Director of Children and Youth Ministries

First United Methodist Church in Arlington Heights, Illinois is seeking a full-time Director of Children and Youth Ministries. This individual will oversee the discipleship programs that help children and youth participate in God’s bold love, as both a recipient of God’s love and a disciple of Jesus who serves others. Ideal for this role would be an innovative, detail-oriented, hands-on minister who collaborates with and empowers teams of volunteers within a sustainable model of ministry.

This position reports to the Pastor of Faith Formation.

Primary responsibilities for the position include:

• Map out the overarching scope & sequence of discipleship from birth through high school
• Actively engage with children, youth, and families, both inside and outside the church walls
• Recruit, train, coordinate, and support teams of volunteer leaders
• Create pathways for children and youth to serve with other ministry teams and regularly participate in intergenerational opportunities
• Provide supportive resources for parents
• Organize the infrastructure of the ministry, ordering paperwork, guiding processes, implementing systems, and managing child protective policies
• Communicate regularly with key ministry stakeholders, both inside the church and those who are a part of the community
• Steward the budget and maintain the financial accountability of the ministry

Qualifications for this position are:

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university preferred
• Experience in implementing and leading teams towards sustainability, either in a faith-based setting or a related field
• Ability to communicate effectively and professionally, both orally and in writing
• Ability to organize and keep accurate and detailed records
• Strong competence and comfort with technology, including effectively utilizing platforms of digital communications, social media, and church-specific software
• Ability to work as part of a team
• Demonstrated leadership skills and strong work ethic
• Passion for helping children, youth, and their parents know and love Christ
• A person of Christian faith with an understanding of and alignment with the theology of a reconciling congregation in the United Methodist tradition