THE JOURNEY STORY
The Journey began in 2007 inside an industrial park off Route 72 in Newark. We began out of a
passion for reaching people with the life-giving message of Jesus, especially those who’d never
experienced church or had given up on it. We wanted something different from the traditional
approach with a long list of programs, responsibilities, and protocols. We wanted to start
something simpler – a real church for real people. We decided that the sole purpose of our
existence would be to help people find Jesus and follow him fully – and that’s exactly what we did.
As we carried out our mission of helping people in our community find Jesus and follow him fully,
we were looking ahead. We knew we’d eventually need a larger space to help sustain the growth
God blessed us with. We started our search for a new property, and we didn’t take that search
lightly. The new property had to be in our price range, within two to five miles of our current space,
and highly visible and accessible. (Although we loved that industrial park, it wasn’t in a great place
for people to see it on their drives.)
In 2012, after a long and diligent search, God answered our prayers. We witnessed radical
generosity from our church which allowed us to purchase our first property, located at 721 E.
Chestnut Hill Road, Newark. On March 16th and 17th of 2013, we officially opened our doors at 721
for the first weekend gatherings. We finished expanding our campus on December 8th and 9th of
2017, but we’re not done yet! In 2018, we felt God nudging us toward what’s next – reaching the 1.8
million people who live within a 30-mile radius of our broadcast location.
We started referring to this region as “Journey City,” and created our expansion strategy, focused
on raising up leaders and resources to launch locations throughout our region. In September 2019,
we launched our second location in West Wilmington. Following the global COVID pandemic, we
re-launched in the Hockessin area in 2021. Two and a half years later, we launched our Middletown
location south of the canal, and continue to see God working throughout Journey City. Our mission
is taking shape week after week, month after month, in the form of changed lives. That’s our story,
our journey. But our story isn’t the one that matters most to us. It’s the individual stories that
capture our attention around here; because for us, it’s all about the “one.” That’s why we designed
this place to be a unique, vibrant community of faith that people can fit into. A place to come as
you are and be who you are and a place to move toward God’s best for you.
THE JOURNEY’S VISION & MISSION
Vision: To help people to gather, connect, and serve
Mission: To help people find Jesus and follow Him fully
Culture: Real Church for Real People
JOB SUMMARY
The Executive Pastor of Operations is an organization-builder with strong leadership gifting and
the skills to scale. This role serves on the Lead Team and reports to the Lead Pastor.
The XP of Ops focuses primarily on helping the organization scale and expand reach throughout
Journey City, specializing in current and future location planning and operations. This person will
Journey City, specializing in current and future location planning and operations. This person will
help identify, develop, and raise up leaders within the operations space, as well as
offer insight into how to scale and grow finances.
offer insight into how to scale and grow finances.
PERSONAL PROFILE
- Growth
- Experienced
- Leader
CANDIDATE COMPETENCIES
- Experienced in large and growing environments; specifically in
an executive leadership role focused on scaling locations/
operations - Demonstrated operational oversight and project management
expertise - Able to navigate complexity and develop and execute simple,
scalable solutions to sustain organizational momentum - Passionate about ministry through the local church
- Responsible for personal stewardship (tithing, living within
means, avoidance of excessive consumer debt) and has a great
track record of this - Likable and enjoyable to be around; deeply secure
- Passionate about reaching unchurched people with the message
of Jesus - Passionate about grasping the vision and empowering church
members to serve
ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
- Work towards expansion and operational scaling
- Contribute to strategic planning by helping shape The Journey’s
strategy, taking ownership of deliverables; timelines, budgets,
measurable goals, and stakeholder communications - Plan locations and operations – develop and manage the systems; build
and oversee the operations team; develop and execute expansion
strategies for existing and future locations, including financial initiatives,
master planning, design and architecture, contractor selection, and
construction - Manage the updating and interpretation of operational metrics
- Oversee facilities – develop and empower the team to oversee
maintenance, usage, and upkeep of all facilities; negotiate contracts for
facility rental - Oversee human resources and leadership development – work with the
team to help identify, recruit, and grow leaders; design and continually
expand a structure that ensures staff enjoys clarity, contribution,
calling, and community - Develop and implement strategic initiatives to identify, recruit, and
develop staff, leaders, and ministries to reach Journey City - Work with team to help expand and manage a consistent, simple,
scalable financial system that includes budget development and
management, and purchasing policies - Shape and execute a sustainable strategy to enhance personal
stewardship; manage the process by which church attenders contribute
financially to the church; and build relationships with and oversee the
communication that will best reach givers at all stages of generosity
NEW CASTLE COUNTY, DELAWARE
The Journey is a multi-site church located in northern Delaware
with a vision to reach people within a 30-mile radius of our
broadcast location (situated in Newark).
Newark is situated along the I-95 corridor, offering easy access to
major metro areas, including Philadelphia, Baltimore, DC, and New
York City. Newark is also home to the University of Delaware, which
boasts a population of approximately 22,000 undergraduates and
graduates each year. The overall population of New Castle County
(where our current locations are located) is increasingly diverse,
with almost half of people from a non-white background.
Breathtakingly beautiful seasons abound in Newark, DE, with ideal
breezy summers in the high 80s and winters in the 20-30s, making
for the occasional white Christmas. Delaware has no sales tax,
making it a commercial draw to surrounding populations. Christiana
Mall, located minutes from our broadcast location, is a premier
shopping destination in the region for this very reason.
