Job title:   Children and Families Minister 

Location: St. Michael + All Angel’s Hughenden

Salary:           £29,000 – £31,000 per year with annual increments

Employed by:           St. Michael + All Angel’s PCC  

Responsible to:           The Vicar [Rev Keith Johnson]

Application deadline: Applications and expressions of interest are encouraged as soon as possible and no later than 15th September. Keith would welcome the opportunity for an informal phone or zoom chat initially.

Responsible for:            Developing the engagement with Children and Families within our congregation and local community.

Job purpose:                 To oversee and develop engagement with families and young people within the parish and the local community. To increase engagement with families and children in the parish, alongside opportunities to explore and deepen faith in Jesus Christ.

Job description

To help build strong and trusting relationships with families and children within the church and wider community as part of our ongoing vision by:

a.   Developing good and trusting relationships with those currently attending and associated with St. Michael & All Angels.

b.   Being creative to develop good and ongoing relationships with those attending our thriving Toddler group.

c.   Exploring and initiating ongoing ways to sustain relationships with ‘Toddler families’ when toddlers move up to school. For example, running parenting groups and extending invitations to social events (e.g. Picnics).

Developing stronger relationships with the three primary schools in the Parish, and Pipers Corner Independent School by:

1. Involvement with Collective Worship and Assemblies.
2. Exploring and initiating opportunities for after school clubs.
3. Investigating where possible mentoring may be helpful.
4. Supporting extra-curriculum activities & ministry particularly where families involved.
5. Planning and implementing ‘Prayer Spaces’ for Key Stage 1 & 2 pupils in Great Kingshill School and offering this to the other schools (as relationships develop.)

Encouraging more volunteers to:

1. Be helpers in school activities.
2. Give time to groups to encourage and inspire teenagers in the church and the community.
3. Helping to establish with volunteers shared interest groups such as a Family Community Choir ( We already have established an adult one as part of our vision process that has over 50 people in it) sporting initiatives, environmental and nature issues etc

To nurture and encourage families, children, and young people in their Christian faith by:

a.   Providing relevant and age-appropriate activities /material for use on Sunday mornings.

b.   Facilitating opportunities for children and young people to deepen their faith through small groups outside of Sunday mornings.

c.   Encouraging our children and young people, who already regularly contribute to worship, to make even more use of their gifts and talents in the intergenerational activities within our services.

d.   Developing strategies to support and encourage Christian parents in bringing up their children in the Christian faith.

e.   Working in partnership with other local Christians to find opportunities for young people to meet Christian peers in the wider community.

f.    Working with Wycombe Youth for Christ to deliver annual ‘Christmas Unwrapped’ and ‘Easter Explained’ to local primary school year 6 pupils.

g.   Exploring and initiating new expressions of family friendly worship: for example Messy, Forest, Wild and/or Park church.

To Lead, grow, inspire and equip volunteers from the church congregation to be in partnership alongside the Children and Families Minister and to lead, grow and equip them to deliver the churches growing vision for CYPF* ministry. (*Children Young People and Families)

Initial thinking 3-year plan but clearly subject to change as necessary.

 Year 1

We envisage your first year being primarily about building relationships and getting to know the parish, getting connected to the wider network area, and building a supportive team. Your maximum impact will be with current church families and young people as they regroup and re-engage

Year 2

Building on the relationships developed in year 1, and team building, we envisage new initiatives taking shape in schools, and in midweek groups and in our local communities.

Year 3

Building on the two previous years we would envisage a strong core team working alongside you as Children and Families Minister, actively engaging with established and new families and youth within the church and in the community encouraging them to explore and grow their faith.

Overall, we look for this role to be a happy and joyful one with great involvement and support with and from the church family and with the full support of the Discipleship Enabler (Children, Young People and Families) currently James Wood.