POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT—

CHILDREN’S MINISTRY DIRECTOR

GENERAL DESCRIPTION
We are seeking a children’s ministry director who
• embraces our philosophy of ministry
• serves primarily our children (birth through 5th grade) and their families
• contributes to other areas of our ministry as part of the leadership team.

ABOUT EFCC
The vision statement of the Evangelical Free Church of Columbia (EFCC) is Christ’s love at work—transforming lives through the Holy Spirit to God’s glory.

The mission of the EFCC is to reach these three targets:
• Love for God
• Commitment to one another
• Passion for the people of the world.

We also align ourselves with 9Marks and its statement of faith. 9Marks is a ministry dedicated to providing a variety of resources for building healthy churches. For more information, visit www.9marks.org.

ABOUT EFCC CHILDREN’S MINISTRY
Our primary vision statement for the children’s ministry is Taking the heart of the Gospel to the heart of the child, one week at a time. We approach this vision in a deliberate manner with the goal of planting God’s Word into the hearts and minds of our children through:

• Biblical theology—A focus on the storyline of God’s plan for His people as it unfolds in the Bible.
• Systematic theology—A focus on teaching the big ideas of biblical doctrine.
• Topical theology—A focus on certain truths that lead to practical life application and a better understanding of the entirety of God’s Word.

Because the Word gives ultimate responsibility to parents to raise their children to know, love and serve God, we place a significant focus on equipping and encouraging parent/child relationships that help parents provide clear spiritual examples, multifaceted spiritual nurturing and intentional discipleship of their children.

The core values of our children’s ministry focus on glorifying God by:
• Centering on God’s Word.
• Encouraging and equipping parents for family discipleship.
• Creating opportunities to respond to the Gospel.
• Intentionally reaching out to lost parents and children in our community.
• Building intergenerational relationships within the church.
• Providing a safe and secure environment.

CHILDREN’S AREA RESPONSIBILITIES
The children’s ministry director will provide visionary leadership and oversight of all areas of children’s ministries within the context of the church mission. The director must be creative in recruiting, training and developing the volunteer staff members who lead children’s education classes, ministries and activities. Flowing from a love for children and their families, the director will facilitate an effective partnership among the church’s many ministries to and for children and our parents who are called to disciple their children at home.

Other responsibilities will include:
• Building loving relationships with children and their parents.
• Promoting children’s ministries within the church and in the Columbia community.
• Teaching/facilitating classes for children.
• Training parents to disciple their children, equipping parents with biblical parenting skills and involving parents in the ministry.
• Giving occasional children’s messages during Sunday morning worship.
• Promoting broad-based prayer support within the congregation for children’s ministries.
• Communicating regularly and creatively with children’s ministry volunteers, parents and children.
• Communicating regularly with the church as a whole, providing updates and current happenings in the children’s ministry.
• Leading in the selection or writing of new curricula for education classes and programs, when change is called for.
• Collaborating with the youth pastor to develop a discipleship plan to help each child transition smoothly into the youth ministry.
• Managing the annual budget for children’s ministries.
• Maintaining and updating safety policies and procedures.
• Maintaining and updating the children’s ministry manual.

In general, all scheduled activities in children’s ministries should be intentionally designed to draw new children and families to the EFCC. Also, thoughtful integration of children’s ministries into the church as a whole is essential so that all generations take seriously their role in bringing the Gospel to children.

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES
Ministry staff at the EFCC are expected to be interconnected and interdependent; therefore, the staff works together to promote maturity of the church and its people. The children’s ministry director is expected to communicate a biblical vision to the church as a whole, as well as assist the body in developing the skills and character necessary to accomplish that vision. The director will be expected to share in developing overall church vision and carrying out plans to achieve that vision.

These responsibilities will be fulfilled in a variety of ways, including:
• Hospital visitation.
• Staff planning sessions and weekly staff meetings.
• Participation in church-wide events (conferences, members’ meetings, etc.).
• Biblical counseling, as appropriate.
• Regular meetings with church leadership groups.
• Teaming with the elders and submitting to their leadership authority.
• Teaming with the ministry staff under the supervision of the senior pastor. This includes:
o Working cooperatively with the support staff.
o Working the amount of time that is necessary and appropriate to fulfill the job responsibilities of this full-time ministry position.
o With respect to all ministry responsibilities, being accountable to and reporting directly to the senior pastor.

At the discretion of the senior pastor and depending on candidate qualifications, other ministry opportunities may be made available.

GENERAL QUALIFICATIONS
• The possession of the following gifts and qualities in varying degrees: visionary leadership, teaching and training, relational networking, disciple-making, open and frequent communication, creativity, wisdom, strategic thinking, delegation, love for people, and an enjoyment of life.
• A clearly demonstrated understanding of children, birth through 5th grade, and of biblically based parenting styles and practices appropriate for children of these ages.
• Male or female.
• A bachelor’s degree in a related field, along with a background of experience in church-based children’s ministries. A seminary degree is a plus.
• A passion for evangelistic impact through relationships and for discipling that passion in others.
• A passion for building community in groups through discipling, mentoring and developing people’s gifts.
• A good understanding of and orientation toward technology, its benefits in effective communication and its appropriate use in bringing the Gospel to children and their families. A working knowledge of Word, Excel, Publisher, PowerPoint (or other presentation software) is necessary.
• Solid recommendations by adequate references confirming appropriate character and sufficient skills to serve well in the director’s role.
• A cooperative and teachable spirit and a balance of strength and humility in working with ministry staff and others.
• A personal affirmation of the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA) Statement of Faith and a willingness to abide by the EFCC constitution and bylaws.

PERSONAL VALUES
A life marked by:
• A growing walk with Christ that reflects a balance of truth and love.
• An intimacy with God that reflects both freedom and spiritual discipline.
• A vibrant personal prayer life.
• A balanced view of self, valuing your own strengths and the strengths of others.
• A continued development of gifts, insights and abilities as a leader.
• Loving integrity in relationships.
• Authentic, two-way communication with others, regardless of age, gender or station in life.
• Transparent accountability with one, or a few, spiritually mature same-gender believers.
• Faithful, intimate, servant relationships with your family (if married).
• Faithful, intentional, God-honoring parenting of your children (if a parent).
• Loving, servant relationships with the un-churched and unsaved.

Please send cover letter and resume in PDF format to searchcommittee@efreecolumbia.com