POTTER’S OUTREACH 2020

JOB DESCRIPTION

CHILDREN’S DEPARTMENT

An effective children department team will encourage all children in the congregation and community to grow in faith as Christian disciples. The children department leaders will work with other church leaders to address the needs of children so that all God’s children grow in strength and wisdom.

The Children’s department team are “responsible for ensuring that children are considered and included within the life of the congregation.  The team will work with church leadership and the vision of the church to plan, execute and advocate for children, particularly in the areas of faith development, safety, and discipleship. The children department leaders will work with other leaders in the congregation to assure that policies and procedures are in place to help keep all children and the adults who care for and work with them safe.

Duties of the children department team

1. The leaders of children’s ministry will be attentive to the hopes, concerns, and needs of children in the church to determine how the congregation might serve them and their families and how they might serve one another as Christian disciples and good neighbors.

2. The coordinator needs to be familiar with the congregation’s overall goals and how they are achieved through the congregation’s ministry by, with, and for children and their families. This leader should pray intentionally for children and their families.

3. The leaders will advocate that all children are welcome and expected to be fully engaged in the ministries of the church.

4. The leaders will work with others to plan and carry out a comprehensive program for children that includes worship, study, fellowship, service experiences, and other experiences that guide children as they grow in faith. The leaders will advocate for quality leadership and ample funding.

5. The leaders will regularly and intentionally communicate with parents, families, and children’s ministry leaders in other churches, denominations, and non-profits, so that children have multiple opportunities to thrive.

6. The leaders will coordinator and prepare the children to present and worship in the adult church on the allotted Sabbaths for the year.

7. The leaders will work with church leadership to develop, source and secure theologically aligned and developmentally appropriate resources and curriculum that support the work of teachers and group leaders in ministry with children. These resources include online material from Adventist approved websites and offline approved materials by Adventist youth ministry department.

8. The leaders are encouraged to maintain a healthy and growing personal spiritual life and to lead others to do the same.

9. The leaders will organize the children into different developmental classes based on need and resources.

Spiritual Gifts and Qualifications Helpful for the Job

• Children’s department leaders benefits from having a combination of these spiritual gifts: servanthood, teaching, exhortation (encouragement), leadership, administration, and shepherding. These leaders should show evidence of passion for ministry with children and deep commitment to faith formation of children, prior effective ministry leadership, and evidence of active and growing discipleship. This person should demonstrate at least a basic knowledge of child development and understand the importance of providing a safe and nurturing environment for children.

• Useful skills for this position are the ability to listen to and communicate with people of all ages, the ability to work with other ministry leaders, the ability to delegate responsibility and to follow up to complete tasks.

• This leader should show genuine interest in responding to the hopes, needs, and concerns of children in the community.

Getting Started

1. Encourage the adults in the congregation to know the names of the children in the congregation, to address them by name, and to take an interest in their lives.

2. Assess the gifts of the adults in your congregation. Organize a group of adults who show an interest in the needs of children to come on weekly Sabbath worship in the children department and teach the children

3. Gather together to assess the children’s ministry in your congregation, create avenues and programs for an outreach to children in the community, and to share hopes, concerns, and plans for your work.
4. Share the ministry with others by delegating program/projects to people with particular gifts in the church.

5. Create a budget that supports a ministry that serves the needs of children. Provide opportunities for leaders to stay updated on how the church may best serve the needs of children.