Position: Director of Faith Formation
Reports to: Lead Pastor
Job Status: Exempt
Job Time Commitment: Part-time (20 hours/week)
Position Overview:
The focus of this position is to shape and implement faith formation among children, youth, and families as a cross-generational experience and expression of the full life of the congregation.
Responsibilities:
Create content for children, confirmation, and youth programing, events, and activities within the church and in the wider community.
Engage with children, youth, and their families to discern which themes and issues are relevant and appropriate for those who will participate in events, activities, and regular programs of the congregation.
Identify and adapt existing curricular resources or create new resources.
Assess and edit content and tools used for programs, activities, and events with organizing teams and other adult leaders before programs and events occur.
Evaluate the effectiveness of content and curricular resources after their implementation.\
Communicate through diverse channels with adult leaders, households of the congregation, and Pilgrim Lutheran Church staff.
Communicate with adult leaders to direct and guide their engagement in programs and events, by offering opportunities for training and supporting their efforts.
Communicate with households of the congregation to promote events and programs and respond to questions about them, to enlist assistance for implementing programs and events, and to offer care and affirmation for their engagement.
Communicate with Pilgrim Lutheran Church staff to coordinate space, facility, and material needs, to seek appropriate assistance with tasks associated with programs, activities, and events, and to offer appreciation for team support.
Organize and implement programs, activities, and events by engaging adult leaders, staff, participants, and external organizations.
Brainstorm and plan events, activities, and programs with teams and individual adult leaders.
Schedule events, activities, and programs in conjunction with church staff and adult leaders.
Assess funding needs, and enlist support in the purchase of supplies, assembly of materials, and facility set-ups.
Enlist and train adult leaders who will support events, activities, and programs.
Build relationships with children and youth of the congregation along with their households.
Identify the households of the congregation and their children and youth.
Invite connections and build relationships with adults of the households of the congregation and, as appropriate, of the community, and of other local congregations.
Build relationships with children and youth through the activities, events, and programs of the congregation.
Provide appropriate care for children, youth, and their families, and make referrals to pastoral staff as needed.
Through established relationships, facilitate welcome, inclusion, and openness to other children, youth, and households in the community.
Provide administrative support of children, youth and family ministries.
Oversee and manage the budget of children, youth, and family ministries.
Identify fund-raising needs and apply for Vestry approval of such initiatives
Purchase and manage supplies and equipment.
Communicate with the Business Manager with any questions or concerns.
Collaborate with church staff at weekly full-staff meetings and other planning meetings.
Gifts Needed:
Enthusiastic relationship builder excited to work with children, youth, and families.
Intuitive self-starter who takes initiative and risks, learning quickly
Resilient problem-solver who can adapt and reconcile as adult leaders and caregivers express questions and opinions
Adaptive leader who can listen to the needs of children, youth, and families as well as the Twin Cities community to create applicable faith formation and relationship-building opportunities
Creative collaborator who shares ideas to enhance and develop ministries
Program Areas:
Faith Formation: PreK-12th Grade
Midweek at Pilgrim (upon it commencing again)
Confirmation Ministry
Service and Relationship-building experiences
Vacation Bible School (1 week during the summer), off-site partner bible camp, and youth summer retreats and trips
Faith Formation Committee (collaborating with chair to lead meetings at least quarterly)
The Faith Formation Committee of Pilgrim Lutheran Church supports the Director of Faith Formation in the faith forming experiences of children, youth, and households by:
Imagining possible programs, curriculum, and activities through brainstorming
Evaluating and offering feedback on faith forming activities
Communicating enthusiasm for events and meetings with Pilgrim children, youth, and households by word of mouth
Inviting Pilgrim households to upcoming programs and events
Thanking and encouraging adult faith formation leaders
Occasionally recruiting other leaders and preparing supplies for faith formation programs
Meeting at least quarterly with the Director of Faith Formation
Qualifications/Experience:
Four-year undergraduate degree. Relevant experience and/or coursework may be substituted for a degree.
Experience in organizing people, specifically: sourcing and inviting leaders through various techniques and channels; collecting information on availabilities, skills, and passions; arranging for appropriate training when needed
Theological alignment with ELCA faith tradition
About Pilgrim Lutheran — Pilgrim Lutheran Church is an inclusive Christian worshiping community that seeks, nurtures, and empowers hungry minds and souls to live generously in response to God’s love. Pilgrim is a vibrant congregation of over 450 members, located in the Macalester-Groveland neighborhood of St. Paul, between Macalester College, the University of St. Thomas, and St Catherine University. Pilgrim is an ELCA congregation, a Reconciling in Christ congregation, and a Caring for Creation Congregation. On Sundays, we have creative traditional morning worship and contemplative evening worship. Our congregation includes people of all ages and is deeply committed to the shared ministry of all of God’s people, in the Pilgrim community and beyond.
About Faith Formation at Pilgrim — Pilgrim’s community of children, youth, and households consists of about 120 PreK-12th graders with an average attendance of 40 individuals on a given Sunday for Faith Formation.
Please send resume to pastorjenrome@pilgrimstpaul.org