Church Secretary/Administrative Assistant

CHURCH SECRETARY — PART-TIME

Position: Church Secretary

Status: Part-Time — Approximately 20 Hours per Week

Reports To: Senior Pastor

POSITION PURPOSE

The Church Secretary provides administrative and organizational support for the ministries and leadership of the church. This position helps ensure that the church office operates efficiently, communicates clearly, maintains accurate records, and provides a welcoming and helpful point of contact for church members, guests, ministry leaders, and the community.

The Church Secretary should view administrative responsibilities as an important part of the ministry of the church. The purpose of this position is not simply to accomplish office tasks, but to use administration, communication, organization, and service to help the church fulfill its God-given mission.

CONNECTION TO OUR MISSION AND VISION

The Church Secretary serves as an important support to the mission and vision of Buck Creek Baptist Church.

Our Mission: Making Biblical Disciples in Relational Environments.

Our Vision: Connecting all people to Jesus, family, and their God-given purpose.

Because the church office often serves as a primary point of connection between the church, its members, guests, ministry leaders, and the community, the Church Secretary should seek to represent the mission and heart of Buck Creek in every interaction.

Administrative ministry should help people take their next step toward Jesus, His family, and their God-given purpose.

LIVING OUT OUR CORE VALUES

The Church Secretary is expected to carry out the responsibilities of this position in a manner consistent with the core values of Buck Creek Baptist Church.

1. Biblical — The Bible Is Our Foundation

The Church Secretary should conduct their work according to biblical principles of integrity, honesty, faithfulness, kindness, stewardship, and service.

Church policies, procedures, communications, and administrative practices should support the biblical mission and ministry of the church.

Key Scriptures: Colossians 3:17; 1 Corinthians 4:2; 2 Timothy 3:16–17

2. Intentional — Disciple-Making Is Our Mindset

Administrative work should be purposeful rather than simply task-oriented.

The Church Secretary should understand how calendars, communications, records, publications, scheduling, and office systems help ministries function effectively and support the church's mission of making and maturing disciples.

The question is not simply, “Did we complete the task?” but also, “Did this task help our church accomplish its mission?”

Key Scriptures: Matthew 28:18–20; Ephesians 5:15–16; Colossians 1:28–29

3. Relational — Relationships Are Our Environment

The Church Secretary should treat people as more important than paperwork.

Every phone call, email, office visit, request, or conversation is an opportunity to demonstrate the love of Christ and help people feel welcomed, valued, and connected.

The Church Secretary should communicate with patience, kindness, professionalism, and grace—even when dealing with difficult situations or interruptions.

Key Scriptures: John 13:34–35; Philippians 2:3–4; Ephesians 4:32

4. Reproducible — We Do Nothing Alone

The Church Secretary should develop systems and procedures that can be understood, taught, and reproduced by others.

Important information, processes, passwords, schedules, procedures, and responsibilities should not exist only in one person's memory.

The Secretary should appropriately document recurring administrative processes, help train volunteers when needed, and work in a way that strengthens the ministry rather than making the ministry unnecessarily dependent upon one person.

Key Scriptures: 2 Timothy 2:2; Ephesians 4:11–13

5. Aligned — Unity Is Our Strength

The Church Secretary should work in cooperation and alignment with the Senior Pastor, church staff, ministry leaders, and the established mission, vision, policies, and priorities of the church.

Because the church office frequently receives requests from many different people and ministries, the Secretary should understand that not every request automatically becomes a priority. Responsibilities should be prioritized according to the direction of the Senior Pastor and the established priorities of the church.

The Church Secretary should help ministries work together rather than operate independently of one another.

Key Scriptures: Ephesians 4:1–6; Philippians 2:1–4; 1 Corinthians 1:10

6. Dependent — Prayer Is Our Posture

The Church Secretary should approach ministry and administrative responsibilities with an ongoing dependence upon God.

We recognize that organization, planning, communication, policies, and procedures are important, but they cannot replace our need for God's wisdom, power, and guidance. Therefore, prayer should not simply be an activity we add to our work; it should be the posture from which we do our work.

The Church Secretary should seek God's wisdom when making decisions, responding to people, handling difficult situations, establishing priorities, and supporting the ministries of the church.

This includes:

• Beginning responsibilities and decisions with prayer rather than relying solely on personal experience or ability.
• Praying regularly for the pastors, staff, ministry leaders, volunteers, members, and ministries of the church.
• Seeking God's wisdom when responding to difficult or sensitive situations.
• Recognizing that administrative ministry is ultimately dependent upon the work and power of God.
• Helping cultivate an office and staff culture in which prayer is a natural and regular part of ministry.
• Responding to prayer needs appropriately while maintaining necessary confidentiality.

Key Scriptures: John 15:5; Proverbs 3:5–6; James 1:5; Philippians 4:6–7; Colossians 4:2

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Church Office Administration

·      Maintain regular church office hours as established by the Senior Pastor.

·      Answer and route phone calls, emails, messages, and other correspondence.

·      Greet members, guests, vendors, and others who contact or visit the church office.

·      Maintain an organized, professional, and welcoming office environment.

·      Order and maintain necessary office supplies.

·      Receive, sort, and distribute church mail and deliveries.

·      Maintain church calendars and assist with scheduling rooms, meetings, and events.

2. Communication and Publications

·      Prepare and distribute the weekly church bulletin.

·      Assist with church-wide emails, newsletters, announcements, and other communications.

·      Maintain accurate information regarding church activities, events, and ministry schedules.

·      Assist with updating the church website, social media, or other communication platforms as assigned.

·      Coordinate with ministry leaders to collect announcements and information by established deadlines.

·      Proofread communications for accuracy, clarity, grammar, dates, and consistency before publication.

3. Membership and Church Records

·      Maintain accurate membership and contact records.

·      Record membership changes, baptisms, transfers, deaths, and other appropriate information.

·      Maintain appropriate records of church business meetings and official documents as assigned.

·      Assist with attendance records, ministry reports, and other church data.

·      Maintain organized electronic and physical filing systems.

·      Protect personal and confidential information contained in church records.

4. Pastoral and Staff Support

·      Provide administrative support to the Senior Pastor and other staff as directed.

·      Assist with correspondence, scheduling, printing, copying, and preparation of ministry materials.

·      Help coordinate appointments and meetings when requested.

·      Assist staff members with administrative needs while appropriately prioritizing responsibilities.

·      Help prepare materials for staff meetings, ministry meetings, church business meetings, and special events.

5. Financial and Administrative Support

·      Assist with financial administrative tasks as assigned and consistent with church financial policies.

·      Maintain appropriate documentation for purchases, invoices, reimbursements, and other transactions.

·      Coordinate with the church treasurer, financial secretary, counting team, or other financial personnel as appropriate.

·      Maintain strict confidentiality regarding financial information.

·      Follow all established internal controls and financial procedures.

6. Ministry and Congregational Support

·      Assist members with questions, registrations, forms, ministry information, and other appropriate needs.

·      Assist with administrative details related to weddings, funerals, baptisms, new members, and other church activities as assigned.

·      Communicate prayer requests, hospital information, bereavement information, and ministry needs according to church policies and confidentiality expectations.

·      Support ministry leaders with reasonable administrative needs.

·      Help guests and members identify the appropriate pastor, staff member, or ministry leader when assistance is needed.

7. Confidentiality and Discretion

Because of the nature of this position, the Church Secretary will often have access to information that is not intended for general distribution.

The Church Secretary must:

·      Maintain strict confidentiality concerning pastoral matters, counseling situations, personnel matters, financial information, member information, and other sensitive church matters.

·      Exercise wisdom and discretion regarding information learned through the church office.

·      Never use confidential information for personal purposes or inappropriate conversation.

·      Protect church records and personal information from unauthorized access or disclosure.

·      Refer sensitive situations to the Senior Pastor rather than attempting to handle matters outside the authority of the position.

Confidentiality is an essential condition of employment in this position.

Qualifications

The Church Secretary should:

·      Demonstrate Christian character consistent with the beliefs and values of the church.

·      Support the mission, vision, values, doctrine, and ministry philosophy of Buck Creek Baptist Church.

·      Demonstrate integrity, discretion, dependability, humility, and a servant-hearted attitude.

·      Possess strong organizational and time-management skills.

·      Communicate professionally and graciously in person, by telephone, electronically, and in writing.

·      Be able to interact appropriately with church members, guests, staff, volunteers, ministry leaders, and community members.

·      Be comfortable using computers and common office software.

·      Be able and willing to learn church-management, communication, scheduling, database, and other technology used by the church.

·      Demonstrate attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple responsibilities.

·      Be able to work independently while functioning well as part of the church staff team.

·      Be willing to receive direction, correction, and feedback from the Senior Pastor.

Work Schedule

This is a part-time position averaging 20 hours per week. Specific office hours will be established by the Senior Pastor based upon the needs of the church.

Some flexibility may occasionally be necessary for special church events, funerals, meetings, holidays, or other ministry needs.

Because this position is limited to 20 hours per week, responsibilities must be appropriately prioritized. The Church Secretary is not expected to accomplish an unlimited number of administrative tasks within a limited number of hours.

When additional responsibilities are added, the Senior Pastor and Secretary should determine whether existing responsibilities need to be postponed, reduced, delegated, or reassigned.

Accountability and Supervision

The Church Secretary:

·      Reports directly to the Senior Pastor.

·      Works cooperatively with pastors, staff members, deacons, ministry leaders, and volunteers.

·      Participates in staff meetings when requested.

·      Receives regular direction and feedback from the Senior Pastor.

·      Participates in a semi-annual performance review.

·      Follows all applicable church personnel, financial, confidentiality, safety, and administrative policies.

What Success Looks Like

A successful Church Secretary helps create a church office that is:

Success in This Position

A successful Church Secretary helps create a church office that is:

·      Welcoming — People are treated with kindness, dignity, patience, care and respect.

·      Organized — Records, calendars, communications, and administrative processes are dependable.

·      Responsive — Members, guests, staff, and ministry leaders receive timely assistance. 

·      Confidential — Sensitive information is protected.

·      Ministry-minded — Administrative work supports the church's larger mission of making disciples.

Ultimately, success is not measured merely by how many tasks are completed, but by whether the Church Secretary faithfully uses their time, abilities, and responsibilities to help Buck Creek Baptist Church fulfill its mission of Making Biblical Disciples in Relational Environments and its vision of Connecting all people to Jesus, to family, and to their God-given purpose.

If you desire to pursue this opportunity, please send your resume with a cover letter to buckcreekbc@gmail.com