Waters Edge Church
Waters Edge Church is a multi-site church of over 1000 in the Virginia Beach area. There are opportunities in the following areas: Kids Ministry, Outreach, and Guest Experience.
Expected Work Hours: 28 hours/week for Kids, Outreach, or Guest Experience; Campus Pastors would complete 40 hours/week
Expected Monthly Pay: $1,000 per month for Kids, Outreach, or Guest Experience; Campus Pastor pay will look different (TBD)
What are your greatest hopes and dreams for the next couple of years for your church? We are looking to expand our influence even further, restructuring to accommodate the number of growing campuses, and grow the kingdom by reaching those far from Christ.
Why did you choose to do a residency & what are you hopeful will happen through this process? We are using residency as a pipeline to develop the next generation of young ministry leaders within our church.
What is it like to work on staff there? We work hard, and we play hard. We often say we are going to work as if it depends on us, and pray as if it depends on God. We value excellence - the details matter to God, so they matter to us as well. We also value fun - it’s not just what we do, it’s who we are. We are very much a family, and ministry is our lifestyle. This is not just a job.
Does your church’s website state the mission, vision, values and key distinctives of your church? Please paste the link: https://www.watersedgechurch.net/about
Please describe the current staff structure. Our current staff structure is led by our Lead Pastor, Stu Hodges. He leads a team of Executive
Directors and Campus Pastors. Our Executive Directors oversee ministry directors, and our ministry directors oversee our managers. Campus Pastors oversee our Pastoral Care Coordinators.
Our Executive team drives the strategy for the organization as a whole. Our Ministry Directors drive the strategy and development for their ministry. Managers are the ones growing and developing volunteer teams and making the behind the scenes details happen. Our Campus Pastors focus on individual campuses, and the care of our attendees and members.
What qualities does it take to “win” on staff at your church? Trust, resilience and driving vision and purpose are three core competencies we expect from every team member. Our most successful employees, communicate effectively, work hard, and ask questions. They are owners of their actions and decisions. They have teachable hearts.
Who will the resident report to? Will there be a different person acting as coach? What do you know about their personalities (enneagram, DiSC, Strength Finders, etc.) Have you given thought as to what type of personality will work best with them? The resident will report to the director of their ministry. We have a variety of personalities on staff right now, particularly at the manager level. We really value the temperaments because they help us to practically communicate effectively with a variety of people.
Are there particular assessment tools that you prefer when exploring potential staff people? We value Temperaments (I said this, you heard that study), Enneagram, Meyers Briggs, and Core Competencies.
Are you affiliated with a particular denomination or tribes/association of churches? If so, what websites could one investigate to gain further understanding? We are affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention (SBCVA), but mirror a non denominational church. https://www.sbc.net/
We are also an ARC church. https://www.arcchurches.com/
What are the key doctrinal and theological issues where alignment is essential? We believe that there is one God that created the universe and everything in it. We believe that Jesus is His son and that He is the only way to get to God. We believe that every word of the Bible is His word and that it is true. We believe that if you ask God to forgive you and that you have a relationship with Him, you go to Heaven - not because you can do anything to deserve it, but because Jesus died on the cross to make you right with God. We are a church for outsiders - for those far from Christ.
What is your average weekend attendance? So far our 2023 average in-person (on-campus) weekly attendance is: 1,325. Our average total weekly attendance (including our Online and God Behind Bars campuses) is: 217,558
In general, what is your church demographic? Because we are one church in multiple locations, our demographics vary location to location.
Our Yorktown campus is quite diverse in age. We have many students and young families, but also many retirees. This is the location of our broadcast campus.
Our Newport News campus is much more ethnically and socially diverse. This campus is known to be rowdy and steadfast.
Our Williamsburg, campus is the smallest. In general we tend to be similar to Yorktown, with a diversity of ages. This campus is resilient, as we still operate as a portable campus after many years, having moved service times and locations on occasion.
Online, we are reaching and connecting with an extremely diverse group of people, with regular attendees from around the world. We are constantly seeking new ways to connect with these individuals, and we even recently translated our Growth Track into a new language so that more people could participate in it!
Is there more than one site or venue? If so, please describe. We are one church in multiple locations. We currently have 3 in-person campuses, each with their own Campus Pastor and worship team. We believe in the power of video teaching, and our satellite campuses (Newport News and Williamsburg) receive a broadcast message from our Yorktown Campus, where our Lead Pastor preaches live.
In addition, we also have 1 God Behind Bars campus (Indian Creek Correctional Center), led by our Outreach Director, and an Online Campus, led by our Online Manager.
How many conversions has your church had in the past 12 months? (however you define this and whatever you count) 267 people have let us know that they are committing their life to Jesus by filling out a form and screwing a light bulb into our “CHANGED” wall (www.watersedgechurch.net/changed). In addition, 165 people have been baptized in the last 12 months.
What percentage of people are involved in a small group? 54%. We highly value Groups as a church. It’s one of our 6 core values. Regular participation in Groups is mandatory for staff.
What is your church known for in the community? When Waters Edge Church shows up to do something, we show up big and we get it done. We are generous. We have a yearly Care Week where we go into the community to provide support - whether it’s packing meals or painting a school. We also regularly donate to several strategic partnerships within our local community, and across the world.
How much are you planning on financially compensating your resident? Is it set or is it flexible? We have planned to spend $1,000/month for our resident’s first year, with a pay increase in year two.
What are the expected work hours and what does a typical workweek look like for this resident? This will depend on the ministry, but it’s likely the resident will have flexibility to choose their own set schedule within given parameters. Sundays will be mandatory, as will certain meetings and events.
