Children and Families Pastor | Christ Church Guildford

Job Description
 

Children & Families Pastor (p/t)
 

Christ Church is a faithful intergenerational church of around 140 adults, children and young people who love being together and value the strong sense of community across the ages.

The church is situated on the edge of town in a residential area and many of the church family live within walking distance. We are a few minutes’ walk from Guildford London Road station, 5 minutes’ walk into town, and 5 minutes’ walk onto the Surrey Downs. There is one boys prep school (Royal Grammar School Prep) and a girls senior and prep school  (Tormead) in the parish, and just over the parish boundary, we have good links with Guildford High Girls School (senior & junior) and Holy Trinity Junior School.

We are seeking someone to help us rebuild our ministry to children and renew our outreach to families.

This is an amazing opportunity for someone with experience, energy and imagination to pioneer ‘a new thing’ in the life of our church as we explore fresh ways of reaching out to those in our wider community alongside traditional models of engagement.

The nature of the role provides the opportunity to be bold, courageous, inspiring and innovative! For this reason, we are seeking someone to not only pastor our children and families, but also to confidently present Jesus afresh to those on the fringes and outside the church.

As someone who is seeking to live an authentic Christian life as a committed follower of Jesus Christ, you will have a love for Jesus and for children and families, a heart to see lives transformed, and a desire to see children grow in faith. Your own example and passion for Jesus will be an integral part of this role at Christ Church.

You will be part of the vision process at Christ Church, seeking God’s will for the whole church.

Purpose
 

To rebuild, renew and lead our ministry amongst families and children from 0-11, building supportive relationships with families.

To develop our relationship with community groups and local schools and explore further opportunities to build bridges with them.
 

Accountability
 

The Children & Families Pastor is accountable to the Vicar and the Parochial Church Council for all aspects of the role.
 

Team
 

This post will be part of the staff team which currently consists of the Vicar, Curate and Parish Administrator.
 

Responsibilities
 

Sundays

• To oversee our Bubbles (pre-school group) team during the morning service

• To restart and lead a team in delivering Sunday morning children’s provision for Years R-6

Weekly

• To restart our outreach to young families through leading our adult, baby and toddlers group (called ABC) and developing new creative initiatives to draw families into the life of the church

• To build a team to lead alongside you to run ABC

• To identify needs and offer courses along with help from volunteers e.g. Parenting courses, Alpha for Parents & Carers

• To develop new ways of coming alongside parents and offering them support

• To co-lead a weekly after-school club at Holy Trinity Junior School

• To build closer links with local schools through church visits, services, lessons, assemblies and other creative opportunities [note: we recognise this will likely mean additional hours which we are happy to consider]

Other

• To attend the weekly staff meeting (which includes worshipping & praying together, and planning) and the monthly church prayer meeting

• To attend PCC once a term to keep this ministry in the forefront of the PCC’s mission strategy

• To co-lead the annual church Holiday Club in the summer alongside a core team of leaders (in summer 2024, we had 50 children and a leadership team of 25 adults & young leaders involved)

• To support families during baptism preparation

General

• To comply with the PCC’s safeguarding policy at all times, ensuring good practice for safeguarding children and young people across all activities, and liaising with our safeguarding team regarding safer recruitment of volunteers

• To pray for the group members and leaders

• To work with the staff team and PCC to develop and grow the vision for work with children and families

• To nurture opportunities for our children and families to serve in the life of the church

• To help plan, lead and speak at the occasional 10am ‘Family Together’ services, as well as all-age specific services around Easter and Christmas

• To undertake administration, communication and publicity as required

• To attend appropriate training as and when needed

• To attend the church and play a full part in the worship life of the community

Person Specification
 

• Highly self-motivated – you will be coming into a situation where our current ministry with families and children has shrunk considerably since the pandemic from where we used to be. As a result, you will need to have excellent interpersonal skills as you seek new ways of engaging with the wider community and schools with the support of the wider church family

• Imaginative, visionary & willing to try new things - we recognise that culture is changing around us and what once worked may no longer be so attractive so you will need to try new things and be willing to fail gloriously in trying!

• Team player – we are currently building a new leadership team here at Christ Church and we place a strong emphasis on being part of a team which supports and encourages one another

• You will possess a vibrant and mature faith with a love for Jesus and a heart to see God’s kingdom grow and draw young families to faith in Jesus Christ. We would encourage you to have a spiritual director

• You will hold the Bible to be the inspired Word of God in which God has revealed Himself, recognising its sufficiency for all matters of belief and practice, and be passionate about the transforming work of the Holy Spirit in people’s lives

• You will have a natural passion for welcoming and getting to know parents and children - building relationships is at the heart of all good pastoral work

• Good administrative skills – you need to have the competency to make sure that volunteers are trained and valued, and that all the necessary legal requirements are followed, from keeping registers, to writing risk assessments, to keeping on top of safeguarding training and guidance.
   

Further Details
 

• Hours & Place of work:  You will be expected to work 20 hours a week, including Sundays and your exact working pattern will be agreed with your line manager. You will need to be flexible as the role will occasionally involve some evening and weekend work. You will be expected to take at least two full days off per week. Office space will be provided on-site.

• Salary: £11,500-12,500 p.a. (for 20 hours/week initially)

• Pension provision: Christ Church contributes to a defined contribution, auto-enrolment, pension plan for its employees and will provide an employer pension contribution in accordance with the minimum statutory requirements. If you wish to join this pension plan and make personal pension contributions please confirm this and we will arrange for these contributions to be collected through the monthly payroll.

• Probation period: There will be a six-month probation period in which the post-holder or church can terminate the contract

• Team Leader: Vicar (Revd Nick Williams)

• Start Date: As soon as possible (following the completion of a self-declaration form, satisfactory references and DBS check)

• Annual Leave: Full time equivalent 25 days full-time incl. a maximum of 5 Sundays (12.5 days pro rata), plus bank holidays.

• Annual Retreat: You will be encouraged to attend an annual retreat (up to 5 days) for spiritual refreshment, growth and renewal. This is above the annual holiday entitlement. Occasional Quiet Days are encouraged, and some financial support will be given by the church to support these.

• Training – It is expected that you will attend annual training days and courses for personal growth and development. Training Courses will be paid for by the church as agreed by the Vicar (Line Manager).

• Mentoring: A work mentor outside the church might be valuable to walk alongside you. This can be arranged through the diocese.

• Supervision: Regular focussed meetings with the Vicar.

• Annual Review: To be carried out by the Vicar and Churchwarden (or other designated church member) 

• Safeguarding: The church is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all those who are vulnerable.  We expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment.  This post is subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service Disclosure (DBS) and identity check.

• Pastoral Care: This is a demanding but exciting role. We take the well-being of our staff seriously and we will commit to supporting and caring for you.

A final but important note
 

We are realistic that it takes time to build teams, especially post-pandemic, and all of the above may not be immediately possible but this is what we aspire to going forward! We are praying that God will call someone who is excited about joining us on this journey – could it be you?

How to Apply
 

Contact the Revd Nick Williams (Vicar) for an application form, detailing your experience and vision for this role, and why you would like to work at Christ Church; and return the form to nick@christchurchguildford.com

For an informal discussion about the role, contact Nick on 01483 568870, or at the email address above.

Closing date for applications: 30^th April 2025.

Interview date: to be arranged subject to candidates’ availability.

There is a genuine occupational requirement for the jobholder to be a committed Christian.