Other Details

• Do you want to see your formidable organization building skills used for the purpose of building up the Body of Christ, the church?
• Are you most satisfied when God uses you to align multiple teams, working on seemingly disparate tasks and goals, to align for one powerful high-value purpose?
• Do you think in systems, and insist on identifying the “disease” rather than managing “symptoms?”
• Do you naturally and skillfully galvanize people toward high performance and goal attainment?
• Are you tenacious, someone who drives forward, holds others accountable, with a controlled sense of urgency?
• Do you enjoy driving initiatives to completion to move an organization forward?

An emphatic “Yes” to all six? Keep reading and consider joining our team. Lake Forest Church – Huntersville is seeking a COO/Executive Director. This person will love a growing group of imperfect people and help them “discover and live out their role in God’s story” (our Mission Statement) through organizational leadership of our staff and operations.  We seek a leader to serve as the ‘Integrator’ to the Lead Pastor’s ‘Vision,’ using the terminology of the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) strategy as articulated in the book “Rocket Fuel,” etc.  We are implementing the EOS with the hiring of this position. Lake Forest Church-Huntersville aspires to a clear and engaging focus on Jesus, both worship and evangelism in Sunday worship, spiritual growth in groups of all kinds for every age, and intentional deployment outward in mission.

Before we get to the formal job description, here’s a little more about us:

LFC-Huntersville is the founding congregation of The Lake Forest Family of Churches, a 27-year-old growing church planting network of five (and counting) congregations in which up to 6,000 people worship weekly.  We are in the Evangelical Presbyterian denomination as our spiritual authority.  The laser beam vision of LFC is reaching “people who’ve given up on church but not on God” (our tagline).  You can read about the Core Passions of our church HERE (add link) and watch a video about our church planting network as a family HERE (add link).  We expect every staff member to be a full DNA match, meaning that she/he resonates deeply with our mission and passions.

Primary Purpose & Function

The Integrator of Ministry & Operations, commonly referred to as Chief Operating Officer (COO) or Executive Director, plays a pivotal role in aligning church ministries and operations with its overarching vision. As a key partner to the Lead Pastor, this position is responsible for executing strategic initiatives, overseeing staff, and ensuring that ministry efforts are effectively coordinated. The Integrator serves as a bridge between leadership teams, fostering collaboration, accountability, and efficiency across ministries.

With a strong focus on operational leadership, team oversight, resource stewardship, and conflict resolution, the Integrator ensures that the church functions smoothly and sustainably. This role champions the church’s mission and values, driving organizational effectiveness while freeing the Lead Pastor to focus on ministerial care, preaching and vision casting. Reporting to the Lead Pastor, the Integrator is a key figure in the church’s leadership structure; managing staff, overseeing budgets, and implementing systems that support long-term ministry impact.

This role is not pastoral in nature but is essential in ensuring that the church’s vision is translated into action, making it a vital force in sustaining and expanding the church’s mission.

Qualifications, Experience, & Core Competencies

• 8 years or more experience as a senior-level leader in either a corporate, non-profit, or ministry-oriented environment with a strong emphasis on operations, planning, budgeting, staff management, and organizational leadership.
• Minimum of an undergraduate degree, preferably in a business or management discipline.
• Demonstrated expertise in the creation of organizational culture and ability to identify, analyze, and resolve issues with effective solutions.
• Proven management acumen in equipping and developing leaders to operate independently, especially capitalizing on the energies of emerging leaders and high potential employees.
• Experience in translating vision into actionable plans and ensuring their successful implementation.

Personal Traits/Disposition:

• Long term engagement in church, and growing faith in Jesus.
• Resolute, matter-of-fact style that pursues the highest possible level of quality in everything.
• Highly principled leader with capacity to maintain operational effectiveness within a well-defined set of guidelines, policies, and practices.
• Humility of disposition to lead through positive working relationships, clear direction, and appropriate support.
• Priority-oriented, driving toward mission-critical strategies.
• Data driven and strategic leader.
• Proven ability to maintain confidentiality and foster trusted relationships.
• Interpersonal discernment, approaching relationships with a proper blend of maturity, humility, and boldness.
• Intentionality about maintaining a healthy work/life balance.

Specific Responsibilities

Organizational leadership): Developing and overseeing an organizational infrastructure that equips leaders to meet and exceed objectives.

• Leading the development and implementation of organizational values, vision, and key strategies.
• Establishing organizational structures and staffing plans that align with strategic objectives, form strong and capable teams, and accurately assess skills and experience to place individuals in roles according to abilities and passions.
• Working with ministry leaders to refine strategic plans and identify opportunities to more fully integrate individual ministry areas in an effort to strength broader missional objectives.
• Providing additional perspective to challenge ministry leaders toward growth initiatives and innovation.
• Ensuring that well-defined policies, procedures, and processes are established and followed.

Staff Development & Management: Developing ministry leaders, clarifying vision and providing direction.

• Establishing expectations which translate into specific goals and responsibilities for direct reports and their teams.
• Regularly evaluating individual performance in informal conversation and formal performance reviews, providing opportunities for training and coaching in areas where improvements are necessary.
• Leading individuals or teams through change, managing both process and expectations.

SYSTEM Implementation: Overseeing the integration of key projects and initiatives across the organization.

• Working with the Lead Pastor to identify key initiatives that accomplish missional objectives.
• Collaborating with ministry leaders to identify and analyze the impacts of initiatives on specific areas.
• Evaluating resource costs and timelines to support initiatives driving data collection and review.
• Overseeing alignment across teams to promote the successful implementation of initiatives.
• Updating the Lead Pastor and Elders on the progress of initiatives on an identified cadence to ensure strategic alignment.

Operations Oversight: Manage the general operations of the church.

• Leading and developing the staff in the areas of Communications and Facility management.
• Providing high-level guidance for Communications initiatives and activities, especially as it intersects with daily church operations.
• Oversee Facility Manager to ensure facilities maintenance and building use activities are executed.
• Co-Lead the Council of Integrators with Integrators of other Lake Forest Family of Churches to manage Shared Service between campus including Human Resources (HR) and Finance, as well as managing shared contract services (IT support).
• Provide leadership and oversight to the Director of the Learning Tree, Lake Forest Church – Huntersville preschool assisting in budget and long-range planning.
• Liaison to other Lake Forest Huntersville entrepreneurial enterprises such as coffee shop and tortilla factory.

Position Details

Reports to Lead Pastor

Position Star Date: August 2025

Supervises: Seven leaders, including: Mission Pastor, Pastor of Discipleship, Minister to Women & Youth, Worship Art Director, Facilities Director, Communication Director, Preschool Director

Collaborates with: Lake Forest Family of Churches Pastors, Lake Forest Family of Churches Campus Integrators, Lake Forest Huntersville Elders

Participates: Lake Forest Huntersville Elder Commission, Ministry Planning, Ministry Teams (as needed).

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Lake Forest Church is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive work environment. All employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit, and organizational needs. In accordance with applicable laws, Lake Forest Church does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, or veteran status.

As a faith-based organization, Lake Forest Church reserves the right to employ individuals who share and live out our Christian beliefs, in accordance with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) Essentials of our Faith.