Children's Minister, Christ Church Balham

Christ Church Balham, a thriving Anglican evangelical church located on the Northern Line in south-west London, is seeking to appoint a Children's Ministry Lead

Responsibilities

Purpose of the role To work in partnership with families so that the children at Christ Church Balham are: - taught the gospel, - have the opportunity to put and/or grow their trust in Jesus, and - learn how to apply this good news to every aspect of their lives. Key ministry goals Our aim is for all children at Christ Church Balham to help, love, grow and witness: - We help ourselves and other children to listen - We love each other by learning together - We grow to be more like Jesus by obeying His word - We witness to Jesus in word and deed And we aim for these with the following heart attitude: - Teaching the gospel, as found in the Bible, faithfully - Engaging children with the gospel by using all our gifts and imagination - Encouraging children to apply the gospel to their life and become transformed members of God's church family - Shepherding each child in a small group, where their leader(s) can model Christ - Providing a safe place for all children physically, emotionally and spiritually - Identifying the gifts of each child by creating appropriate opportunities for them to serve as they grow and mature - Enjoying life and ministry together, so that Christ Church Balham is a great community where children feel they belong, want to come and want to bring their friends to Key responsibilities Ministry Oversight - Setting, implementing, promoting and maintaining the vision for children's work at Christ Church Balham - Maintaining and building a children's work that complements the wider vision and mission of Christ Church Balham - Recruiting, training and managing a team of volunteers from amongst the church family to participate in delivering children's work - Working in partnership with the youth ministry as it develops, ensuring there is a common vision for both ministries, and giving opportunities to young people to be trained and mentored in service with children's work Ministry - In order to build a children's work for a growing church we expect this ministry to include: - Growing partnership with parents - Teaching and discipleship centred on age-specific Sunday groups - Delivering all-age children's talks / all age service talks from time to time - Evangelism enabled by evangelistic events - Resourcing the children's work with faithful materials - Promotion of Christianity and Christ Church Balham through local partnerships Within the wider aims of the church: - Mentoring and training children's work ministry trainees, as and when they join the team Other - Comply with the Co-Mission Staff Protocols as set out in the Co-Mission Staff Handbook - Work with the CMCT trustees and Charity Services Team to ensure compliance with legal requirements and best practice in working with children and vulnerable adults (including Safeguarding, Health and Safety and Data Protection) - Deepen your relationship with God through personal prayer and Bible study - Model evangelism by actively seeking to promote and spread the Gospel with friends and others in the local community - Support the Minister and assist him and other members of staff in the conduct of their ministries - Attending and contributing to the annual Co-Mission Revive bible festival, the annual Co-Mission Staff Focus and other events as appropriate - Teach, lead and promote the Christian faith in accordance with the Anglican theology of Christ Church Balham, including the baptism of the infants of believers and a complementarian understanding of ministry

Required skills

Key skills: - Experience of and aptitude in teaching the Bible to children, both in front of a church congregation and in a small group setting. - Experience of working with and helping guide adults in skills and development (to apply to training volunteers in the discipleship of children, and parents as the primary educators). - A strong understanding of safeguarding requirements in children's ministry and effective application of the safeguarding policy. - An ability to care for children through the application of Scripture. - An ability to engage parents constructively and communicate assertively where required. - An ability to assess own and volunteer performance in children's ministry and provide constructive positive or developmental feedback. - An ability to interpret Christ Church Balham's vision for children's ministry and apply it practically to the various programmes and events. - An ability to construct elements of a comprehensive teaching programme for children of 18 months up to 11 years old. - An ability to plan ahead, think longer term and work back from intended outcomes to short-term priorities. - Demonstrating willingness to commit, learn and adjust. - The ability to plan for and manage own time effectively whilst balancing work and life. - The candidate must have, or obtain, a current certificate from the UK Government Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) confirming they have passed an enhanced check before they begin in the role. As a Christian in a leadership position, it is necessary for you to demonstrate: - Personal repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. - Desire to deepen your relationship with God through personal prayer and Bible study. - Growing in maturity as a Christian disciple and leader. - To teach and lead by example, being fully in accord with biblical ethical standards, including in the areas of gender and sexuality. - Playing your part in a team. - Using your ability and capacity in ministry to maintain a level of sustainable sacrifice in serving your family, the staff team and the church. - Reliability. - Self-motivation and ability to manage your own workload, organising projects and personal administration. - Willingness to get involved in the operational workload of helping to set up and pack down the children's activities on Sundays.

Other

Personal faith The Children's Minister will be expected to teach, lead and promote the Christian faith in accordance with the Anglican theology of Christ Church Balham. This includes the baptism of the infants of believers and a complementarian understanding of ministry. Further details about our doctrinal commitments can be found on the Christ Church Balham website: https://www.christchurchbalham.org.uk/who-we-are/