Children's Ministry Director

PURPOSE OF ROLE

The River Church Community is seeking a leader passionate about children’s ministry and family spiritual formation to serve as Children’s Ministry Director or Pastor. The ideal candidate will bring a developmental approach to spiritual formation, see parents as primary partners in children’s spiritual formation, and see kids as full participants in the church.

CONTEXT

The River Church Community is located in San Jose, CA with a Sunday morning average attendance of approximately 200 adults. We consider our space in the church landscape distinct by a combination of three characteristics: an authentic spirituality that lives and intersects every aspect of our lives; holistic mission that ministers to the whole person and the broken world; and a diverse community ethnically, generationally, and socio-economically (though we acknowledge we skew toward professional backgrounds). We are affiliated with the Evangelical Covenant Church.

At the River Church Community, we value children as growing disciples of Christ and desire to provide opportunities for them to worship, learn, build relationships, and play. Kids’ Community is our Sunday morning experience for children ages birth through 5th grade. Our children’s programs are guided by an experiential, Montessori-influenced philosophy. Our core program for children on Sunday morning uses the Godly Play curriculum with adaptation to our non-liturgical church. Each Sunday we welcome about 50-70 kids, and in total we have about 40 rotating volunteer ministers who serve with the children. In addition to our Sunday morning experience, we provide periodic parent training and equipping opportunities as well as childcare for various events happening within the church.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

• Responsible for the Sunday morning children's program, recruiting, scheduling, and supervising roughly 40 adult volunteers across two Sunday morning services.

• Create and promote a healthy ministry environment, activities, and programming for each age group to facilitate learning and encourage spiritual growth.

• Maintain a safe and welcoming environment for children, managing classroom spaces, training volunteers, and rovide oversight and leadership on Sunday mornings

• Plan, manage and coordinate Kids Community milestone events, special occasions, and community events.

• Plan and direct special events including an annual summer Maker Camp and biennial all-church retreat children's programming.

• Participate in staff meetings and all-church activities, sharing perspective of children and families.

• Select and/or develop curriculum for each age group from birth to fifth grade.

SKILLS/QUALIFICATIONS NEEDED:

• A mature and emotionally healthy Christ­-follower

• Agreement with and active support for the values and mission of The River Church Community

• Extensive knowledge of and experience working with children birth-5th grade

• College degree preferred, or equivalent experience

• Skilled in leading teams, building relationships, problem-solving, and conflict resolution

• Skilled in written, oral, and visual communication with different age groups and constituents

• Trained in Godly Play or willing to get trained

• Sensitivity to and experience working in a multicultural and multiracial context

• Aptitude in a variety of different computer programs

COMPENSATION

The River offers a full range of benefits including vacation, sick days, health insurance along with salary commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Note: The River team is seeking to fill these functions in 1 full-time role. Previously, the Children’s Ministry has been staffed by 2 part-time roles, 1 Director and 1 Administrative Associate. We would be open to a similar arrangement with the right candidates.

If you are interested in this role, please submit your resume to kidsearch@the-river.org

The River Church Community is located in San Jose, CA with a Sunday morning average attendance of approximately 200 adults. We consider our space in the church landscape distinct by a combination of three characteristics: an authentic spirituality that lives and intersects every aspect of our lives; holistic mission that ministers to the whole person and the broken world; and a diverse community ethnically, generationally, and socio-economically (though we acknowledge we skew toward professional backgrounds). We are affiliated with the Evangelical Covenant Church.

At the River Church Community, we value children as growing disciples of Christ and desire to provide opportunities for them to worship, learn, build relationships, and play. Kids’ Community is our Sunday morning experience for children ages birth through 5th grade. Our children’s programs are guided by an experiential, Montessori-influenced philosophy. Our core program for children on Sunday morning uses the Godly Play curriculum with adaptation to our non-liturgical church. Each Sunday we welcome about 50-70 kids, and in total we have about 40 rotating volunteer ministers who serve with the children. In addition to our Sunday morning experience, we provide periodic parent training and equipping opportunities as well as childcare for various events happening within the church.