WHAT OUR STUDENTS SAY
When we moved here from South Carolina about 5 years ago, I was lost and didn’t have any friends. When I visited VRSM and was welcomed with a warm smile, I felt like I had found a second home. Christ has really changed my life through the meaningful discussions and wonderful community I have experienced at VRSM. It truly is a life-changing group!
I love VRSM because everyone there loves one another like family. The whole ministry is very inclusive and all the leaders are easy to talk to in times of struggle and are there to support you when you succeed. I have made some of my best friends through the ministry and also been able to watch each other grow in Christ and grow together, which has been one of my favorite things since joining the ministry!
TREY B.
TAYLOR I.
VRSM has helped me grow spiritually by showing me what it’s like to love Jesus and love others, but also how to put that into practice by serving the community and laughing together. My relationship with Jesus would not be as strong as it is today without VRSM and the many people and leaders who have invested in me.
VRSM has shown me the purpose and joy found in having Godly community. Being able to walk alongside such a great group of people has made it easier to be bold and grow in my faith. The people here are so special and their love for the Lord is evident by how they love others and invite them into our student ministry. VRSM has taught me how to pursue a deeper faith and seek Christ above all other things.
MAYA D.
HALEY H.
A WORD FROM THE PASTOR
Position Description
The Discipleship Pastor is a spiritual and organizational leader responsible for investing in the adult discipleship ministries of Valley Ranch Baptist Church (VRBC). They will partner with the Senior Pastor and other pastoral staff to develop and manage strategies to help every VRBC attendee grow in their relationship with Jesus and become more like him. Primary responsibilities include leading the Adult Grow Group ministry and other adult discipleship opportunities, investing in young adults, and serving as a member of the preaching team.
The person in this position will have many opportunities to invest pastorally in people, partner with the Senior Pastor and other pastors on discipleship strategy, and develop their writing and preaching skills. It could be a particularly great opportunity for someone who senses a call to be a Senior Pastor in the future.
Specific Responsibilities Include:
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Maintain a vibrant, ongoing relationship with Jesus, putting him first in all things and pastoring others out of the overflow.
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Lead all aspects of the Adult Grow Group ministry, including vision, strategy, content, leader recruitment and equipping, and launching of new groups.
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Work with a team of staff and volunteers to write the weekly Grow Group Leader’s Guide.
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Invest relationally and spiritually in Grow Group leaders, mentoring and discipling them personally in partnership with other pastoral staff.
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Develop and lead additional discipleship ministry opportunities that help people become more deeply rooted in Christ and grow in their spiritual formation.
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Invest in the young adults of the church and community, building and strengthening ministries focusing on this age group.
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Preach in the Sunday morning services regularly as a member of the preaching team.
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Collaborate with the Senior Pastor and other members of the preaching team in sermon series planning and development.
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Participate fully as a member of VRBC and the staff team by embracing the mission and strategy of the church.
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Develop and manage the Grow Ministry budget.
CANDIDATE PROFILE
The ideal candidate will:
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Be a committed follower of Jesus, humbly striving to reflect the character of Christ.
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Possess a strong understanding of Scripture, theology, and spiritual formation, accompanied by a love for reading and learning. MDiv preferred but not required.
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Think deeply about discipleship and spiritual formation and be passionate to see people grow in their love for and experience of Jesus.
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Be a gifted communicator – preaching, teaching, and writing.
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Be deeply relational, with excellent people skills.
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Be a skilled recruiter and team builder – intentionally and regularly identifying and raising up leaders to launch new groups and lead existing groups.
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Be an excellent leader – able to organize, inspire and manage multiple people, teams, and projects to accomplish the mission of the church.
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Embrace the opportunity to serve in a multi-generational, multi-cultural context.
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Think creatively, always looking for new and engaging ways to communicate the timeless truth of the gospel.
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Have a strong commitment to personally growing and developing, both as a follower of Jesus and a pastor.
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Embrace and support VRBC’s mission and beliefs as listed on our website
About Us
Our Mission: Inviting diverse and disconnected people to passionately follow Jesus together
God has been so good to us! At VRBC, he has assembled a multi-generational, multi-ethnic group of loving, humble, servant-hearted people who truly want to know Jesus, become more like him, and share him with the world. We strive to surrender to his transforming work within us so that we become a people who love each other and our community as Jesus would. This is the driving heartbeat of our life together at VRBC.
God has planted VRBC in a beautifully diverse community. The neighborhoods around our church are filled with people from a wide variety of ethnic, socioeconomic, political, and religious backgrounds. Tragically, many of these people are disconnected – from God and from one another. We believe God has intentionally placed us here to invite these diverse and disconnected people to find unity in one glorious calling: passionately following Jesus together.
For more information, check out the Congregational Profile we put together in 2023 during our Senior Pastor search.
About Our Discipleship Ministries
Discipleship is at the very heart of who we are and who we want to be as a church. Our mission is to invite the people of our community into a life of following Jesus together…in other words, a life of discipleship. Our staff team spends a lot of time thinking and praying about how we can help people become more deeply rooted in Christ, putting them in position to experience real life-change through the power of the Spirit. Our desire is to see every person become more like Jesus – living like him and loving like him in every aspect of their lives.
On a more practical note, here are some details about our discipleship ministries and approach:
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Grow Groups are the foundation of our approach to spiritual formation for adults. A Grow Group is a group of 10 to 20 people who meet each week to dig into God’s Word, build true friendships, and train for our mission. Many groups meet on Sunday mornings at VRBC, while others meet at other times throughout the week in homes or at the church.
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Most Grow Groups use a sermon-based curriculum that is developed by a team of staff and volunteers each week to complement the weekly sermons. The format is discussion-based and is intended to help group members personally process and apply the topics discussed during the sermon to their daily lives.
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Grow Groups have three sessions each year (Fall, Spring, and Summer), taking off approximately 4 weeks between each session.
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In each session since we started Grow Groups eight years ago, over 80% of our average worship attendance has participated in a Grow Group.
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Our discipleship ministry also produces a Growth Guide each semester that contains resources for daily devotions (including Scripture readings, questions for reflection, and prompts for prayer) that follow the themes of the Sunday sermons.
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From time to time, we provide a variety of other discipleship opportunities, and we’d like to see these additional offerings grow both in frequency and impact.
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We take a collaborative approach to our discipleship ministry (and all our ministries). While the discipleship pastor is ultimately responsible for our Grow Groups and other discipleship ministries, we regularly collaborate on philosophy and strategy to leverage the best ideas and wisdom from the team.
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Some of the authors who have influenced our discipleship philosophy are Dallas Willard, Richard Foster, John Mark Comer, NT Wright, and Ruth Haley Barton.
A MESSAGE FROM OUR PASTOR
About Coppell & Valley Ranch
The Coppell/Valley Ranch area is a community with a small-town feel and big-city conveniences. Consistently rated as one of the best places to live, raise a family, and attend public schools in Texas by Niche.com, Coppell/Valley Ranch is situated near the heart of the DFW Metroplex.
In quaint Old Town Coppell, you can spend Saturday morning shopping for local produce at the Farmers Market, grab some lunch at one of the local restaurants, enjoy boutique shopping, and then relax while participating in family-friendly events at the brand new Arts Center. The community of Valley Ranch, located within the larger city of Irving, shares many of the same features as Coppell, and portions of the community are zoned for Coppell ISD. The Sound at Cypress Waters is one of the newest, fastest-growing areas in Coppell/Valley Ranch for restaurants, nightlife, and outdoor concerts.
The Coppell/Valley Ranch area offers easy access to world-class entertainment, fantastic restaurants, professional and recreational sports, and plentiful parks and green spaces. More importantly, it is home to thousands of people who have yet to experience the joy of following Jesus. If you’d like to be a part of helping make that happen, we’d love to visit with you!
