Children and Family Minister

Who we are looking for:

We are praying that God sends us…

• An individual with a love for Jesus, for others, and for His Church that is evident
• An individual who is passionate about loving children and families one step closer to Jesus
• An individual who is compelled by the love of Jesus to follow His lead in their personal, relational and professional life
• An individual who is optimistic, creative and willing to change and grow as God leads
• An individual who is excited about connecting with the whole church family as well as the community God has placed us in

About the position:

We are excited to bring in a new staff member that will pour the love of Jesus into the lives of those here at Berea and reach outside of Berea into the community. Since the creation of this position in 2019 God has continued to build and grow the ministry in depth and numbers. We currently have nearly 50 students and more than 30 different volunteers who are active in our children’s ministry. Last year we had nearly 90 at VBS we are planning for more than 100 this year.

God continues to bless us with growth churchwide and we do not want to lose any of the momentum He has built. We know that God is calling a person that will help lead this ministry to an exciting place it has never been before!

Our vision for this position allows the ministry to be fully connected to the overall vision and mission of the church. We desire for our staff to be connected and collaborative in all aspects of our ministries. God has called us to be servant leaders within the family of God, with Jesus as our model. This must be a part of all of our ministries here at Berea. The closer we are as a staff, the more we serve one another as well as the other members of our family and the community, the more our church family will see His love through us. The more our community will see and experience His love through our Church. This is how we are to be known and to make Him known. “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35

This position comes with another exciting opportunity as well. Beginning in March of 2019 we “adopted” a local elementary school. This is a low-income school with little to no parent involvement and many needs.  We have worked with the school corporation and administration to create opportunities for volunteers from the church to work with students during the school day through a ministry called Kids Hope. This ministry has just begun and we pray that God continues to open doors to the children and families of our community. We pray that God will use our new children’s minister to foster this relationship with the school, coordinate the volunteers working with the school, and be an excellent communicator between the school and the church.

Experience and Qualifications:

• Demonstrate a desire to show the love of Jesus to children of all ages through the teaching of God’s Word in age-appropriate ways and the development of relationships with the children and their parents

• A strong passion for and calling to ministry is crucial for the applicant

• Children’s ministry degree, teaching degree, or extensive experience as a lead volunteer within a children’s ministry setting. Must have a desire to continue education and ministry development

1. Personal Growth

• This is an area of great importance to the leadership and staff at BCC. Applicant must be willing to work with leadership and staff to intentionally be engaged with the entire body of Christ

• Applicant must be dedicated to working out his or her faith as he or she shares with others (Phil. 2:12-13)

• Must be a positive and Christ-like role model for the children and the ministry team, exemplifying a strong and authentic faith

2. Organizational Skills

• Must be an effective communicator with children, other staff, church leadership, parents and outside organizations.

• Must be a planner 
    o As a staff, we look forward to collaborating in all areas of ministry. We must all be praying, dreaming and planning ahead in order to do that effectively

• Develop or choose Biblically sound curricula for the children’s ministry 
    o Oversee effective implementation in all age groups

• Able to responsibly manage the budget and resources allocated to the children’s ministry. Ensuring effective use of resources to achieve ministry objectives

3. Technology

• Proficient with Planning Center Church Management Software 
    o Used for morning children’s check-in, scheduling and communicating with volunteers

• Website and Social Media Skills

• Passion for video creation and editing 
    o This is not required but would be a HUGE bonus

Responsibilities:

1. Sunday Morning

• Create and lead a worship and learning environment for elementary age.

• Create and staff a safe, loving, healthy exploratory learning environment for toddlers and preschoolers.

• Create and staff a safe, loving, caring environment for infants.

• Organize and maintain a secure registration and check-in process for our families.

2. Pastoral Care for Children

• Willing and able to offer pastoral care and support to children and their families. Being available to listen to children’s concerns, praying with them, and providing guidance in their spiritual journey.

3. Recruiting and Training

• The applicant needs to be an effective recruiter of leaders and volunteers with an emphasis on relationships and training within this process. Just as important is a means to engage, encourage and support those volunteers. This begins       by intentionally expressing the love of Jesus to every student and developing relationships with them. The church will see this genuine love and desire to help meet the needs within the ministry.

4. Ministry Expansion

• Evaluate all aspects of the current children’s ministry and develop a plan to increase its effectiveness.

• We believe that the family is an important part of an effective children’s ministry. The leader must be developing creative ways to incorporate multigenerational experiences. Creating unique ways to involve parents and empower older         youth. The youth pastor, worship pastor, and lead pastor are ready and willing to collaborate in all such efforts.

5. VBS

• Vacation Bible School is an important part of the life of our church. There is a tremendous potential to grow this outreach event and develop relationships with those that we connect with. The applicant must have a passion for this type       of outreach and be able to come in with fresh eyes to evaluate this ministry and increase its effectiveness.

6. Church Camp, Retreats and Conferences

• BCC is actively involved with Camp Illiana in Washington, IN. The children’s and family minister is responsible for student and volunteer registration for camps and retreats. There may be opportunities to lead in those settings as well.

• We have a strong desire to engage our students in other serving, learning and worship opportunities. Conferences, such as SuperStart, local service involvement, family mission opportunities and others that would be beneficial to their         spiritual development.

7. Forest Park Elementary School

• Develop a great relationship with the administration, teachers and students of the school • Work with the school to help open the door for future opportunities to serve • Be an incredibly effective communicator with the staff and our         volunteers to make sure needs are met.

• Help continue the implementation of Kids Hope (https://kidshopeusa.org/mentor-program/) at Forest Park Elementary School.

Who we are:

Berea Christian Church...loving people one step closer to Jesus

Church

A growing body of believers who are passionate about becoming like Jesus. We pray that the love of Christ compels us to love and serve each other, the community we are in and the world around us.

Staff

A team who loves Jesus and cares for the people of Berea as well as those in our community. We are passionate about worship, God’s Word and sharing the truth contained within. Our goal is to follow Christ and help His church be a light within this community and the world.  As a staff we are striving to create an atmosphere that we love being in. Ministry is about relationships. If we as a staff have healthy relationships then the church will notice. We want that same culture to permeate into the church. We are working to create a culture of great communication, a desire to collaborate, innovate and dream together. An open and honest culture based on the love of grace of our leader Jesus is very important to us. Each year we set aside time for a staff retreat with our spouses to grow as a team, as friends and as followers of Jesus. Together we get to pray, collaborate, dream and be challenged.

Leadership

A group of Christ followers working together to grow as leaders, seeking a closer relationship with Christ daily through prayer and the study of His Word. Our desire is to support and encourage the staff as they lead the ministries within our church.

How to apply:

Those being drawn by the Spirit to this position please include:

• Personal Statement of Faith

• Resume

• Areas of involvement in children’s ministry and outside of children’s ministry

• Highlight your experiences recruiting and training volunteers

• A minimum of 5 references

Please send all materials to: [email protected]

We plan on taking applications through June or until God provides the answer to our prayers. We pray that God will soon reveal to us the person He has been preparing for this opportunity.

Our prayer is that our new children and family minister will begin with us in August.