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Director of Family Ministries
1 Position Description Director of Family Ministries Foundry United Methodist Church
Reports to Executive Director of Programs and Justice
Directly Supervises Childcare Staff
Status: Full-Time S
alary Range: $67k - $75k DOE + Extensive Benefits Package
The Director of Family Ministries is a vital member of the staff of Foundry United Methodist Church, a large downtown Washington DC church whose diverse, ecumenical congregation and community leadership tradition date to 1814.
The Director of Family Ministries shares Foundry's core values, among them a belief in Christ and His teachings, the commandment to serve others and to act and speak for the powerless, a compelling desire for diversity and full inclusion of all God's children in the life of the church, and the critical nature of curiosity and intellectual honesty as we discern God's path for us.
The Director of Family Ministries is responsible for developing, energizing, and maintaining a dynamic system for supporting Foundry's children, Youth, and families in their faith journeys from infancy through adulthood. The Director, utilizing a collaborative style, works with and relies on teams of volunteers to carry out a vision and program that provide a firm foundation for the growth of children and Youth in Christian faith, engages them in learning the stories of the Bible, gives them practice in worship, mission, and service, and seeks to strengthen family relationships.
Throughout these ministries, the Director and volunteer ministry teams will strive to create an atmosphere of enthusiasm and fun that attracts and retains children and Youth as they encounter various challenging learning experiences.
Essential Functions
- Envisioning, creating, and implementing a system of generational ministries for children, Youth, and families that gains the congregation's support.
- Collaborates with staff and laity ministry teams to strengthen the Scope of Work for Family Ministries - Enlisting, equipping, training, and empowering volunteer ministry teams to staff ministry areas for children, ministries for Youth, and ministries for families, encouraging each of the ministry teams to be open to innovative ideas for change and improvement.
- Collaborating with church staff and lay leaders to ensure that children, Youth, and family ministries are fully integrated into the church's life.
- Continuing and strengthening existing ministries for children, including but not limited to Children's Choir, Sunday School, Bible Sunday, Community Christmas Festival, Christmas Pageant, and the Community Easter Egg Hunt.
- Continuing and strengthening existing ministries for Youth, including but not limited to Sunday Morning Youth Leaders, Confirmation, Youth Ministry, Fundraising, Lock-Ins, Monthly Gatherings, Mission Leaders, Scholarships, and Youth Sunday.
- Developing and strengthening community partnerships to collaborate on Family Ministries programs, missions, and ministries.
- Creating and developing a vision for supporting families and continuing and strengthening existing programs to engage and support families, including providing a Nursery/Toddler Room, conducting a Family Camp, and holding Parent Sessions on various topics relevant to families.
- Employing curricula for the children, Youth, and family ministries encompass a full range of learning and experiences from cradle to college, coupled with a robust system for identifying, enlisting, orienting, and training teachers. - Engaging with the Worship Pastor to strengthen the monthly Children's Church as a forum for preparing children for the adult worship experience and nurturing children in worship roles.
- Overseeing all aspects of Safe Sanctuary implementation, including communications, training, background checks, and maintenance of records and files.
- Establishing and maintaining connections with associated ministries at the district and conference levels and collaborating with nearby United Methodist local churches such as Asbury UMC to share program opportunities. - Actively engaging lay leaders and a wide range of members throughout the congregation to share the scope, value, and opportunities for service in children, Youth, and family opportunities, while at the same time gaining knowledge of the congregation and its gifts Core Competencies
- Attention to Detail:
o Consistently attends to the many small pieces which must be assembled into an organized whole;
o Manages the Family Ministries budget, follows up on missing or out-of-balance items
o Resolves unanswered questions needed to address a problem o Keeps the larger picture in mind while tending to the most minor details.
o Maintains data integrity and responsibility for all Family Ministries participants in the church database, updates as necessary
o Provides data and support for Charge Conference, statistical and other reports, as required
- Aesthetic Awareness:
o Demonstrates a natural awareness of the practical organization of space for different purposes
o Possesses a natural orientation towards cleanliness and orderliness of space
o Appreciates the value of and need for sacred space and how to tend to it physically
- Interpersonal Skills:
o Displays a level of maturity that will ensure that appropriate boundaries are in place and that they will adhere to principles of staff covenant with specific attention to honoring the privacy and confidentiality of both staff and congregation and abiding by Safe Sanctuary policies as applicable and necessary.
o Exemplifies a commitment to diversity and inclusion in all workplace areas.
o Demonstrates a positive, engaging, and respectful attitude at all times.
o Demonstrates a willingness to accept additional responsibilities and duties.
o Leadership skills with a knack for enlisting, developing, and inspiring volunteer ministry teams and an ability to collaborate effectively with others on the staff and in the congregation.
o Ability to communicate with and relate to diverse groups and individuals, coupled with the Ability to show interest and empathy.
- Mission Ownership:
o Demonstrates understanding and full support of the ministry, mission, goals, and Statement of Call of Foundry United Methodist Church.
o Attends staff meetings, retreats, etc.
o Establishes and maintains appropriate connections with other churches, etc.
o Participates in pastoral care as part of the clergy/care ministry team
o Ability to craft and communicate a vision for children, Youth, and family ministries within the mission and vision for Foundry Church.
o A broad knowledge of developments in the field of children, youth, and family ministries and an ability to integrate new concepts, as appropriate, into Foundry's programs. o Proven leadership and experience in growing children and youth ministries in the church or another organizational setting.
- Organization Skills:
o, Demonstrate the Ability to Focus, prioritize, schedule, and manage multiple projects and tasks using tools such as BaseCamp, MailChimp, Outlook, and Planning Center Online Develop and complete short-term and long-term goals and action plans that are aligned with the overall goals of the church. Meet commitments on time. Communicates effectively in written and spoken communication using MailChimp and other approved forms of social media as required (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Slack, website)
- Project Management
o Identifies vital objectives and scope of a proposed project
o Garner needed resources and project support o Develops a realistic and thorough plan for achieving key objectives
o Keeps team members briefed on progress o Implements action plans and communicate progress to direct report and critical leaders
- Spiritual Maturity o Demonstrative maturity, including acceptance of responsibility, openness to criticism, and an ability to defuse through personal example.
o Recognizes the importance of and practices, maintaining healthy personal and professional boundaries, accepting full responsibility for one's work, understanding its limits, and avoiding interference in the creation of others. o Maintains a healthy work/life balance, giving appropriate attention to personal development, self-care, and enjoying a sabbath day for rest and reflection.
o Attentive to personal spiritual development, discipline, and growth. Models and encourages spiritual growth and discipleship in others.
Interested applicants must submit a cover letter with a resume to employment@foundryumc.org.