Starting date: To be agreed
Duration of contract: initial contract of 5 years
Closing date for applications: 31 March 2020
Candidates for this position require a member church endorsement as well as being an ordained pastor in a member church
Purpose
The LWF is a communion of 148 member churches in 7 regions, living and working together for a just, peaceful and reconciled world.
The LWF Strategy 2019 – 2024 “With a passion for the church and for the world” identifies two priorities: supporting the churches’ presence and vibrant witness in the world and promoting human dignity, justice and peace.
Under the leadership of the General Secretary, and in relation with her-his region of responsibility, the Regional Secretary for Latin America, the Caribbean and North America:
- Accompanies member churches in their ministry, offering counsel, support and cooperation.
- Supports churches to express their relationships of communion in their shared life and witness.
- Acts as a facilitator in the implementation of LWF’s programmatic work, ensuring coherence, consistency, relevance and responsiveness, both regionally and globally.
Required qualifications:
- Degree in Theology.
- Endorsed by the Lutheran member church of his-her country.
- Ordained pastor in a member church.
- Excellent written and spoken Spanish and/or Portuguese as well as English.
Additional study and experience
- Successful experience of at least 5 years in positions involving mission, theological reflection, as well as planning.
- Demonstrated excellent capacity in mediation, coaching, and group/process facilitation.
- Demonstrated diplomatic, relational and political skills.
- Solid experience within a LWF MC and in regional settings.
- Demonstrated excellent capacity to develop interpersonal working relationships at both strategic and operational levels.
- Proven ability to lead and interact with multi-cultural and multi-professional teams with indirect supervision role.
Average travel days per year: extensive (more than 20 days)
LWF core skills
- Analytical thinking – expert level
- Initiative -expert level
- Leadership – expert level
- Working effectively with others – expert level
- Achieving results -advanced level
- Accountability – advanced level
Required skills
- Organisational development – expert level
- Communication – expert level
- Networking – expert level
- Facilitation / negotiation / mediation – expert level
- Advocacy / influence – expert level
- Project management – basic level
Position environment and dimensions
Represents the LWF Communion Office regionally and acts as the primary entry point for accompaniment, advice and support to and from MCs.
Nurtures and gives shape to programmatic work and activities in MCs at regional level, in accordance with defined work plan.
Provides guidance and contextualizes LWF policies and practices, ensuring consistency and quality at regional level.
Contributes at regional level to LWF’s sustainable development and funding.
Major influence role in shaping regional and global LWF impact and outcomes.
Internally, interacts with the General Secretary and the staff of the Office of the General Secretary, all LWF departments, program staff, event organizers, Regional Expression Officers.
Externally, interacts primarily with MCs as well as other churches, ecumenical bodies, donors and related agencies, and any other relevant LWF stakeholders.
Main duties
Under the leadership of the General Secretary, and in relation with her-his region of responsibility, the Regional Secretary for Latin America, the Caribbean and North America:
- Provides pastoral accompaniment through regular visits to the MCs.
- Identifies and promotes the development of church leadership regionally and globally, both clergy and lay.
- Facilitates relationships between MCs, mitigates tensions and manages conflicts as needed.
- Monitors and develops LWF orientations, strategy and objectives.
- Plans and facilitates regional and sub-regional leadership meetings.
- Supports the initiation, design, planning, implementation and reception of programs and processes of the LWF Communion office as a whole and in the region of responsibility.
- Identifies and coordinates expertise and resources in the Communion for program work and capacity building.
- Participates in and contributes to the periodic program reviews of the departments.
- Cooperates with other LWF Regional Secretaries to ensure global cohesion of the Communion Office and consistency between and in the regions in programmatic work, LWF approaches and methodologies.
- Advises and supports communication for the purpose of communion building.
- Convenes a regional Communion Office staff working team to exchange information and address issues in the region of responsibility.
Major Challenges
This new position requires creativity and flexibility in order to give it shape and bring it to full fruition at a time of change.
To apply, please click on the following link:
https://lutheranworld.recruiterbox.com/jobs/fk0qws5?cjb_hash=O_cGMM22&apply_now=true
