good communications with the JELC and Nagoya-Kibo Lutheran Church. If the pastoral leader does not speak Japanese, MCIC will assist with Japanese translation as necessary. In that regard, the pastoral leader is to always remember and respect the fact that the facilities belong to our partners, not MCIC. Therefore, all facility usage requests outside of that time dedicated to MCIC study and worship on late Sunday afternoon and evenings will be directed to our partner Nagoya-Kibo Lutheran Church.
Our pastoral leader will oversee our use of the facility and will communicate all custodial concerns to the council and attendees. The pastoral leader will not be expected to clean or manage the facility.
Because face to face meetings are infrequent at MCIC, communication will be necessary by email. Therefore, the pastoral leader will maintain and own a computer, be at ease with the internet, and keep an active email account. The pastoral leader will be expected to attend the MCIC council meetings when scheduled and will have full voice and vote except on personnel matters. The pastoral leader will attend and facilitate any MCIC general meeting of attendees.
If ordained, the pastoral leader will make available and preside at Holy Communion/Lord’s Supper. MCIC provides bread and both grape juice and wine. We use the practice of small glasses. We follow the policy of our hosts, the JELC, that all baptized Christians, regardless of age or affiliation are welcome to come forward for Holy Communion. We also expect the pastoral leader to provide a blessing for Christians or non-Christians who come forward. Presently, we commune at one place before the altar, standing in single file.
The pastoral leader may on occasion be asked to attend or preside at an attendee’s wedding or other special event as the pastoral leader of MCIC. If that is the case, the pastoral leader will make arrangements including expenses and/or honorarium with those parties concerned. MCIC will not be responsible for any of the expenses and if the use of the facility is desired that will be worked out between the pastoral leader and our partner Nagoya-Kibo Lutheran Church. MCIC will not be responsible. The pastoral leader is also free to refuse those opportunities based on their schedule and flexibility.
On occasion MCIC has been blessed to preside at and host a baptism. However, this has been an issue that has been a challenge in so much as the fact that we are a diverse community between those who hold to what is termed “believers’ Baptism” and those who allow for “infant Baptism.” Our facility does not have the means to provide baptism by immersion.
Therefore, each baptism will be conducted on a case by case basis. In the case of the pastoral leader being unable to (lay) or, for issues of personal conscience unwilling to baptize an infant or young child, MCIC will be responsible for providing a pastoral leader and may call upon the local Japanese Lutheran pastor to preside. In that scenario, the pastoral leader will only be expected to assist to facilitate the baptism. The pastoral leader can be absent if conscience dictates, if the infant or young child baptism is during a regular MCIC worship.[2]
All other issues not covered above will be discussed as necessary between the council and pastoral leader.
Honorarium
As MCIC’s financial resources are presently limited, the person will be expected to come with or have available financial resources and/or the ability to work in this area of Japan. That being said, MCIC will be able to make a financial contribution or honorarium to the pastoral leader. The amount will be determined in negotiation with the pastoral leader prior to start. Besides experience, the formula for negotiation will be based on a worship service per honorarium to be given in a lump sum at the end of the month of leadership. For example, a month may have four Sundays and a special service Christmas Eve, thus at the end of the month, the honorarium will be based on five worship services led by the pastoral leader. The pastoral leader will receive the cash honorarium by the last day of that month that was completed.[3] The amount will not be considered a salary, but a gift in recognition of services rendered. Taxes will not be withdrawn and are the responsibility of the pastoral leader.
The amount of the honorarium will be negotiated, and a contract approved and fully signed, including discussion with our partners, prior to the pastoral leader’s start and the pastoral leader’s arrival in Japan or to Nagoya if travelling. No exceptions.
MCIC will not be responsible for travel to or from Nagoya and/or Japan. MCIC will not be responsible for the pastoral leaders travel after conclusion of leadership, nor in case of family or medical emergency.
MCIC will not provide medical insurance of any kind. In case of illness, MCIC will provide for one Sunday honorarium. If extended leave beyond one Sunday is necessary, the pastoral leader will be granted such for no longer than four unpaid (no honorarium based on the formula described above) worship services (total whether consecutive or not per calendar year based on the beginning of service) after which the pastoral leader will be expected to resign and will not be considered for reappointment. During the extended absence, MCIC will not reimburse any pastoral leaders expenses nor will they receive a monthly allowance (see below).
The Pastoral leader will receive one Sunday honorarium of vacation per calendar year based on the beginning of service.
Bonus:
It is the custom in Japan for many individuals to receive a “bonus” from their employer. MCIC will not give a bonus; however, during the month of December (1 – 31st) of every year regardless of the anniversary of the start of the pastoral leader, a special offering envelope will be made available by the congregational council for attendees of worship at MCIC. These envelopes will not go through the offering and instead will be returned to the congregational council. All gifts of money received in the envelope will be anonymous. The proceeds of such shall be turned over to the pastoral leader by the council on or before January 15th. Like the honorarium this bonus is not a salary to the pastoral leader. The pastoral leader will be responsible if necessary for all taxes.
Other:
If the pastoral leader is not Japanese, MCIC will not be responsible for or assist with a visa.
If the pastoral leader incurs reasonable transportation expenses to attend and lead worship or other programming, such expenses will be considered separate from the weekly honorarium and will be discussed before the pastoral leader begins.
The pastoral leader will receive a monthly general allowance of 3,000 yen per month for expenses — for example, to attend a meeting or visit an attendee in the hospital for example. If that expense amount proves to be inadequate for a particular month, the pastoral leader must provide a detailed list of expenses, including receipts for a reimbursement. This general allowance is not for paper, copier, toner or printer’s ink. Those and other possible office expenses will be covered by MCIC. MCIC will not provide or purchase a computer and/or automobile or motorized transportation of any type and/or bicycle.
The person may or may not be able to use the second story parsonage based on our continuing partnership with the JELC. If, the pastoral leader (and family and/or spouse) is able to use the furnished parsonage in negotiation with the JELC, Nagoya-Kibo Lutheran Church, the pastoral leader, and MCIC, the pastoral leader will be responsible for all utilities (electricity, telephone, gas, water, internet and TV service etc.,.). The pastoral leader will also be expected to maintain the contents outside of normal wear and tear in good order.
Besides a weekly honorarium and the possible use of the parsonage, the person will be completely responsible for their own livelihood.
All other financial issues not hereby listed or described will be negotiated between MCIC and the pastoral leader.
This agreement is for one year —- 365 days — from the date of start and must be renewed annually. If termination of this agreement is needed or necessary prior to the conclusion of one year — 365 days — termination will be discussed and will not be invoked without the consent of the other party. However, MCIC withholds the right to terminate this agreement unilaterally for reasons of un-Christian behavior listed below.
Expectations of the MCIC Pastoral Leader:
We expect pastoral leaders to confess the Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior and the Gospel as the power of God for the salvation of all who believe. We expect our pastoral leader to accept the canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the inspired Word of God and the authoritative source and norm of proclamation, faith, and life. We expect our pastoral leader to accept the Apostles and Nicene Creeds as true declarations of the Christian faith.
We expect our pastoral leader to preach and teach from a sound Biblical basis. We expect our pastoral leader to have theological and doctrinal convictions, however we expect the pastoral leader to share his/her preaching and teaching in all Christian humility, and to respect and honor the differences of our theologically diverse fellowship and community.
The pastoral leader is to conduct himself/herself as a Christian at all times. This includes their time away from worship and study at MCIC.
The pastoral leader will not engage in any illicit or criminal behavior. If arrested for any reason, MCIC will not be legally and/or financially obligated for any criminal or non-criminal conduct; this includes accidents — car, road, bicycle, pedestrian etc., — of any kind. If unmarried, the pastoral leader will not have any sexual conduct with a person of the same sex or opposite sex. The pastoral leader will not engage in the use of or have on their possession any illegal drugs. The pastoral leader will refrain from excessive alcohol use. The pastoral leader will not be ever deemed under the influence or drugs or alcohol during worship. The pastoral leader will not have any physical or verbally abusive, sexual or violent contact with a minor in any way. The pastoral leader will keep accurate financial records in regards to their work with MCIC. The pastoral leader will not seek or receive a loan or advance of money from MCIC or any of its attendees. All the above and any other non-Christian behavior will result in automatic unilateral termination of MCIC’s agreement with the pastoral leader.
MCIC will not discriminate based on sex, age, or race.
_________________________ MCIC Congregational Council President
_________________________ MCIC Treasurer
_________________________ Pastor, Nagoya-Kibo Lutheran Church
_________________________ Pastoral Leader
_________________________ Date of Final Signature(s)[4]
[1] If a Christmas Eve worship service falls on a Sunday an additional worship service will not be necessary. If a Christmas Eve falls on a Saturday, the worship schedule will be discussed among the Pastoral leader and council.
[2] In this case it will be considered a vacation so the pastoral leader will lose an honorarium.
[3] In the case that the pastoral leader is concluding service and will not be available to receive the lump sum at the end of the month, an alternative date will be negotiated with the pastoral leader.
[4] The date of final signature will be considered the date of commencement of the 1 year – 365 days and the beginning of the terms of this agreement.
