Associate Rector

ASSOCIATE RECTOR

Apostles Church (Houston, Texas)

Anglican Church in North America

Diocese of the Carolinas

About the Organization

Church of the Apostles began in 2013 through the vision and effort of a launch team and a founding rector. From the beginning, the church was rooted in worship, Scripture, hospitality, and lay engagement. The early years were marked by steady growth, a strong volunteer culture, and a deep commitment to welcome and community.

A significant shift came in 2016, when the church relocated to the Heights and the second rector began his ministry. The move expanded the church’s reach and connected Apostles with new families, including many Houstonians who did not yet have deep local networks. Over time, the congregation became more geographically and socially diverse, drawing people from distinct contexts with differing expectations around community, pace of life, and institutional engagement.

When the second rector concluded his ministry in November 2023, the church was led by an interim pastor until August 2024. That season demonstrated the strength of Apostles’ culture. Attendance continued to recover from COVID, giving remained strong, volunteers served faithfully, and staff and lay leaders carried significant responsibility with maturity. Rather than stagnation, the transition revealed the congregation’s depth and unity. It also clarified needs related to leadership capacity, discipleship structures, governance, and organizational alignment. Since our third rector began in August 2024, Apostles has experienced a season of rapid growth. We now average about 150 people in worship. Seventy-five people joined our church in the last year, and 235 people now call Apostles home, including 155 adults and 80 children and youth. Among our adults, 47% are under 40, 21% are 40 to 60, and 32% are over 60. Roughly one third of our congregation are children, one third are parents of those children, and one third are adults who are not here with children.

In a recent survey asking what attracted people to Apostles, the most common themes were our welcoming nature, a loving community, authentic Christ centered worship, strong

preaching, and faithfulness to the Bible. Many also mentioned liturgical worship, young families, children and children’s ministry, Life Groups, and the relationships that have formed. Geographically, our congregation lives in three general areas. About one third live in the Heights, where we gather. About one third live in West University, River Oaks, and other neighborhoods south of the Bayou, where the church began. The remaining third live in the outer suburbs.

Location

Houston is a major global city at the heart of the nation’s fifth largest metropolitan area, with nearly 7.8 million residents and strong recent growth. The region added more than 198,000 people from 2023 to 2024. Life here is shaped by remarkable diversity and global connections. Houston is one of the most racially and ethnically diverse regions in the country, and nearly one quarter of the metro population is immigrant. That mix brings languages, cultures, and entrepreneurial energy from around the world.

Houston’s economy is large, resilient, and still evolving. Energy remains a major anchor, with more than 4,700 energy related firms in the region, but the economy is increasingly diversified across healthcare, education, manufacturing, and technology. Culturally, Houston is vibrant and accessible, with outstanding museums and performing arts, major league sports, live music, and a food scene that draws national attention.

These strengths sit alongside real challenges that shape everyday life and ministry. Houston is marked by sharp socioeconomic inequality and patterns of segregation that are often driven by income and access. Many neighborhoods experience gaps in educational opportunity, housing stability, and community resources. Despite being home to the nation’s largest medical complex, the region faces serious barriers to health access, including very high rates of uninsured children in the Houston area, as highlighted in recent reporting that draws on national research. Houston is also increasingly vulnerable to flooding and extreme weather disruption. And because of its size and transportation networks, it is a major focus area for efforts to prevent and respond to human trafficking. At the same time, Houston’s civic, philanthropic, and faith communities are notably active. There is real generosity and a desire to meet needs, even as the scale and fragmentation of the city can make it difficult to connect help with the people who need it most.

Anglican Ethos

We are an Anglican parish with a liturgy shaped by the 2019 Book of Common Prayer, drawing from both Worship Rites. Our worship is rooted in the supremacy of Scripture and in common prayer that forms what we believe and how we live. We are a passionate people who gather on Sundays for worship, teaching, and communion, and throughout the week in Neighborhood Groups. Most of our people did not grow up Anglican. Many come from broader Evangelical traditions, with some arriving from Roman Catholic backgrounds. We have found real unity in the Gospel, and we are grateful to live into Anglicanism’s three streams life, holding together Word, sacramental worship, and a Spirit shaped concern for the poor and the neighbor.

Core Values

Gospel: We gather around the magnetic center of Jesus Christ. Through his life, death, and resurrection, God’s kingdom has arrived on earth to renew all things—our relationship with God, ourselves, others, and the world.

Personal Transformation: We help people respond in faith to the new reality that the Kingdom of God has arrived in Jesus and to learn the practices of spiritual formation: renewing minds, reordering priorities, reshaping habits, and redirecting work.

Community Formation: We live as a community of friends extending personal care to one another across generational, ethnic, and cultural lines.

Public Faith: In being honest and transparent about our faith, we endeavor to be relationally winsome, accessible, respectful, humble, and loving, even when it requires courage for us to announce the gospel.

City Vision: With all the resources of our faith and life, we work sacrificially with others to build a great, flourishing city for all people.

Mercy and Justice: We seek to protect the weak and vulnerable, to take up their injustice, and show compassion while also seeking remedies for structural evil and institutional injustice. Cultural Renewal: We equip people in their various vocations to enter into culture as faithful stewards of the world because we share in God’s yearning for all of culture to be redeemed and renewed.

Church Planting: We use the resources that God has given us to start and support new churches, because the local church is the primary agent of God’s kingdom.

Gospel Movement: We want to be a catalyst for a movement of the gospel in our city and region that is a dynamic set of interactive relationships between gospel centered churches, a variety of specialist ministries, as well as many other institution.

Three Streams of Worship

Apostles Houston describes its worship and theology through a three streams approach that cultivates humility, maturity, and a healthy appreciation for diversity.

Evangelical: When we say that we are “evangelical” we mean that we take seriously God’s command to speak about and live like Jesus. We preach and teach from the Bible because we believe it is the inspired word of God, and our desire is for all people to enter into a saving relationship with Jesus.

Charismatic: When we say that we are “charismatic” we mean that we believe God is present and active among His people. We anticipate the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the church for the conviction of sin, the illumination of truth, and the restoration of all things.

Catholic: When we say that we are “catholic” we mean that we value the longevity of historic tradition, the rhythms of the church calendar, the consistency of a lectionary-based teaching plan, and our connection to the global Church.

Role Summary

Each member of our staff serves to advance our vision: to be a church rooted in the gospel, shaped by the Anglican tradition, and sent out for the glory of God and the life of the world.

The Associate Rector serves as a senior clergy leader at Apostles Houston, partnering with the Rector to provide pastoral oversight, spiritual formation, and organizational leadership. Combining theological depth, pastoral wisdom, and strategic leadership, the Associate Rector helps ensure that Apostles’ ministries of discipleship, outreach, and pastoral care flourish in alignment with the church’s vision.

As a member of the Senior Staff Team, the Associate Rector contributes to the overall leadership, planning, and spiritual health of the parish, helping translate vision into practice

across the life of the church. In addition, the Associate Rector helps extend Apostles’ ministry beyond the parish by investing in clergy formation, leadership development, and collaboration with churches and ministry partners throughout the city and state.

Primary Responsibilities

Leadership and Oversight

• Serve as a senior clergy leader providing oversight for assigned ministry areas.
• Supervise and support the Children’s Pastor, Youth Pastor, Curate, and other ministry staff as assigned.
• Partner with the Director of Operations & Executive Assistant (DOO/EA) and the Worship Pastor to ensure strong communication, planning, and ministry alignment.
• Participate actively in staff meetings, retreats, and leadership development initiatives.
• Support the Rector in cultivating a healthy, joyful, and prayerful staff culture marked by unity, humility, and excellence.

Discipleship and Formation

• Provide vision and direction for adult discipleship and formation ministries, ensuring that all people have clear pathways for growth in Christ.
• Oversee small groups, classes, and community formation opportunities for adults.
• Equip and mentor lay leaders to lead effectively in discipleship and pastoral care.
• Coordinate with staff to ensure alignment between worship, formation, and communication rhythms.
• Preach and teach regularly in worship and educational settings, with theological clarity and pastoral warmth.

Pastoral Care and Sacramental Ministry

• Provide leadership for pastoral care ministries, including the Diaconate and Stephen Ministry, ensuring compassionate, coordinated care.
• Officiate at baptisms, weddings, funerals, and other pastoral offices as needed.
• Assist the Rector in sacramental and liturgical leadership.
• Train and equip lay pastoral caregivers.

Outreach and Evangelism

• Lead and coordinate the church’s outreach and evangelism initiatives.
• Integrate evangelism into the discipleship and worship life of the congregation.
• Equip parishioners to live missionally in their neighborhoods and workplaces.

Strategic Leadership and Parish Development

• Collaborate with the Rector and Senior Staff Team in strategic planning for the growth and health of the parish.
• Translate vision into actionable ministry goals.
• Contribute to leadership development, clergy formation, and long-term planning.
• Evaluate ministries to ensure effectiveness, sustainability, and alignment with the vision of Apostles Houston.

Safeguarding and Pastoral Conduct

• Maintain current diocesan Safeguarding certification.
• Model appropriate boundaries and safe pastoral practices in all ministry relationships.
• Support the Safeguarding Coordinator and Rector in ensuring parish-wide compliance with diocesan Safeguarding requirements.
• Communicate promptly with the Rector regarding any safeguarding concerns or policy issues.

Opportunities for the New Leader

To serve as a senior leader on a healthy and growing staff, pursuing God’s glory and the life of the world through servant leadership in an Anglican church in the heart of Houston, a major global city. The Associate Rector will play a significant role in helping the congregation deepen in prayer, Scripture, integrity, and mature discipleship, while also being formed and sent outward in evangelism, mercy, and mission. This role will increase our capacity for public faith, city vision, and cultural renewal.

More concretely, the opportunity is to build the engine that will carry Apostles into its next chapter. This includes strengthening adult formation pathways, scaling pastoral care with

wisdom, and integrating outreach and evangelism into the worship and discipleship life of the church. As a member of the Senior Staff Team who supervises key ministry leaders, including Children’s, Youth, and the Curate, the Associate Rector can increase leadership density across the parish by developing staff and lay leaders, clarifying direction, and translating vision into executable goals and durable systems.

Beyond the parish, the role also offers the opportunity to extend Apostles’ influence through clergy formation, leadership development, and collaboration with churches and partners across the city and state.

Credentials and Critical Experience

• Ordained priest in good standing within the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) domiciled in the Anglican Diocese of the Carolinas, or eligible for licensing and transfer.
• Master’s degree in theology (M.Div. or equivalent).
• Minimum of five years of pastoral or ministry leadership experience, preferably in parish

Context

• Demonstrated excellence in preaching, teaching, and pastoral care in a parish setting.
• Proven capacity to lead and develop staff or lay ministry teams effectively.
• Exemplary interpersonal, communication, and conflict-resolution skills.
• High capacity for strategic thinking, problem solving, and collaborative leadership.
• Joyfully aligns with the theological convictions and vision of Apostles Houston.
• Completion of diocesan Safeguarding certification (or ability to obtain upon hire).

Personal Qualities

• Integrity and Spiritual Maturity: Demonstrates mature faith in Christ, holiness, emotional intelligence, humility, and a life rooted in prayer and Scripture.
• Leadership and Organization: Leads with vision, manages complex ministry initiatives, and fosters unity across ministry areas.
• Team Development: Builds, equips, and empowers collaborative ministry teams.
• Operational Excellence: Ensures ministries function effectively and in alignment with the church’s vision.
• Financial Stewardship: Manages resources with wisdom and transparency.
• Communication and Collaboration: Promotes clear, grace-filled communication across ministries.
• Preaching and Teaching: Proclaims the gospel clearly and thoughtfully through preaching, teaching, and pastoral conversation.
• Kingdom-minded Collaboration: Embraces Apostles’ call to resource and strengthen other churches, approaching ministry with generosity and humility, sharing ideas, lessons, and encouragement with churches and organizations throughout our city and state.