We are looking for an affirming pastor with clergy experience and an understanding of LGBTI issues, liberation theology and inclusive language.  The pastor will be the leader of the worship team, preach one or two sermons a month and also undertake home/hospital visits and counselling when necessary.

Our ideal candidate will be interested in ministry development in order to support our many and varied ministries. We will expect him/her to help us sustain the welcoming, inclusive community atmosphere, which we greatly value.

Although promoting and supporting of lay leadership will be one of the primary responsibilities of the pastor,some of the tasks currently undertaken by volunteer ministry leaders will become the duty of the pastor.  The church council will discuss details of these with the prospective pastor.

We would like to appoint someone who has a heart for social justice and who will be an efficient spokesperson in the media and elsewhere. 

The pastor we appoint should be willing to participate in Regional and International initiatives.

For more information about this position, please download the Candidate Pack or read it online.

Mission

Good Hope MCC is a theologically progressive and inclusive spiritual community founded on the principles of Jesus Christ that celebrates diversity in a safe environment. We commit ourselves to this purpose.

It is our mission to spread the love of God in an affirming and inclusive manner to all people of our community and beyond, regardless of gender, race, language, culture or sexual orientation.

History

In 1983 a few Christians founded the Gay Christian Community (GCC) because they felt that there was a need to care for the spiritual needs of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) community of Cape Town who were either excluded from or made to feel unwelcome in their birth churches.

GCC was initially intended to be an interdenominational, emotional and spiritual "pit stop" and encouraged worshippers to go back to their birth churches.

Over time, this thinking changed as many did not have a birth church to go back to and/or there were those who felt like GCC was their spiritual home. This gave rise to the establishment of the Good Hope Metropolitan Community Church (GHMCC), which is affiliated to the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches (UFMCC) denomination.

Today GHMCC has grown from a fellowship of a handful of friends to an established congregation of over 100 members with various support ministries to the community at large.

Profile of the Congregation

The congregation is currently run entirely by volunteers and has no full time staff. The church is renting an Anglican Chapel from a School Trust for the Worship services and also rents office space, which is utilised for meetings. The congregation is diverse in terms of race, language, gender expression and sexual orientation. While the visitor profile is not static, currently most of the visitors are either white or colored. Whilst English is the official language of the church, the vast majority of our congregation either speaks or understands Afrikaans.  The general age distribution varies, however we have few people under the age of 25.  The majority of the congregation is predominantly Lesbian, Gay or Bisexual.

After affiliating with Metropolitan Community Churches the congregation had its first full time Interim Pastoral Leader between the years 2000 and 2004. After almost four years, the Interim Pastoral Leader resigned to pursue a career within the LGBTI community in Cape Town.

The Church Leadership subsequently had to “step into the gap” and “fill the pulpit” and together with the congregation, a new model of operation was created. This involved a shift from a “leader focused” congregation to a ministry based/laity led approach.

All functions of the Church are performed by volunteer ministry leaders and ministry members.

Currently the following main Ministries/Teams exist:

1. Worship team   

• Coordinate preachers/themes
• Worship leaders
• Communion coordination
• Scripture readers
• Music

2. Altar ministry

• Coordinate schedule for altar
• Communicate themes with worship team
• Manages altar dedication book
• Recruits new talent at all times

3. Pastoral care    

• Answers all calls to GHMCC
• Visits the sick 
• Counsels congregation
• Home visitation
• Communicates spiritual needs of members to congregation

4. Information and welcome ministry  

• Organise church foyer
• Gather all info for table
• Organise greeters
• Help visitors fill out “visitor’s cards”
• Check up on visitor’s card response

5. Hospitality ministry   

• Co-ordinate hospitality teams
• Help tearoom set up
• Help tearoom clean up
• Contribute refreshments
• Make visitors feel welcome
• Do shopping for tea/coffee, etc.

6. Music Ministry    

• Co-ordinate worship music with worship team
• Co-ordinate choir
• Co-ordinate special service music
• Teach new songs – through worship team
• Compile pianist schedule

7. Education and training   

• Co-ordinate workshops for volunteers for ministries
• Co-ordinate Quest
• Organise educational retreats
• Lookout for external educators
• Co-ordinate church educational workshops

8. Health and Wellness ministry  

• Co-ordinate community projects
• Co-ordinate love cupboards
• Makes needs analysis of financially challenged members and friends
• Lookout for needy organisations
• Co-ordinate community needs
• Prison Ministry

9. Outreach ministry    

• Co-ordinate all outreach activities
• Co-ordinate Pride outreach
• Assist with co-ordinating Pride Interfaith service

10. Newsletter      

• Co-ordinate monthly newsletter

 
11. Media     

• Maintain and update church website
• Co-ordinate all church advertising, e.g. with Out In Africa Film Festival
• Co-ordinate press statements with Joint Working Group

12. Fundraising    

• Arrange socials with the aim to raise funds
• Arrange non-profit socials for members

13. Happy hour   

• Spiritual Discussions
• Biblical Discussions
• Topical Discussions
• Every second Wednesday at church office

Although not formally constituted, the Church Council transferred all ministry related decisions to the Ministry Leaders Forum, who meet quarterly with an external mentor/advisor.

The Church Council is responsible for the administrative running of the church and holds the formal powers as an elected body of the congregation.

Major achievements

Internal

The congregation of Good Hope MCC has grown and evolved over the years from a “leader focused” congregation to a “ministry focused” congregation where the congregants have taken ownership of the church, although an unequal distribution of workload within the volunteer basis exists.

The transfer of ministry related issues away from the Church Council to the Ministry Leaders Forum has added a new quality to this forum and strengthened the ministries. 

The rotation of guest preachers has added a special flavour and diversity to our services. Being the only fully inclusive Christian Denomination in Cape Town, this is well received and perceived.  Having people from different denominational backgrounds (i.e. Presbyterian, Methodist, Anglican, Dutch Reformed) adds something very special to our worship services.

With the introduction of the Civil Union Act by Parliament, Good Hope MCC affiliated two of our guest preachers who are not registered with a South African denomination, to enable them to apply to become Marriage Officers in terms of the Marriage Act and the Civil Union Act.  This in turn, enables us to be able to offer these rites to members and friends who wish to marry.

Community

Good Hope MCC is involved and visible in the broader community. The congregation participates in Cape Town Pride and is visible at the OUT In Africa Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.

During Cape Town Pride a team from the congregation takes charge, together with other communities of faith to organise the annual Interfaith Service.
 
From a seminar held at Good Hope MCC a transgender organisation, Gender DynamiX evolved.

Good Hope MCC is a member of the Joint Working Group, a national network of LGBTI-focused organisations in South Africa. The JWG represents the organised LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) sector, and speaks and acts in the interest of our respective and diverse constituencies.  Together with the Joint Working Group Good Hope MCC was involved in the parliamentary action surrounding the Civil Union Act allowing Same Sex Couples to marry in South Africa.

Job Description

We are looking for an affirming pastor who has clergy experience with an understanding of LGBTI issues, Liberation theology and inclusive language.  The pastor will be the leader of the worship team, preach one or two sermons a month and also undertake home/hospital visits and counseling when necessary.

We would love someone with an interest in ministry development, who will support our many and varied ministries, who will help us keep the welcoming, inclusive community atmosphere, which we greatly value and who will promote and support lay leadership.

Some of the tasks currently undertaken by ministry leaders will become the duty of the pastor.  The church council will discuss details of these with the prospective pastor.
We are looking for someone who has a heart for social justice and who is able to be a spokesperson and a voice in the media and who would be willing to participate in Regional and International initiatives.

Prerequisites

Applicants applying for this position must be ordained clergy of Metropolitan Community Churches or be prepared to hold dual credentials.

Transference of clergy credentials from another denomination is possible and the candidate should be eligible for transference of credentials.

It would be to your advantage and our benefit if applicants were able to speak more than one of the official languages of the Western Cape.

It would also be beneficial if the applicant has working experience in culturally diverse settings.

The applicant would have to use their own transport.

Non-South African Citizens or Permanent Residents need to obtain a valid work permit. Please contact your nearest South African Consulate abroad for more details or visit http://www.dha.gov.za for more information.

For more information on our denomination, visit: www.mccchurch.org

What We Can Offer

A 12-month contract with a view to being renewed, subject to funding.

Salary

R14 000.00 per month cost to company.  The flexible portion of the package can be structured according to the person’s individual needs.

Hours

This is a full time position (45 hours per week on a flexible basis in accordance with standard clergy practice)

 
Office Space

The church rents currently office space in Woodstock.

Start Date

This position will be available from the beginning of May 2008

Queries and Contact Information

Please submit your application containing

• A motivational letter
• A picture of yourself
• Your CV
• Any additional information

via post to

The Chairperson
Pastoral Search Committee
Good Hope Metropolitan Community Church
PO Box 51155
Waterfront
8002
South Africa

or electronically via e-mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The closing date for applications is 12 January 2008.

We undertake to keep your application confidential within the Pastoral Search Committee and the Elder of MCC Region 4.

If you have any queries, please contact the Chairperson of the Pastoral Search Committee, Sharon Cox, via e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

To find out more about our congregation, please visit http://www.goodhopemcc.org