Youth News

Director of Children, Youth, and Family Ministries:
Staff Job Description

Download pdf here

St. George’s Episcopal Church
Located in downtown Fredericksburg, Virginia along the Rappahannock River, St. George’s Episcopal Church is a vibrant and inclusive congregation of over 1,000 members committed to welcoming all into Christian community. Members and visitors alike delight in worshiping God both inside and outside of their four walls. The congregation is a key player in the local community through feeding ministries of the church and ecumenical engagement in the larger Fredericksburg area. St. George’s is openly affirming of the LGBTQIA+ community and seeks to be a welcoming and inclusive community. St. George’s is known for their superb music, diverse liturgical styles of worship, educational programming for all ages, and outreach ministries to the city and beyond. The parish is currently searching for a new staff person to join their team.

Position Overview
The Director of Children, Youth, and Family Ministries (DCYFM) will provide vision, dynamic leadership and oversight to the children, youth and family ministries, nursery through twelfth grade, at St. George’s Episcopal Church. This position equips volunteer lay leaders to nurture the spiritual growth and development of children, youth and their families, to build a thriving parish community rooted in our faith, characterized by belonging, inclusion and service. Current children’s ministry offerings include Montessori-based Sunday morning Christian formation, nursery care, baptism and baptismal preparation (in collaboration with clergy), worship involvement, and preschool partnership. Current youth ministry offerings include: Sunday morning Christian formation, Sunday evening youth group, Confirmation, local service opportunities, mission trips and retreats, participation in Diocesan events, and worship leadership including acolytes. St. George’s seeks to expand upon current family and parent fellowship and formation opportunities.

Key Responsibilities

• Collaborate on creating a comprehensive vision for our Children, Youth and Family Ministries with clergy and other key stakeholders and align programs to the vision;
• Share the Good News of God’s love through planning and organizing an annual calendar of regular, engaging and creative children and youth formation activities;
• Promote the development and growth of lay leaders, including teachers and commission members, to lead children, youth and family ministries;
• Equip and build relationships with adult caregivers as primary faith-builders in children and youth families and build community among families;
• Coordinate regular visits to St. George’s preschool by clergy and staff to build relationship through formation and pastoral connection;
• Establish and implement systems of pastoral care for children, youth and their families, in collaboration with clergy, lay leaders, and other professionals;
• Communicate children and youth ministry formation activities (including acolyte ministry), events and opportunities to serve, with children, youth, their families, and church staff through both targeted and broad communication channels (website, bulletin, emails, social media, newsletters, etc.);
• Collaborate with the clergy to ensure the inclusion of children and youth in worship;
• Collaborate closely with the Children’s Music Director;
• Maintain a database of children, youth, their caregivers and teachers;
• Manage budget needs for each area of ministry in collaboration with supervisor, vestry and commission leaders;
• Provide oversight to nursery ministry, including staffing, regular cleaning and caregiver engagement;
• Participate regularly in staff meetings and maintain open lines of communication with staff and clergy, advocating for children, youth and families in parish-wide discussion;
• Attend and actively support worship and fellowship opportunities geared at preschool, children, youth and their families;
• Network in the community, with other churches, in the Diocese and in the larger Christian formation community to develop a mutual resource base of children, youth and family expertise;
• Develop and implement effective safety measures (e.g. fire plans, Covid protocols), sexual misconduct and abuse prevention church practices and policies for all who work with children and youth at St. George’s, in collaboration with the church staff and Vestry.

Reporting Structure and Position Classification
The DCYFM reports directly to the Associate Rector. This is a full-time (40+ hours per week) exempt position, primarily working Sunday through Thursday, with weekend and evening work, as well as some travel. Adequate comp time will be provided in the case of overnight travel.

Required Qualifications

• A Bachelor’s Degree or the equivalent;
• Minimum 3-5 years paid ministry experience;
• Deep and thoughtful Christian faith and love for the Episcopal tradition;
• Training or willingness to receive training in children and youth formation curricula;
• Experience with and passion for working with children, youth and their families;
• Organizational and administrative skills for program and team management;
• Strong oral and written communication skills, and comfort with social media and communication platforms.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous training or experience with Godly Play or Catechesis of the Good Shepherd;
• Continued education in a related field of study (youth ministry, Christian formation, spiritual direction or practice, etc.)
• Training or education in human development and learning

True to our commitment to racial justice and LGBTQIA+ inclusion, people of color, and queer-identifying individuals are highly encouraged to apply. Compensation is commensurate with experience and comparable Episcopal positions including salary and benefits. St. George’s is open to considering candidates who are lay, ordained, or graduating seminary.

Qualified applicants are invited to share a resume and cover letter with Martha Whitesides.