Associate Director of Parish

Description

Reports To:

Director of Parish Life

Schedule:

Varied (generally 8:30-5pm, M-F; some evenings and weekends)

FLSA Status:
Exempt

Summary:

The Associate Director of Parish Life plays a pivotal role in shaping vibrant, mission‑driven parish communities across the Archdiocese of San Antonio. Serving as a trusted partner to pastors and parish leaders, this position empowers them with the tools, formation, and support needed to foster organizational health and dynamic leadership. By guiding parishes toward greater vitality and collaboration, the Associate Director helps advance the Archdiocese’s Sacred

Purpose:

to form missionary disciples who transform the world.

This is a highly relational and impactful role, one that combines strategic vision with hands‑on ministry. From leading workshops and trainings to accompanying pastors and councils in discerning and implementing pastoral plans, the Associate Director is at the forefront of initiatives that strengthen parish life. If you are passionate about leadership development, organizational health, and walking alongside parish leaders in their mission, this position offers an opportunity to make a lasting difference in the life of the Church.

• Design and deliver transformative formation experiences that bring the Archdiocesan Pastoral Vision to life, equipping parish leaders to meet organizational health needs and adapt to emerging trends through engaging workshops, trainings, and resources.
• Empower pastors and parish teams by providing personalized coaching and consulting, helping them implement effective leadership practices and achieve their pastoral vision.
• Lead strategic conversations with pastors and parish leaders by facilitating dialogue that fosters collaboration, clarity, and shared mission at parish and deanery levels.
• Champion organizational health by identifying best practices and adapting proven models to the unique context of parish life.
• Update and implement Parish Pastoral Council Guidelines, ensuring alignment with Archdiocesan vision and fostering synodality and co‑responsibility.
• Create engaging content for digital platforms and ministerial communications, collaborating with internal teams to amplify outreach and formation opportunities.
• Build strong partnerships with lay movements, Church organizations, and Archdiocesan offices to advance leadership development and parish vitality.
• Assess and support pastoral plans by evaluating parish strategies and providing actionable recommendations that lead to measurable growth and mission effectiveness.
• Model pastoral accompaniment by walking alongside parish leaders in moments of transition, challenge, and opportunity.
• Document and report insights to influence Archdiocesan initiatives, using tools like Asana to track progress and outcomes.
• Regularly engage in ongoing formation: professionally in areas related to pastoral councils, organizational health, leadership, facilitating parish small groups, and individual coaching, especially as they relate to pastors and parishes; personally, in theological study, prayer, charity and justice work, and spiritual formation.
• Identify pastoral needs of parish leaders and respond appropriately, including situations that require referral beyond the scope of pastoral and ministerial support.
• Act with diplomacy and tact, seeking to build and maintain relationships even in difficult or tense situations, relating comfortably with pastors and parish leaders across levels, functions, culture, and geography.
• Communicate effectively so that messages are received and understood with clarity and purpose in a variety of settings: one‑on‑one, small and large groups, or among diverse styles and position levels.
• Collaborate with others across the organization and in parishes in a model of pastoral de con junto and Synodality to achieve the Archdiocese Vision, developing initiatives and opportunities for parish support.
• Balance the interests of multiple stakeholders across Archdiocesan offices and parishes (for instance, in promoting Archdiocesan events/initiatives and discerning with the pastor the best way to implement it with his parish…