Church Plant Team Leader - Wollongong Mission

Build and lead a planting team, shape a vibrant missional community, and contribute to innovative mission resourcing across the Synod......

About Uniting Church

The Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) is a uniquely Australian Christian organisation that began in 1977 with the union of the Congregational, Methodist and Presbyterian movements. It is one of the largest religious organisations in Australia with over 400 congregations and faith communities across NSW and ACT.

The Synod of NSW and ACT is guided by the values of Integrity, Respect, Collaboration, and Compassion, and supported by the Synod Mission Services team, which provides strategic, pastoral, and operational support to enable vibrant congregations, vital leadership, and transformative community engagement.

Vision For Wollongong Mission

Wollongong Mission, fondly known as “The Church on the Mall”, has been a beacon of hope, hospitality, and gospel witness in the heart of the city for more than 160 years. Now, we’re stepping boldly into a new chapter, shaped by the belief that love is first revealed through action.

Rooted in the Jesus way of practical compassion, the Mission seeks to be a creative, courageous, and justice‑seeking presence in a rapidly growing city. Its renewed vision embraces a blended ecology of church life, deep engagement with young adults and new residents, a Christ‑centred presence among people on the margins, a public voice for the city’s good, and vibrant, artistic expressions of worship and community. Called to be a sanctuary, a prophetic witness, and a place of healing and hope, this is a living vision the church planter will help refine and bring to life in Wollongong.

About the Role

We’re seeking a dynamic, courageous, and missional Church Plant Team Leader to establish a new Uniting Church in Wollongong, build and lead a planting team, shape a vibrant missional community, and contribute to innovative mission resourcing across the Synod.

Working closely with the Synod, Presbytery, Church Planting Cohort, and the Strategic Church Planting Commission, you’ll help foster a culture of courage, creativity, and shared learning. Reporting to an Implementation Group, you’ll play a key role in advancing the Synod’s Future Directions and Blended Ecology vision while establishing a dynamic new church in the heart of the city.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide integrated spiritual and pastoral leadership that keeps the church‑planting team biblically grounded and community‑focused.
• Equip and empower teams, fostering spiritual growth and guiding the community in its missional journey for sustainable ministry.
• Nurture a church plant that plants churches, multiplies Fresh Expressions, and raises up the next generation of church planters.
• Build and lead a church‑planting team, cultivating a culture of courage, exploration, and continuous learning.
• Recruit, train, and support volunteer and paid team members and leaders in collaboration with the Implementation Group, ensuring risk management and safe church culture.
• Collaborate with the Church Planting Cohort, Mission Catalyst, and wider Uniting Church bodies to innovate and share resources.
• Develop and implement a strategic plan aligned with the Synod’s vision.
• Foster a blended ecology of church life, including neighbourhood gatherings, lighthouse communities, and locally rooted missional expressions.
• Engage actively with Wollongong’s local community and growing population through innovative and missional activities.
• Cultivate a Christ-centred presence on the margins, creating spaces of welcome, healing, and justice.
• Advocate for the city’s good through public engagement, justice initiatives, and partnerships for the common good.
• Support financial planning, budgeting, safe church practices, and risk management with guidance from Implementation Groups (IGs) and the Strategic Church Planting Commission (SCPC).
• Provide regular reports to the IGs and SCPC, including quarterly progress updates.
• Lead communication and public engagement, including creative expressions of worship, justice, storytelling, and community life.
• Evaluate and refine ministry initiatives using feedback and measurable outcomes to ensure ongoing growth and impact.

About You

Qualifications and Theological Understanding

• Relevant Tertiary Qualification(s): Degree in mission, theology, ministry, education, or leadership.
• Active or willing Uniting Church membership with strong understanding of its history, theology, ethos, structures, and Wesleyan Methodist heritage that shapes Wollongong Mission’s identity.
• Willingness and ability to be recognised as a Uniting Church Minister of the Word or in the ministry of Pastor.
• Commitment to Uniting Church polity, values, and governance

Experience and Skills

• Church planting and missional innovation experience, including a Deed‑Word‑Sign approach to ministry where loving service is the primary expression of the gospel.
• Ability to assess and evaluate initiatives that foster connection points and relationships.
• Experience in engaging and connecting with the community or neighbourhood and developing impactful programs, including work on the margins and advocacy for justice and the common good.

Leadership and Managerial Attributes

• Strong people leadership with the ability to motivate and manage teams in a values‑based organisation.
• Proven collaboration and partnership‑building skills, including leading through change.
• Financial and general management capability.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including handling sensitive issues with confidence.
• Analytical and problem‑solving strengths, with the ability to synthesise complex information, identify risks, and develop mitigation strategies.
• Demonstrated leadership in people and budget management, with capacity to meet deadlines and manage competing priorities.
• Structured, methodical, and reliable reporting skills.
• Demonstrated ability to maintain confidentiality of written materials, information and issues associated with the NSW/ACT Synod;
• Advanced computer literacy skills;
• A preparedness to work within the polity and ethos of the Uniting Church in Australia; and
• Having a genuine willingness to embrace challenges as they arise and to work flexibly in support of the overall key objectives of Synod Mission Services.

Why Join Us?

If this opportunity resonates with you, we would love to hear from you. Apply with your resume and a cover letter outlining why you are the right fit for this role.