Employment Opportunities

Church of the Good Shepherd is seeking a warm, creative, organized, and faithful Director of Children’s Ministries to lead and strengthen our ministry with young children. We want our children to know that they are loved by God, welcomed in the life and worship of the Church, and growing within a community that knows and cares for them. The Director of Children’s Ministries will work with clergy, church and school staff, parents, and volunteers to provide meaningful Christian formation, pastoral care, fellowship, and community for children from infancy through fifth grade.

The Role

The Director of Children’s Ministries provides leadership for the parish’s ministries with young children and their families, including Sunday morning formation, nursery ministry, seasonal programs, special events, family fellowship, and opportunities for children to participate fully in the worship and life of the parish.

A central part of this ministry is developing and supporting volunteers. The director will recruit, train, equip, schedule, encourage, and care for the adults who share in the parish’s ministry with children. The goal is not simply to provide programs for children, but to build a broad and sustainable ministry in which parents and other members of the parish participate in the Christian formation of the next generation.

Responsibilities include:

• Developing and coordinating Sunday morning Christian formation for children from infancy through fifth grade
• Providing leadership for the parish’s use of Godly Play and supporting teachers in offering it faithfully and effectively
• Recruiting, training, scheduling, supporting, and appreciating teachers and other children’s ministry volunteers
• Cultivating new volunteers and helping parishioners discover meaningful ways to serve children and families
• Overseeing nursery ministry and nursery personnel
• Planning seasonal programs, special events, family gatherings, and other opportunities for fellowship and formation
• Developing pastoral relationships with children and their parents and being attentive to the joys, needs, transitions, and challenges experienced by families
• Welcoming new families and helping them become connected to the worship, formation, fellowship, and ministries of the parish
• Helping children participate meaningfully in worship and the broader life of the Church
• Creating opportunities for children and families to engage in service, prayer, fellowship, and spiritual formation beyond Sunday morning
• Communicating regularly and effectively with parents, volunteers, clergy, and parish staff
• Maintaining appropriate registration, attendance, volunteer, and safety records
• Managing volunteers’ completion of Safeguarding training
• Ensuring that all children’s ministries follow diocesan and parish policies for the safety and protection of children
• Managing the children’s ministry budget and ministry resources
• Working collaboratively with the Rector, clergy, parish staff, and the Children’s Ministry Committee
• Partnering closely with the Director of Youth Ministries to create a healthy and intentional transition for children and families as students enter sixth grade
• Partnering closely with the Director of Good Shepherd School to offer Godly Play stories to the students
• Helping the parish continually evaluate and strengthen its ministry with children and young families

Who We’re Looking For

The strongest candidate will be someone who genuinely enjoys children and families and is excited about helping them find a home in the Church.

We are looking for a person who is:

• Warm, welcoming, and relational
• Grounded in the Christian faith and comfortable working within the Episcopal tradition
• Attentive to the spiritual and pastoral lives of both children and their parents
• Creative and enthusiastic about Christian formation
• Organized, dependable, and able to manage multiple programs, volunteers, and events
• A strong communicator with both adults and children
• Skilled at recruiting, encouraging, equipping, and developing volunteers
• Comfortable collaborating closely with clergy, staff, parents, and volunteers
• Thoughtful about creating ministries that are both spiritually meaningful and genuinely enjoyable for children
• Committed to creating a safe and welcoming environment for every child and family
• Able to think beyond individual programs toward the development of a coherent ministry for children and families from infancy through fifth grade
• preferably a college graduate with at least a bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience in a similar role

Previous experience in children’s ministry, education, Christian formation, or a related field is strongly preferred. Experience with Godly Play is strongly recommended. Familiarity with the Episcopal Church is helpful, but candidates from other Christian traditions who are eager to learn and work within the Episcopal tradition are welcome to apply.

For full position details, click here.

To Apply

Please submit a résumé and a brief video (1-5 minutes) introducing yourself and describing your interest in ministry with children and families to Fr. Walton Jones: walton@gslookout.com.

Applications will be reviewed as they are received and will continue until the position is filled. Full background check will be required.