Kids and Families Pastor – St Andrew’s Charminster

Welcome to St Andrew’s

St Andrew’s has a great tradition of inspiring, engaging and innovative children’s ministry. Following the launch of the church revitalisation in October 2022 they have steadily seen children, young people and families begin to reconnect with the church and have recently relaunched their Sunday children’s groups. At present, they have one Sunday group with an average attendance of around 9 children aged between 4-8 years old. There are an average of 5 under 3s remaining in the service in an informal crèche area. There is also a growing youth ministry led by their part time Youth Pastor, which meets alongside the children’s groups. St Andrew’s estimates that there are 10 families with children under 11 currently connected with the church and attending regularly, and believe there is a real opportunity to grow this area of their life together.

The church has a growing volunteer-led children’s ministry team with many members of the church keen to be involved in this exciting area of church life. At present they do not host any midweek activities for children, but prior to the pandemic hosted a thriving toddler group which they are keen to restart and regularly receive enquiries from local people as to when this will return. There are good links with the nearby local school, Malmesbury Park Primary, as well as opportunities to deepen links with other nearby schools.

One of the most common words used to describe St Andrew’s is ‘family’. They prioritise eating together on a monthly basis, and hope to continue building meaningful connection with those whom God has called together in His church. There is a sense of belonging and a community of all ages and stages as part of their Sunday gatherings and they are keen to further invest and resource this as a part of this role. We all know that families come in all shapes and sizes with all manner of joys and challenges, and as such, a key part of the Kids and Families Pastor will be to help children and families discover more of who God is right in the middle of the chaos and celebration of everyday life.

Who are St Andrew’s Looking for?

You Will Have:

• Experience of planning and leading ministry to children in a church setting in either a volunteer or paid capacity
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to engage different ages, inspiring confidence from parents and children
• A highly organised personality and able to oversee a number of different projects
• The ability to lead, motivate and inspire a range of different people, pulling together a strong team

You Will Be:

• Committed as a passionate, growing and faithful follower of Jesus, demonstrated in personal prayer and study
• Personable and able to engage comfortably and meaningfully with people on an individual basis
• Positive, self-motivated and energetic, with excellent time management and a focus on delivery
• A team player, with experience of working within and building strong teams
• Confidential in handling sensitive matters and a thorough knowledge of safeguarding requirements

The Details

Salary

The salary for this role is £27,000-£30,000 pa dependant on experience.

Working Hours

This is a full-time position for 35 hours per week, Sunday – Thursday. The primary place of work to be St Andrew’s Church Office, 123 Shelbourne Road, Bournemouth BH8 8RD although a flexible working arrangement can be agreed. Occasional evenings and weekends may be required.

Term

This is a 2 year fixed term post and is subject to a 3 month probation period.

Annual Leave

25 days annual leave, plus bank holidays.

There is a Genuine Occupational Requirement for the successful candidate to be a Christian. It is expected that you will take an active role in the wider life of St Andrew’s Church. This role is subject to an enhanced DBS check.

St Andrew’s Charminster is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. All post holders and volunteers are expected to share this commitment.