Director of Children, Youth and Family Ministries
Christ Church was the first house of worship in Georgia and was founded in 1733 with the establishment of the colony. Maintaining the spirit of our earliest days, we strive to be a house of prayer where all are welcome.
We are a community centered in worship and seek a deeper connection with God and one another. The sense of joy that people experience at Christ Church derives from an intentional effort to create and sustain a spirit of wonder and grace in all that we do.
We pray that we may share the joy and love of God we have experienced and be strengthened to live as servant leaders for Savannah, the Episcopal Church and the world.
● Key Elements of Our Mission
o Community Centered in Worship
o All are Welcome
o Joyful Living
o Servant Leadership
We look forward to welcoming you into Christ Church where you will share in all aspects of living into our mission. In addition, Christ Church continues to be a deeply involved leader in the Savannah community which offers further engagement possibilities.
Starting in 2022, we launched our Generation to Generation strategic vision. While we are proud of our history – including the faith traditions of John Wesley, George Whitefield and Bland Tucker – we are moreexcited about the future! We are enthusiastic about growing our church and expanding our offerings for all ages, including children and youth.
We start from a strong foundation, with the largest budget ever in the history of Christ Church, a healthy endowment, and strong congregational engagement. For Easter Services 2024 we had over 70 children in Children’s church (up to 5th grade), and currently have over 75 children and youth involved in our worship as acolytes, readers, and ushers.
The Director of Children, Youth and Family Ministries is a new position that is open following the retirement of our beloved Associate Rector who managed this and other programs during her 10 year tenure. This is a great opportunity to support Christian Formation through a variety of children, youth, and family programs of a growing church. The Inter-generational aspect of Christ Church has been a key to our growth, and we are ready to invest in continued programs.
Come share in this work with us!
The Church
Number of members: 700+
Budget: 2024 is the largest budget in our history
Year Founded 1733
Website: www.christchurchsavannah.org
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/christchurchsavannah
Location: Savannah, GA
The Position
Title: Director of Children, Youth and Family Ministries
Reports to: The Rector of Christ Church
Basis: Full Time
Compensation: Commensurate with education and experience
We are seeking a full time Director of Children, Youth and Family Ministries with experience and education in the liturgical tradition, who will continue to support Christian Formation and Parish Life at Christ Church. The Director of Children, Youth and Family Ministries is a critical lynchpin in the overall worship program and will focus largely on children and youth ministries, working alongside the Rector and Assistant Rector to deliver programming that continues to broaden our reach to families. We also see opportunities for this person to broaden the appeal of our family programs by engaging with the broader Savannah community.
While the incumbent was an Associate Rector, ordination is not a requirement of the job. This position could be attractive to someone who is interested in pursuing a theology degree, interested in Christian education or someone who is currently engaged in education or family development outside the church. The Rector and Assistant Rector are eager to collaborate and can always be called upon to add guidance where necessary.
SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES:
● Lead Children’s Chapel as an educational and spiritually formational program aligned with the liturgical calendar. Children’s Chapel is a weekly gathering during the service that runs all year long. It is our primary formation program for children. It lasts approximately 30 minutes and is geared for ages 4 through 5th grade. Sometimes older and younger children are divided into two groups, and sometimes they stay together. There are at least 2 adult leaders and usually one teenage helper.
o Create lesson plans each week and provide all physical materials. These plans are thoughtfully connected to the weekly lectionary, church calendar and life of our congregation (baptisms, etc). They offer a variety of educational and spiritual experiences, hoping to connect with different learning styles, personalities and ages.
o Recruit, train and coordinate a team of about 20 volunteers and parents (solid core in-place, currently)
o Organize supplies and maintain spaces
o Communicate weekly with upcoming volunteers, creating clear lesson plans, and making volunteering easy for busy parents
o Maintain master list of children and youth in congregation, including newcomers
o Connect with children and parents before and after service
o Oversee materials used for weekly children’s Bulletins (prepared by Parish Administrator)
● Seek ways to further develop children’s programs. Potentially leveraging ideas such as VBS, Sunday School, parent’s gatherings, etc. that may be developed over time.
● Coordinate Nursery ministry. Our nursery is also a weekly ministry. Oversee 4 employees and coordinate with Parish Administrator who recruits, manages and brings forth final candidates to the Director of Children, Youth and Family Ministry.
o Oversee ministry of nursery
o Communicate with nursery staff and maintain supervisory relationships
o Communicate to nursery families about special events, etc.
o Ensure payments to nursery staff are correct
● Oversee biannual youth confirmation program.
o Create and implement a series of lesson plans, including a weekend-long retreat
o Communicate with families concerning scheduling and expectations
● Further develop youth programs. Build programming, along with parents, around social gatherings, service projects, and other opportunities to engage youth where they are and in ways that work for today. A large number of youth are engaged in worship as acolytes and readers, which will continue to be coordinated by the Assistant Rector.
● Serve as key touch point for communications about children, youth and parish life programs. Serve as the key touch point for all families to get to know the church and learn about special programming.
● Part of the Christ Church team. Serve as a core member of the team and engage fully with other members of staff and the congregation.
● Coordinate and build events that build the parish life of our community. Work with volunteers to build and plan events that further develop relationships; Current examples include the annual low country boil, neighborhood parties, or receptions. Ensure that these programs continue to be inter-generational and kid-friendly.
● Ensure the safety of children by requiring that all volunteers (and yourself) have taken the training “Safeguarding God's children”.
● Plan seasonal child or youth events such as the Christmas Pageant, Easter programs, annual pool party, Bibles for Kids, etc.
● Represent Christ Church Episcopal in the broader community and at conferences, and professional organizations.
KEY PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES:
● Skilled educator with ties to the liturgical tradition, with the ability to be adventuresome and bring new ideas to grow the children/youth/family ministry.
● Experience working with children and youth.
● Experience working with parents and volunteers.
● Adaptability. Brings energy and openness to role. Encourages others to voice viewpoints and be willing to take on advice and feedback. Be intellectually curious.
● Self Starter. While we have past lesson plans and other resources available, you will develop or modify much of the programming. Other members of staff are there to collaborate and assist, but not to oversee or manage.
● Collaborative. Interested in being part of the team and engaging fully in the life of the congregation. Enjoys exchanging ideas and growing together. Supportive of maintaining the harmony and happiness of fellow staff members.
● Leverages others. Realizes that no one person has to do everything. Leverages others’ strengths and empowers them to further our mission.
● Fosters a culture of acceptance, inclusion, and love among diverse groups of youth/children.
● Strong communications skills. Good communication skills both in person and in writing.
● Commitment to grow personally. Interest in pursuing continuing education, attending events that will further your personal knowledge and growth.
● Physical requirements include being able to climb stairs in our 19th century church.
THE PROCESS:
The Vestry of Christ Church will have responsibility to identify candidates for this role and assist the Rector in finding the right candidate for this position. The Junior and Senior Wardens will take the lead on the process and serve as the primary touch points to make this an easy process for candidates. The role will be posted starting _____________, and we will begin evaluating candidates soon thereafter, moving to a final slate as soon as possible. Final candidates will be invited to an in-person meeting with key leaders.
If you are interested, please email WashDender@gmail.com (Junior Warden) with your resume. Feel free to attach anything that you think would be helpful as we move through the early parts of the getting to know candidates.
We will keep you informed as we move through the process.
Compensation Range:
Salary: $50-60,000 annual salary
Benefits: Full family medical benefits at no cost to individual
Pension: 401(k) of 5% of pay plus 4% match (total could 13% of salary annually)
Final compensation will be based on skills and experience.