DIRECTOR OF CHILDREN’S MINISTRY

Job Summary

The Director of Children’s Ministry will lead, manage, and nurture the children’ ministries of Aldersgate Church in a professional and efficient manner, from outreach ministries designed to attract children to growing and serving ministries that enable them to grow as Christian disciples and serve within the church and in the world. Attracting, connecting, training, and sustaining volunteers for all children’s ministries is essential to success in this role. Additionally, this person will work closely with the Senior Pastor and other staff members to interact effectively with ministry leaders, volunteers, and staff members of Aldersgate to define and implement ministry objectives. This person will work under the direction of the Senior Pastor to help implement the vision of Aldersgate and to support the mission of “making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”

 

Essential Functions

1. Attract, connect, train, and sustain ministry volunteers and teams of all ages to fulfill the vision of growing, effective children’s ministries that disciple children and their families.

2. Manage the children’s ministries discipleship pathway from first contact to participation in intentionally discipling groups such as Sunday School classes, Wednesday evening bus ministry, other small groups and classes, etc.

3. Plan and organize at least five outreach and/or discipling events each year (one-time events as opposed to weekly ministries) to attract children and their families to Aldersgate, including but not limited to

• One-week summer Vacation Bible School or similar

• One-week summer children’s camp

• At least three one-day or half-day outreach and/or discipling events

4. Facilitate children’s participation in serving ministries such as missions involvement and serving in various ministries at Aldersgate, with the goal of having all who call Aldersgate their church home getting involved in ministry teams inside and/or outside the church.

5. Supervise the nursery workers to help them fulfill their roles effectively and efficiently in providing childcare for weekly and special worship services and other ministries and church-related events.

6. Offer Aldersgate Christian Learning Center a weekly chapel service to be scheduled and planned in cooperation with the Preschool Director or her/his designee.

7. Oversee the creation of new children’s ministries to fulfill the church’s mission and vision, identifying staff and/or volunteer leaders and establishing ministry teams to lead new ministries.

8. Foster a relationship with Christian Outreach Center (COC) leadership to explore and develop points of synergy between their ministry to children and our church’s ministries to children.

9. Work with the Senior Pastor in establishing children’s ministries goals, strategies, and budgets.

 

Other Responsibilities

• Coordinate and maintain all child protection policy requirements, training, and paperwork, including maintaining current files, to ensure all ministry volunteers with minors (children and youth) have been appropriately screened and trained.

• Work with the Senior Pastor in providing congregational care to church families, particularly children and their families.

• Participate regularly in staff team meetings and ministry meetings as required, promoting a staff culture that promotes teamwork and synergy across all ministry areas at Aldersgate.

• Perform all other duties assigned by the Senior Pastor.

 

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from a four-year college or university required, or equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Experience in successfully leading and managing people and teams, including planning, team-building, developing and maintaining budgets, and creating and managing plans. Previous ministry leadership experience preferred.

• Computer literate, with a working knowledge of Microsoft Office software.

• Strong commitment to the Christian faith and to the theology of the United Methodist Church; familiarity with the United Methodist Church structure, mission opportunities, and resources is helpful.

• Willing to adhere to the Aldersgate Church Staff Policies and Employee Conduct Expectations, to be loyal to the Senior Pastor and church leadership, and to be faithful to Aldersgate’s mission, vision, and values.

• Able to pray, teach, and play well with others.

 

Physical Requirements

• Ability to speak and communicate clearly, both verbal and written, to individuals, small groups, and large groups.

• Ability to stand, sit, and/or work close to the ground (kneeling, sitting on floor, etc.) for long periods of time in directly relating and ministering to young children.

• Possessing the stamina required to work 40+ hours each week on a regular basis, occasionally stretching to 50+ hours as ministry needs dictate.

 

Core Competencies

• Trust and integrity. Is widely trusted; seen as direct and truthful; keeps confidences; admits mistakes; adheres to an appropriate and effective set of core values during good and bad times; acts in line with those values; practices what he or she preaches.

• Interpersonal relationships. Relates well to all kinds of people, inside and outside the congregation; builds appropriate rapport; builds effective and constructive relationships; uses diplomacy and tact; is regarded as a team player.

• Organizing. Can gather and organize resources (people, funding, material, support) to get things done; can orchestrate multiple activities at once to accomplish a goal (multitasking); can use resources effectively and efficiently.

• Planning. Accurately assess the length and difficulty of a project; sets objectives and goals; breaks down work into process steps; develops schedules and task/people assignments; anticipates and adjusts for problems and roadblocks; measures performance against goals; evaluates results.

• Developing volunteers. Is able to identify raw talent and recruit capable people into positions of responsibility; provides challenging and stretching tasks and assignments for others to do; delegates appropriately; builds people up; maintains open and active dialogue with volunteers; communicates expectations clearly and holds people accountable.

• Motivating others. Creates a climate in which people want to do their best; can motivate different individuals and groups; empowers others; shares ownership and visibility; makes each participant feel valued.

• Managing vision and purpose. Articulates and supports the mission, vision, and values of Aldersgate UMC; communicates a compelling and inspired vision for children’s ministry; talks beyond the here and now to a larger sense of purpose; creates a compelling vision of possibility, hope, and optimism; helps others to own the vision.

• Conflict management. Steps up to conflicts, seeing them as opportunities; reads situations quickly; good at focused listening; can hammer out agreements and settle disputes equitably; can find common ground and get cooperation with minimal disruption.

Contact: Pat Shull

Location: Aldersgate United Methodist Church

Address: 9350 Starkey RD Seminole FL 33777

Phone: 7273910218

Email: Click to email

Website: https://aldersgate.com/home-2/