Central Children's Ministry Assistant Director at Willow Creek Community Church

Description

We believe kids and students are not just the future of the church, they are the church, and we want to create engaging environments where they can experience God’s love, take steps in their faith, and use their gifts and talents to lead and serve. Willow Creek Community Church is an egalitarian non-denominational, multi-site church in and across Chicagoland passionate about helping people take next steps to love God, love people, and change the world. 

As the Willow Kids Assistant Director you will lead a central team in the creation and development of resources that help all Willow campuses provide experiences and environments that are engaging, relevant, and effective. You will also partner with Willow campus Kids Pastors and collaborate, when appropriate, to continually evaluate what is working, what needs to be changed, and what needs to be created to address ever-changing needs. You will be the champion of a healthy volunteer culture and parent engagement across all campuses and ensure those initiatives are thriving at every campus. In addition, you will serve as the primary advocate for parents and volunteers within Willow Kids. 

The salary range for this position starts at $70,000 and goes up depending on experience and skill set. Our comprehensive benefits package includes medical, dental and vision insurance, life insurance, retirement savings plan with company match, parental leave, generous paid time off, mental health counseling reimbursement, tuition reimbursement and more.

Job Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a healthy team to oversee the creation and development of Kid specific programming/resources for campuses that assist in executing effective weekend experience.
• Help shape the strategy for the scope and sequence of all teaching curriculums, volunteer and kids experiences, operations, and creative elements
• Create and develop volunteer resources for campuses that assist in Enlisting, Equipping, Empowering, and Encouraging volunteers towards effective kids ministry
• Effectively leverage outside resources that assist in volunteer training (i.e. Orange resources) 
• Assist campuses in execution of volunteer trainings including leading trainings
• Create and Develop Parent specific resources for campuses that assist in engaging and equipping parents, including leveraging resources already provided by Orange (i.e. Parent Cue)
• Conduct rotating site visits at campuses on the weekends to identify bright spots to replicate, barriers to address, and opportunities to innovate

Staff Values:

• Believing the Best | Trust is our default
• Commit to Candor | Kindness is our way
• Embrace Challenge | Grit is our style
• Setting the Tone | Joy is our attitude
• Choose Unity | Diversity is our strength

Success is Defined As…

• Willow Kids volunteers feel fully equipped with the tools in their pockets to reach kids effectively.
• Central and campus staff clearly understand the vision and the execution of the weekend experience
• Parents of Willow Kids feel supported and equipped to be the primary disciplers of their kids.

Requirements

Preferred Skills and Experience

Skills/Competencies:

• Written and verbal communication skills (to both kid and adult audiences)
• Customer focus (kids, volunteers, and parents)
• Leadership of teams (through influence, in addition to authority)
• Kids’ service programming 
• Kids’ small group discipleship
• Effectively utilizes creativity and humor for kids

Personal Characteristics:

• Jesus Follower: Lives a life of integrity and pursues a personal relationship with Jesus.
• Loves kids: Feels passionate about ministering to kids
• Self-starter: ability to own a project and run with it.
• Learner: Someone who desires continued growth in their area of ministry.
• Innovative: Seeks out new ideas and is unafraid to fail.
• Collaborative Team Player: Loves working with others and assumes the best in each other
• Approachable: Is warm, inviting and easy to get along with.
• High Emotional Intelligence: Intuitive about others emotions and able to respond appropriately.
• Self Aware: Knows their own strengths and weaknesses and is moving towards health, exemplifies humility and confidence
• Currently or willing to become a regular attender of a Willow Creek Community Church campus and part of our church family.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s Degree or 4+ years relevant Kid’s ministry experience
• 3+ years experience leading in kids and volunteer environments preferred
• Prior experience leading a high functioning team (both staff and volunteers) 
• Prior experience working at a multi-site church or organization preferred