Director of Christian Education & Faith Formation, Saugatuck Congregational Church

Location: Westport, CT

• Are you called to help children, youth, and families learn about and explore faith in an open and affirming Christian community?
• Do you enjoy connecting with children and youth and find purpose in bringing a curious, playful, creative, and agile mindset to share God’s love with them?
• Are you energized by the challenge to find new ways to share God’s love in a constantly changing world?

If so, we’d love to meet you and invite you to apply.

Saugatuck Congregational Church aspires to cultivate a welcoming, fun, interactive space for young people to learn about and explore Christian faith, be themselves, serve others, honor differences, and deepen connections with each other, our Saugatuck family, our broader community, and with God. We seek to provide a community for our children, youth, and families that, in contrast to the performance culture around us, is grounded in acceptance, love, and celebration of who they are: beloved children of God. We invite you to learn more at http://saugatuckchurch.org.

We are currently looking for a Director of Christian Education & Faith Formation to contribute to our collective faith journey through the creative and administrative oversight of Christian Education programs from birth through high school. This is a part-time role, estimated at 20-25 hours/ week, mid-August through June.

The Director of Christian Education & Faith Formation reports to the Pastor and works in conjunction with the Board of Christian Education. There is a team committed to working with you to ensure your success.

Specific responsibilities:

• Collaborate with the Pastor and the Christian Education (CE) Board, to select, develop, implement, and evaluate curricula and programming that immerse children and youth in the stories and faith practices of our Christian tradition, adhering to SCC’s vision to spread God’s love in word and action
• Proactively welcome Saugatuck Church families and children, serving as a liaison to support parents, caregivers, and family engagement in the life of the church
• Teach the stories of the Bible in light of a loving God, practicing love and acceptance
• Lead multi-age Church School programming, as a teacher and administrative coordinator, including:
  • Together with the CE Board, recruit volunteers for all classrooms, including the crib room; coordinate background checks, train and provide resources for teachers as needed
  • Register new students and maintain attendance
  • Manage a small CE budget to order supplies; maintain an inventory of resource materials
  • Lead Middle School Youth Group
• Work closely with the Pastor, Music Director, and other lay leaders to identify ways to integrate youth participation and leadership into worship, fostering a sense of belonging within the church family and a foundation for life-long faith in God’s love, including:
  • Participate in weekly worship planning, including designing activities to engage youth
  • Construct and deliver weekly Children’s Time, an interactive moment in worship that ties in with worship themes
  • Co-create regular all-ages Sunday worship services that feature leadership by young people and foster intergenerational community
• Create and organize special events throughout the year with the support of the CE Board and other volunteers, e.g. Welcome Sunday, Christmas Pageant, Ice Cream Social, All Ages Retreat, etc.
• Collaborate with the Office & Communications Manager and lay leadership Boards of Community Life, Welcome & Membership, and Missions to identify ways to integrate, coordinate, and communicate intergenerational programming
• Foster and help coordinate opportunities to work with larger Westport community (e.g. other faiths, youth groups, mission projects)

Your skills and experience:

• Experience working with curriculum and resources for different ages, ideally in a Christian setting
• Passion for and proven ability to work effectively with children; teaching experience strongly preferred
• Investment in Christian faith formation that strives to be anti-racist and openly affirming of LBGTQ+
• Personal practice of theological reflection, including the ability to guide and invite children and youth to engage in their own reflection
• Energetic, creative, playful spirit willing to experiment and unwaveringly genuine in connecting with children and their families
• Ability to facilitate hands-on, mission-based activities and age-appropriate discussion
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and organizational skills, including basic tech acumen
• Flexibility and agility; able to navigate and help children, youth, and families navigate change
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively as part of a team to accomplish ministry goals, open to giving and receiving feedback
• Life-long learner willing to challenge self and others in pursuit of growth
• Familiarity with educational strategies that benefit special needs children helpful
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience

Hours & location:

• 20-25 hours/ week, ~46 weeks (mid-August through June)
• On site presence in Westport, CT, expected on Sundays, for staff and planning meetings, and periodically for events
• $28-32/ hour, commensurate with experience
• For interested candidates, we will sponsor your participation in the UCC Faith Formation Leadership Program

Who we are:

Saugatuck Congregational Church is a vibrant, active, intimate community of people who gather to worship, learn, work, and play together. Our doors, congregation, and communion table are open to all. Our vision is to be a community of Christ, welcoming all people, learning to love and serve God and neighbor. We believe that God loves everyone unconditionally and is present with and through us. Saugatuck is an Open and Affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ. We welcome anyone who seeks God into the fellowship, worship, and work of this church without regard to their race, ancestry, age, physical or mental ability, gender, sexual orientation, social and economic status, or religious background. We embrace religion and science, head and heart, as we seek and listen for God’s presence in the world.