Overview: Oakhurst exists to “make disciples who make disciples who transform the world.” To that end, this position emphasizes our call to make disciples of the next generation, specifically children and youth, and to incorporate these
ministries into a comprehensive family and adult discipleship pathway. This individual should be a committed disciple of Christ, a self-starter, and catalytic leader who embraces starting new ministries and innovating with new ideas. Ideally, the candidate
for this position should have a history of starting new children/youth ministries and successfully building bridges between the congregation and community.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s Degree or higher in a related educational field but a Master’s Degree with emphasis on children, youth or family ministry is preferred.
- At least 3 years of experience in leading or co-leading a growing children’s, youth, or family ministry.
- Successful experience operating in and building ministry teams and leading children, youth, and family ministry programs.
- Strong ability to engage and connect with children, youth, and parents.
- Experience recruiting and training volunteers to lead discipleship systems for children, youth, and families.
- Experience developing and implementing comprehensive discipleship materials for children, youth, and families.
- Experience creating, marketing, and managing outreach events that focus on cultivation of the congregation’s relationship with the community. (Examples such as Vacation Bible School, Breakfast with Santa, Trunk or Treat, etc.)
- Experience to reach out to families in the community and local public schools and staff to build relationships, to promote events, and to find ministry opportunities to help students.
- A strong visionary who can create and execute a vision for family ministries that aligns with the vision of the church.
Knowledge and Skills:
- Strong interpersonal skills
- Demonstrated leadership skill
- Initiative-taking, self-starter and problem solver who can find a need in the church or community and develop programs to meet those needs.
- Knowledge of current issues in schools and the world of kids/teenagers to be able to meet kids where they are and with what they are questioning or struggling with.
- Have knowledge and ability to create and manage programming from nursery through high school. Not just a youth or children’s pastor but someone who can engage all ages.
- An enterprising spirit that can market the church and programs, go out to the people and work to build relationships with children and parents who visit the church.
- Ability to manage and function within a budget.
Responsibilities:
Children
- Develop intentional relationships with children and families in the community.
- Create pathways for engaging children and families in discipleship opportunities and build a discipleship culture among children and youth.
- Schedule outside church activities for families to meet with their children to engage together and get to know one another.
- Organizing the VBS program each year and developing the theme and curriculum. Organize the registration and find and coordinate the volunteers to help, as well as the leaders of all VBS activities.
- Partner with parents in the spiritual development of their children.
- Ensure all spaces used for children’s ministry are optimized for children’s ministry through partnering with other teams within the congregation.
Youth
- Develop intentional relationships with the youth in the church and in the community in a manner that invites connection with discipleship opportunities.
- Develop opportunities for youth to experience safe spaces in their lives.
- Recruit, train, and deploy volunteers to become involved in the lives of students.
- Plan regular activities for youth on a weekly, monthly, and annual cycle.
- Ensure all spaces used for youth ministry are optimized through partnering with other teams within the congregation.
Families
- Identify and create appropriate pathways of engagement with new and existing families.
- Connect to families and enable them to engage in discipleship opportunities.
- Oversee the ministries for youth and children in an engaged and coordinated effort with parents.
- Plan, execute, and evaluate children, youth, and family events around major holidays and seasons of the congregation and community.
Organization
- Work with the Senior and Assistant Pastors to develop, implement, and execute discipleship strategies for children, youth, and families.
- Work with other staff members to coordinate the needs and opportunities for development of children, youth, and family ministries.
- Work with other Committee Chairs and their members to coordinate children, youth, and family programs within the church and community.
- Provide regular staff meeting updates on all programs under this position’s leadership.
- Provide regular updates on all programs under this position’s leadership to Church Council.
