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Lead Pastor Jobs in Seattle, WA (NOW HIRING)

Northshore Christian Church

Lead Pastor

Everett, WA · On-site

LEAD PASTOR and Northshore Christian Church (NCC) Staff Member. Position Summary This position is responsible for: Serving on, being accountable with, and submitting to the Elder Board in fulfillment ...

Northshore Christian Church

Lead Pastor

Everett, WA · On-site

$160K - $180K/yr

LEAD PASTOR and Northshore Christian Church (NCC) Staff Member. Position Summary This position is responsible for: Serving on, being accountable with, and submitting to the Elder Board in fulfillment ...

Ministrylist

Lead Pastor One Hope Church

Gig Harbor, WA · On-site

$85 - $120/hr

One Hope Church - Gig Harbor is looking for a Lead Pastor to lead with a spiritual compass, guiding the congregation through preaching, teaching, and sacraments, while overseeing worship, music ...

New

Bethelowatonna

Youth Director/Pastor

Bremerton, WA · On-site

$75 - $90/hr

The Youth Director/Pastor role at Peninsula Bible Fellowship in Bremerton, Washington, offers a challenging and rewarding opportunity to lead and nurture the spiritual growth of youth in Kitsap ...

New

Eumcjobs

Business Administrator

Edmonds, WA · On-site

This Full-time exempt senior staff position reports to the Lead Pastor and responsible for directing and overseeing the administrative, business and financial support functions in the church. Also ...

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All JobsLead Pastor JobsLead Pastor Jobs in Seattle, WA

Lead Pastor information

See Seattle, WA salary details

$41.5K

$72.7K

$122.9K

How much do lead pastor jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 3, 2026, the average yearly pay for lead pastor in Seattle, WA is $72,715.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $56,900.00 and $74,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a lead pastor?

Lead pastors are the primary leaders of a church, responsible for setting the spiritual direction, preaching sermons, and providing pastoral care to the congregation. They oversee the church's staff and ministries, ensuring that the church's mission and vision are carried out effectively. In addition to spiritual leadership, lead pastors often handle administrative duties, mentor church members, and represent the church in the community.

What does a lead pastor do?

A lead pastor’s duties are to lead their congregation in all forms of spiritual matters. In this career, you organize and lead worship services. You may oversee other pastors or laypeople who work in the church, organize and schedule events, and participate in outreach and community service events, such as running soup kitchens or other volunteer services. As the lead pastor, you are the principal authority of your church, and you represent the church within the wider religious organization with which you affiliate.

What are some common challenges lead pastors face when balancing administrative duties with spiritual leadership?

Lead Pastors often need to juggle a wide range of responsibilities, from sermon preparation and pastoral care to overseeing staff and managing church operations. A common challenge is ensuring that administrative tasks, such as budgeting and team management, do not overshadow time spent on spiritual leadership, prayer, and community engagement. Effective delegation, strong organizational skills, and clear communication within the church staff and leadership team are essential to maintaining this balance. Many churches address this by building a strong support staff and lay leadership to share the load, enabling the Lead Pastor to focus on vision-casting and discipleship.

What is the difference between Lead Pastor vs Associate Pastor?

AspectLead PastorAssociate Pastor
CredentialsTypically requires theological degree, ordination, and pastoral experienceSimilar credentials, often with less experience required
Work EnvironmentLeads the entire church, sets vision, oversees staffSupports Lead Pastor, focuses on specific ministries or congregations
Employer & Industry UsageUsed in churches to denote the primary spiritual leaderUsed in churches for secondary pastoral roles assisting the Lead Pastor

The main difference between a Lead Pastor and an Associate Pastor lies in their responsibilities and authority. The Lead Pastor is the primary spiritual leader, responsible for church vision and overall leadership, while the Associate Pastor supports the Lead Pastor and manages specific ministries. Both roles require similar credentials, but the Lead Pastor holds a higher level of responsibility within the church hierarchy.

More about Lead Pastor jobs

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For Lead Pastor jobs in Seattle, WA, the most frequently searched job titles are:

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What cities near Seattle, WA are hiring for Lead Pastor jobs?

Cities near Seattle, WA with the most Lead Pastor job openings:

Lead Pastor jobs near you
Infographic showing various Lead Pastor job openings in Seattle, WA as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 87% Full Time, 10% Part Time, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 91% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 6% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $72,715 per year, or $35 per hour.

Lead Pastor

Believers Fellowship - Gig Harbor, WA

Gig Harbor, WA

Full-time

Re-posted 10 days ago

Job description

Believers Fellowship is seeking a Lead Pastor who loves God's people and is passionate about preaching God's Word. The ideal candidate is trained in understanding and applying Scripture, and feels called by the Spirit to teach the congregation and lead the church staff. Key responsibilities include preparing and delivering Gospel-centric, exegetical sermons 30+ times a year, pastoring the congregation toward spiritual maturity, and partnering with the elders to govern and direct the mission of the church. This is an opportunity to lead a vibrant, biblically-rooted church in a beautiful Pacific Northwest community.



About Believers Fellowship Church:

  • Size of the church: 500-600 weekly attendees across two Sunday morning services, with a wider community of 1,000-1,200 who consider it their church home.


Believers Fellowship is a vibrant, biblically-rooted nondenominational church in Gig Harbor, WA.The church was founded in 1978 in a living room and has grown to a church with 500-600 weekly attendance spread between two Sunday morning worship services. We are generationally diverse with a significant number of young families. Relationships are strengthened in small groups and ministry teams. We are known in our community for our strong biblical teaching, our top-notch children and youth ministries, and our strong cadre of committed believers ministering in their various spheres.



What makes this role unique:

  • Elder-led Collaboration: You will partner with an established, unified team of elders (currently eight) in a plurality of leadership, sharing the burden of governance and budget oversight.
  • Engaged & Educated Mission Field: Situated in Gig Harbor, the community is highly educated, moderately wealthy, and geographically beautiful.
  • Apolitical Stance: We are uniquely positioned to teach exegetically while maintaining a grace-and-truth, apolitical stance, focusing on the cross rather than political agendas.
  • Requirements for the role:
  • Ideally at least 2 years of Lead Pastor experience, though strong backgrounds in Teaching, Church Planting, or Associate Pastor roles will be considered.
  • It is preferred that the candidate has a Graduate-level theological education (such as a Master's in Biblical Studies or MDiv), but not required.


Key Responsibilities

  • Prayerfully prepare and deliver exegetical, Gospel-centric sermons 30+ times per year. Sermons should point people to Jesus, be faithful to the text, and be crafted in such a way as to disciple Christians and reach those who do not yet believe.
  • Shepherd, oversee, lead, and represent the church staff.
  • Pastor the congregation, leading them through the power of the Spirit to greater spiritual maturity, love for God and love for others. 
  • Pursue spiritual growth in community for himself and with his family.
  • Together with the elders, prayerfully participate in the governance, mission, and direction of the church.
  • Disciple, equip and empower volunteers and emerging leaders within the church.
  • Pursue other ministry areas in accordance with interests and giftings, such as counseling, administration, outreach, small groups, etc.


Key Qualifications

  • Master of Divinity.
  • 5-10+ years of ministry experience leading a staff or in a lead role in a church with greater than 500 average weekly attendees.
  • Meets the qualifications of an elder in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9.
  • Demonstrates humility, wisdom, integrity, sincerity, approachability, and relatability; having experienced true and on-going change by the power the Gospel.
  • Holds firmly to the supreme authority of Scripture for life and worship.
  • Agrees with Believers Fellowship doctrinal statements.
  • Demonstrates ability to collaborate with others and lead a staff in a way that models the servant leadership of Jesus.


Full Job Profile and Online Application Link- https://slingshotgroup.org/jobs/believers-fellowship-lead-pastor/