SBC
TOTAL CHURCHES SERVED: 90
Meet Great Commission Association of Southern Baptist Churches
Founded in 1947, the Great Commission Association of Southern Baptist Churches is a thriving family of 100 member churches and ministries stretching from San Mateo to Solvang and from Monterey to Milpitas. For decades, GCA has existed for one clear purpose: to connect churches for a greater harvest.
Under the faithful leadership of Dr. Michael Stewart since 1997, GCA has experienced remarkable fruit:
• Nearly 60 new churches planted
• A ministry budget growth from $100,000 in 1997 to $10,900,000 million in 2026
• Ministry staff growth from 1 person in 1997 to 71 in 2026
• The launch of Hearts and Hands Christian Preschools, consistently ranked among the best in the Bay Area
• A cutting-edge Replant and Renew consultation ministry
• The Great Commission Training Institute (GCTI) and Great Commission Prayer Initiative (GCPI)
At our core, we believe healthy pastors lead healthy churches, and healthy churches change cities.
We are relentlessly committed to providing the right relationships and the right resources at the right time, investing deeply in pastors, ministry wives, and families so they can flourish in one of the most challenging and influential mission fields in North America.
About the Executive Director of Missions (EDM)
The Great Commission Association of Southern Baptist Churches (GCA) is entering a defining season: one marked by gratitude for God’s faithfulness over nearly eight decades and anticipation for what He intends to do next.
With deep roots, trusted relationships, and a proven ministry engine, GCA is poised for its next chapter of impact across Northern and Central California…and beyond.
We are now seeking a visionary, courageous, and deeply spiritual leader to serve as our next Executive Director of Missions (EDM), a shepherd-leader who can honor our legacy while boldly leading us into the future God is preparing.
This is not a maintenance role.
This is a movement-shaping role.
The next Executive Director of Missions will stand at the intersection of legacy and future vision.
The EDM serves as the spiritual, strategic, and organizational leader of GCA, guiding the Executive Board, empowering a high-capacity staff team, and walking closely with pastors and churches across the association.
This role calls for:
- A prayer-saturated leader, whose leadership flows from abiding deeply in Christ
- A visionary architect who can discern where God is leading and mobilize others to follow
- A systems designer, gifted at building the scaffolding and processes necessary to transform organizational momentum into long-term sustainability
- A relational shepherd, trusted by pastors in moments of celebration, counsel, and crisis
- A courageous strategist, unafraid to address complexity, change, and opportunity in a rapidly evolving cultural landscape
The Executive Director of Missions' responsibilities include:
Spiritual Leadership & Prayer
Modeling a vibrant, Christ-centered prayer life and consistently bringing the needs of staff, churches, and ministry decisions before the Lord.
Vision & Strategy
Casting compelling vision for the future of GCA, leading strategic initiatives, and positioning the association for sustainable growth and expanded gospel impact.
Team Development
Building, mentoring, and empowering a world-class leadership team marked by excellence, trust, and shared mission.
Governance & Organizational Leadership
Partnering closely with the Executive Board, chairing the Administrative Council, and ensuring wise, transparent governance aligned with mission and values.
Operations & Oversight
Providing executive leadership across GCA’s divisions: Ministry Advance, Schools, and Operations, while fostering clarity, accountability, and innovation.
Church Care & Advocacy
Serving as a trusted presence for member churches in seasons of joy, discernment, and crisis, strengthening unity across the association.
Denominational & Ministry Partnerships
Acting as the primary representative of GCA with SBC entities and key ministry partners.
What you bring
The following describes many of the characteristics of the ideal candidate for the Executive Director of Missions:
Education and Experience
- A completed seminary degree (required)
- An MBA or demonstrated business acumen (strongly preferred)
- Deep familiarity with SBC life and associational ministry
- 15+ years of experience leading teams, casting vision, and navigating complexity
Knowledge, Skills, and Personal Characteristics
- Humble, hungry, and emotionally intelligent
- Theologically grounded and strategically sharp
- Culturally aware, with a multicultural mindset suited for the Bay Area
- Soft-hearted yet thick-skinned
- Wise in legal, organizational, and risk-aware leadership
You understand the unique mission field of Northern California: the cost of living, the diversity, the unchurched reality, and you feel called to it, not intimidated by it.
This is an invitation to steward something meaningful, to build on a strong foundation while helping shape the future of gospel work in one of the most influential regions in the world.
If you sense God stirring your heart for visionary leadership, collaborative ministry, and Great Commission impact at scale, we invite you to explore this calling.
The future is bright.
The harvest is ready.
And the next chapter is waiting to be written.
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