Pastor of Family Discipleship

The Pastor of Family Discipleship provides leadership, organization, and vision for Immanuel's ministries that serve children, youth, and parents. The Pastor of Family Discipleship is tasked with faithfully teaching the Gospel to the next generation, cultivating discipleship opportunities, and fostering community for children, youth, families and volunteers. The role requires someone who has a heart for discipleship, a strong love of God and people, and an active, growing, and mature relationship with Jesus Christ.

The Family Pastor must have a strong inclination towards creativity, organization, and problem-solving to relate to and serve all age groups, from infants to grandparents!

• Spiritual and Emotional Maturity
• Theological Alignment
• Visionary Leadership
• Energetic Gatherer
• Heart for Discipleship
• Organization and Administration
• Adaptable and Resilient Problem-solving
• Collaborative approach and a team mentality
• Creative spirit and a passion for innovation
• Humble and willing to accept direction and feedback
• Ability to self-start (recognize a need and initiate an appropriate response)
• Professional, kind, and consistent communication
• Ability to relate to children and adults

The Pastor of Family Discipleship provides leadership and vision for Immanuel's ministries for parents, youth and children, seeking always to serve the vision of Immanuel Anglican to "lift high the Son of God in the city of Chicago that all would be drawn to Him."

1. Cast and implement a compelling and practical vision for Immanuel's next generation ministries, including for:

• Children:
  Christian formation of the children at Immanuel (birth-5th grade).
• Youth:
  Christian discipleship for the youth of Immanuel (6th-12th grade).
• Parents:
  Support for parents in the work of discipling their children.
• Family Outreach:
  The mission of reaching unchurched families in Chicago.

2. Initiate and maintain relationships that promote growth in leadership capacity, spiritual vitality and professional competence:

• Consult as needed with a leadership coach.
• Seek regular counsel from a spiritual director and other pastoral care providers to promote spiritual growth and health.
• Seek out training and resources that grow understanding of current best practices in children's and youth ministry and provide opportunities for collaboration with other churches and leaders.

3. Take regular prayer retreats (6x/year).

The Pastor of Family Discipleship coordinates opportunities for children and youth — on Sundays and beyond — to encounter Jesus and be transformed by the power of the Gospel to become lifelong disciples of Christ who use their spiritual gifts in service of the Church.

1. Coordinate Sunday morning ministries:

• Schedule volunteers and coordinate Sunday service calendars
• Select curriculum for each class
• Coordinate weekly lessons and supplies
• Curate comfortable and safe environments for each age group
• Maintain a welcoming and secure registration and check‑in process
• Take attendance, following up with families after extended absences
• Implement guidelines and policies for child safety and abuse prevention

2. Coordinate youth events and discipleship connections:

• Develop a discipleship ministry for youth from 6th-12th grade that helps students move from the foundations laid in children's ministry to deeper engagement with their faith
• Support youth involvement in Immanuel's confirmation process
• Coordinate events for youth to bond with one another and leaders

3. Coordinate events for families and children from Immanuel and beyond:

• Plan and execute family‑friendly special events
• Develop child‑friendly and youth‑friendly service projects
• Coordinated child‑focused or youth‑focused outreach initiatives or events

4. Coordinate childcare for church gatherings:

• Recruit, hire and oversee paid nursery worker
• Coordinate childcare for special events and services

5. Bridge generational gap by connecting children's and youth ministry to the wider church body:

• Plan and execute children's and youth programming for all‑church retreat
• Communicate ways for older children and youth to serve with Sunday teams
• Identify volunteers who can lead children and youth…