Urban Missioner

Title:                           Urban Missioner

Reports To:              Leadership Council of The Episcopal-Lutheran Collaborative

Location:                   The Episcopal-Lutheran Collaborative            

                                    YWCA

                                    72 Concord Street

                                    Manchester, NH 03101 

Full Time Position:    40 hours per week

Position Summary: The Episcopal-Lutheran Collaborative for the City of Manchester, NH seeks a dynamic, self-directed team player to support its mission in addressing the following core issues by developing programs, partnerships, networks and strategies for transformative change: 

• Accompanying immigrants/refugees
• Tending to the unhoused, combating housing instability & alleviating hunger
• Supporting people in sobriety and recovery from trauma
• Meeting people where they are at in their lives by reaching out to communities often unreached, or alienated, by the church especially young adults (18-35 year olds), students and LGBTQ+ communities. 

This position is designed to help facilitate a deeper understanding of the various communities of Manchester, NH by convening meaningful and authentic conversations both with individuals as well as direct service agencies that operate outside of faith communities. This role requires a person committed to embodying a spiritual rhythm of prayer, contemplative practice, immersive engagement and spiritual accompaniment as practiced in slow, habitual ways to establish trust, to identify past wrongs, to avoid further harm, to immerse the collaborative partners more fully into the community so that they may understand Manchester’s identities and its needs and, lastly, to encourage pragmatic support of community-led initiatives. 

Essential Responsibilities:

• Immerse into the community and encounter folks outside the walls of the church.
• Strive to understand people's lived experiences, accompany them and share the gospel of God’s unconditional embrace in Jesus Christ in ways that embody inclusivity, commitment to justice, and profound respect for all of creation as God’s beloved.
• Launch programming to facilitate community conversations which encourage people to articulate their hopes, longings and vision for their neighborhoods.
• Facilitate conversations for groups and organizations to better understand themselves and their vocation within the community in the changing funding climate of 2025.
• Encourage individual members of the collaborative partners to find their own leadership voice and help them deploy in positive, affirming and concrete ways that complement their gifts and address the needs of the city articulated by the community.
• Develop community programming, networks and partnerships to address core issues of collaborative.
• Deploy traditional and innovative liturgical elements of worship and prayer in collaboration with Lutheran and Episcopal clergy.
• Participate in gatherings of mutual accountability, debriefing sessions, and team meetings.
• Help to lead the collaborative leadership team through its start-up phase to identify and recruit more leaders who will share responsibility for implementing the core vision of the collaborative.

Qualifications:

• High tolerance for ambiguity; self-starter; entrepreneurial character with the experience of leading through the ambiguity to arrive at strategies with bold vision, clear direction and actionable items.
• Ability to listen to, relate to and organize people representing broad and diverse viewpoints with an ear to the Holy Spirit.
• Experience in the use of inclusive language and developing programs that draw from Lutheran and/or Episcopal traditions.
• Pastoral chaplaincy, spiritual direction and/or trauma care.
• Theological competencies rooted in the witness of the Lutheran and Episcopal traditions. Graduate theology/ministry degree a plus.
• Experience in providing safe places for people to disclose and process their pain or suffering.
• Bedrock commitment to maintain confidentiality and uphold ethical standards in all aspects of outreach.
• Ability to engage actively and effectively in fundraising.
• Experience with community organizing in faith-based environs as well as building leadership teams.

Above all, we are looking for someone who is flexible and nimble as well as someone who is excited about working with the clergy partners of the collaborative and a seated 8 (eight) person start-up team. 

Competitive, fair compensation based on experience. This is an exempt position with benefits including health insurance, pension and vacation.