St. Andrew's Yardley

Community Life Associate

Detailed Position Description

No more applications are being accepted.

Summary:

The Community Life Associate (CLA) partners with our Rector to cultivate the heart of our parish life: the people. This is a new position designed to focus internally on people, systems, and teams in order to help deepen the organizational capacity of the church to live into God’s mission. This is an ideal position for a collaborative person who has a heart for community and ministry, loves working with people, and has a keen mind for organizing people and systems. Working closely with our Rector, the CLA supports and networks the people and ministries of St. Andrew’s, both providing needed assistance, and seeking to build the capacity of others for ministry. That entails seeking not only to do for parishioners, but primarily, to engage and organize our members to work together towards a common vision of beloved community.

 The Community Life Associate manages internal communications to engage members and newcomers more deeply in the shared life of the parish; cultivates and assists ministry volunteers and teams; supports the programs and aspirations of our kids, teens, and families; and assists in the coordination of programs and events that deepen our ties as a community.  The Community Life Associate is a key partner with our Rector in overseeing and enabling the ministry of the whole church. This is an excellent position for someone interested in nonprofit and church operations, and is structured to be a mutually beneficial and evolving role with active mentorship so that someone can grow into increased responsibility with opportunity for advancement.

Key Responsibilities:

Ministry Support (45%)

Assist the Rector in building healthy teams and systems that enable our ministries to thrive. Help to coordinate and develop our organizational infrastructure by cultivating, organizing, and supporting ministry volunteers and teams, with a particular focus on three ministry teams: Kids and Families; Hospitality; and Community Life.

Kids, Teens, and Families

Provide support, communication, and coordination for leaders of our Kids, Teens, and Families programs to offer formation and build community across generations:

·      Work with the Rector and lay leaders to establish the calendar of family events and programs, help organize those events, and communicate the schedule and reminders to families.

·      Support Godly Play (elementary school aged Sunday School) and Teen program teachers as needed, particularly around weekly emails, communication with parents, and coordinating annual training for volunteers. There is also opportunity to be trained in the Godly Play model and serve as a teacher/storyteller, if interested.

·      Oversee the nursery and coordinate the schedule of nursery volunteers. As needed, coordinate childcare for church events.

·      Ensure a safe church environment especially for children, working with the Parish Administrator to ensure that all volunteers have proper clearances and training.

Hospitality

Ensure that all who come to St. Andrew’s receive a warm welcome and the opportunity to integrate into community life, and that our community is in turn allowing ourselves to be changed by newcomers.

·      Work in partnership with our Rector and hospitality team to engage the whole parish in providing gracious hospitality and welcome, and in deepening an open culture where the church is in turn shaped by newcomers.

·      Oversee the teams and systems for welcoming newcomers, manage administrative support to track newcomers and contact information, and ensure timely follow up.

Community Life

Strengthen the common life of the parish by assisting in the coordination of parish events and providing support to parish leaders undertaking community initiatives.

·      Assist ministry teams in planning community programs and provide administrative and logistical support for those programs. Examples include: small groups; parish parties; church theater productions and concerts; youth field trips; congregation-wide celebrations hosted in parishioner’s homes; family events and programs, etc.

·      Support our Stewardship Committee by gathering membership data; facilitating stewardship communication, testimonials, and newsletters; and assisting in the planning and coordination of events that are part of our annual stewardship campaign.

Internal Communications for Community Building (35%)

Manage a regular roster of internal communications that build community by: helping our ministries communicate; keeping our own parishioners well-informed; and connecting parishioners to each other and the church.

·      Work with the Communications Team (led by marketing and communications professionals) to strategize and execute a plan for internal communications to the parish. Maintain and publicize a central church calendar of events and programs.

·      Write the weekly parish e-Newsletter, ensure that our website is kept accurate and up-to-date, and manage the church’s social media presence. Manage a central repository of photos and continually take and add images that reflect the vibrancy of our community life.

·      Act as a central point-of-contact and information clearinghouse for our people and ministries. Respond in a friendly and timely way to requests for information, voicemail and social media messages, and emails through the church website.

Administrative Duties (20%)

The Community Life Associate supervises our 15-20 hour/week Parish Administrator. When the Administrator is not in the office, the Community Life Associate also helps to: 

·      Be a welcoming, friendly, and helpful presence by phone, email, and in the church office.

·      Act as the main point of contact for outside ministry groups (12- step recovery groups, Zen meditation, etc.).

·      Oversee church databases, partnering with the Parish Administrator to ensure accurate, clear, and up to date records of all people associated with St. Andrew’s – members, donors, visitors, personnel, etc. 

·      Ensure that ministry leaders have timely support for church events and programs.

Important Duties

·      Works collaboratively as a member of a team supporting and enabling our collective call to build beloved community that deepens spirituality, expands hospitality, and enacts justice.

·      Works within established budgets and adheres to the financial policies of the church.

·      Attends weekly staff meetings, vestry (church board) meetings, and other meetings as required.

·      Maintains a culture of mutual respect, trust, and confidentiality with information disclosed by clergy, staff, ministry volunteers, and parishioners.

·      Other duties as assigned - this is a fluid ministry environment.

Qualifications:

·      Resonance with St. Andrew’s vision and passion for building Christian community.

·      High standards of professionalism, including the ability to maintain confidentiality regarding people and information.

·      Tech savvy with a high level of proficiency with Microsoft (particularly Word), Instagram, Facebook, Outlook, Zoom and the ability to learn Square Space, Breeze database system, and other programs/products as needed.

·      Excellent communication skills and the ability to speak, write, and use images in ways that engage others.

·      Highly organized and detail oriented.

·      At least two years of experience organizing and managing others, whether paid or volunteer. Experience in relational community organizing is highly desired.

·      Bachelor’s degree

·      Must pass background checks to comply with church requirements.

Hours:

This is a full-time salaried position with Monday or Friday off in compensation for working an average of three Sunday mornings per month as well as approximately 1-2 evenings per week attending parish events (i.e. dinners, concerts, special services, etc.) or meetings. When working evening or weekend hours, there is commensurate time off on weekdays.

There are 10 office hours (typically two afternoons) plus one staff meeting per week that are held in person. It is possible to work some other hours remotely and most evening meetings are held on Zoom.

Compensation:

Generous benefits package and salary of $50,000-$55,000 per year, negotiable based on experience, including full individual health insurance, pension, relocation allowance, and cell phone allowance. A budget for professional expenses is also included, as well as resources for Continuing Education.

Paid Time Off includes federal holidays plus five weeks off per year that includes vacation, personal leave or sick time, and spiritual retreat.

Reports to:

Rector

 Supervises:

Parish Administrator