SBC, ARC, Acts 29

WEEKLY ATTENDANCE: 2,636

Meet Journey Church

Founded in 1947 as First Baptist Church of Orange City, Journey Church has undergone a remarkable transformation over the 22-year leadership of Lead Pastor Dr. James Hilton. Transitioning from a struggling traditional congregation of 150, Journey has grown into a dynamic, multi-site church reaching over 2,600 people weekly across Volusia County, Florida.

Journey Church currently operates across four physical campuses—Orange City (main campus), DeLand, Deltona, and Daytona Beach (launching August 9)—alongside an active Online Campus. Unified around the vision to become "One Church in 10 Locations over the Next 10 Years," Journey Church maintains an authentic, "scrappy," and highly missional culture. The church is deeply passionate about reaching lost, unchurched, and broken individuals—frequently welcoming people with addiction backgrounds or church hurt—by lowering every barrier to share the transformational love of Jesus Christ.

About the Executive Pastor

The Executive Pastor at Journey Church serves as the primary second-chair executive leader and "Integrator" alongside Lead Pastor Dr. James Hilton. Functioning as the operational driver of the church's vision, this role translates high-level strategy into actionable execution, builds scalable organizational systems across five core ministry lanes (Operations, Weekend Experience, Next Steps, Next Gen, and Multisite), and directly oversees the Senior Leadership Team. Established as an indispensable new leadership position to build staff alignment, operational rigor, and leadership pipelines, the Executive Pastor manages daily execution and central-to-campus alignment as Journey Church expands from four current locations toward its vision of becoming "One Church in 10 Locations over the Next 10 Years".  

The Executive Pastor's responsibilities include:

• Make Vision Actionable & Strategic Planning: Own annual strategic planning across all of Journey Church; translate high-level vision into actionable plans, clear quarterly objectives, and measurable staff metrics. 
• Champion Leadership Pipeline Development: Ensure implementation of structured leadership development (leveraging Mac Lake's framework) to raise up equippers rather than doers across all locations.
• Build & Scale Multi-Site Systems: Establish repeatable operational systems (Finance, HR, Facilities, IT) and central-to-campus alignment capable of scaling from 4 to 10 campuses.
• Drive Leadership Pipeline Development: Implement structured leadership development (leveraging Mac Lake's framework) to raise up equippers rather than doers across all locations.
• Manage Organizational Change: Serve as a courageous, solution-oriented driver ("High D / Tenacity") capable of having hard conversations, resolving conflict gracefully, and executing structural change.
• Build a culture of Generosity: Develop and cultivate a culture of generosity throughout the church, engage stakeholders in the vision, and develop strategies for funding expansion and capital goals. 

What you bring

The following describes many of the characteristics of the ideal candidate for the Executive Pastor:

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience (a Master's degree in organizational leadership or organizational development is preferred but not required). 
• Credentials: Pastoral Ordination required.
• Experience: 12–15 years of ministry experience with a proven track record of leading staff teams and driving organizational performance.
• Multi-Site Experience: Strongly preferred; deep understanding of central strategy vs. campus execution dynamics.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Integrator Capabilities: Wired to drive strategy and execution within Patrick Lencioni's Working Genius model (high Tenacity/Execution complementing the Lead Pastor's Invention/Discernment) and Wickman/Winters' EOS Rocket Fuel model.
• Systems & Operational Acumen: Ability to build scalable processes across Finance, HR, Facilities, and IT without causing bureaucratic friction.
• Emotional Intelligence & Conflict Resolution: High EQ; comfortable making tough calls, delivering direct feedback, and resolving conflict constructively.

Personal Characteristics and Qualifications

• Spiritual Depth & Convictions: Uncompromised personal walk with Christ, high view of Scripture, and intense heart for reaching lost people.
• Loyalty & Second-Chair Mindset: Completely loyal to Lead Pastor James Hilton; secure operating behind the scenes without requiring platform spotlight.
• Thick-Skinned & Solution-Oriented: Able to process candid, direct communication without taking it personally; brings creative solutions rather than just highlighting problems.
• Driver Mentality (Type A / High D): A high-capacity leader who sees 3–4 moves ahead, anticipates organizational bottlenecks, and moves with urgency.

What it's like to live in Volusia County, FL

Volusia County, Florida—encompassing Orange City, DeLand, Deltona, and Daytona Beach—offers an exceptional Central Florida lifestyle just north of Orlando:

Family Living & Accessibility: Features an affordable cost of living, growing family communities, good schools, and easy access to Orlando International Airport, professional sports, and major attractions within an hour's drive.

Community & Culture: Historic downtown DeLand features an award-winning main street, home to Stetson University, local dining, and a walkable arts district.

Outdoor Recreation: Located minutes from Atlantic coast beaches (Daytona Beach, New Smyrna Beach), the St. Johns River, and famous freshwater springs (Blue Spring State Park), offering world-class boating, swimming, and outdoor living.