Family Pastor

See position overview here.

Position

First Naz (Chicago First Church of the Nazarene) is looking to hire a high-level children and family ministry leader to lead a vibrant, growing kids ministry positioned to reach hundreds of young families. We believe this leader will have a heart for both children and families, is organizationally skilled, aggressive with recruiting and team development, and has a pastoral heart. This leader will embody the outward-focused, warm, and our church’s relational, family-focused culture. This position is full-time salaried with benefits.

Position Overview

Lead our children to know and experience God and equip their parents to lead them in their faith development.

Oversee Birth – 5th Grade:

• Design and develop age-appropriate environments for our children to know and experience God by leading volunteers, interns, and a family ministry assistant.
• Create NazKids environments where children want to come to church, who will then bring their parents with them.

Work alongside our staff to reach and disciple families.

• Work with our NazPreschool Director and NazRec Pastor to reach new families through strategic events and relational ministry.
• Develop family resources to equip families to grow closer to Jesus.
• Ensure meaningful and effective age-level transitions.

Structure Overview

• This position reports directly to the Lead Pastor.
• This position serves on the Lead Staff Team alongside our other Pastors and Directors.
• This position will work closely with the NazRec Pastor and NazPreschool Director to coordinate events and resources for families.
• This position has a shared family ministry assistant.

We are looking for someone who:

• Is a proven and experienced leader.
• Is self-motivated and desires to reach new families for Jesus.
• Is great at connecting with children as well as parents.
• Is a magnetic, upfront leader.
• Has high emotional intelligence and is a great team player.
• Is detail-oriented and sees the larger picture.
• Is adaptable and thrives in a team-oriented environment.
• Loves to have fun with both staff and volunteers.
• Can lead a children’s ministry from 100 kids a weekend to grow through 200+ kids a weekend.
• Embodies a culture that is inviting, warm, and points people to Jesus.

Depending on the candidate, this position could be crafted to include:

• Leadership in NazPreschool and/or NazRec.
• Oversight of our internship and residency program.
• Participation on our preaching team.

Why join the First Naz Team?

• Team Health. A team health survey conducted by the Unstuck Group concluded that our overall team happiness and culture were in their highest category for health and likelihood to recommend to a friend. Pastoring on a team of 7 other pastors plus support staff fosters a team-based approach with a strong sense of fun and community built in.
• Family-friendly environment. If you have kids, they are sure to find a home here. In just our pastoral staff families, there are 11 kids, with 8 of them between 2 and 8 years old. If your child is preschool age, they can attend Nazarene Preschool for free! They will also get one free sport per NazRec season. Our area also boasts some top-tier schools.
• Potential for growth. With the church currently growing, we are set up to reach even more NazPreschool and NazRec families, as well as those moving into Lemont, with 800 homes being built in the next two years. This potential growth is not just for our church but for each of our pastors. Pastoring in a growing environment means that we will each be challenged to grow and develop as well.
• Proximity to everything. Living in the suburbs of Chicago means living close to anything you could want. You can be downtown eating Chicago’s famous pizza (35 min), drop in to teach a class at our denominational college (Olivet Nazarene University, less than an hour away), or go hiking at nationally ranked Starved Rock State Park (1 hr), and enjoy everything in between.
• Resourcing. Our leadership team here ensures that each pastor has what they need to be able to carry out their ministry. All of our team has reported above-average satisfaction in everything from personal compensation to resourcing for their ministry.

Compensation Overview

• This is a full-time salaried position, with compensation commensurate with experience and education level.

Other benefits include:

• Vacation time
• Retirement benefits
• Professional expense account (meetings, mileage, cell phone, etc.)
• Coverage for medical, dental, vision, etc., through CHM and HRA
• Professional development (through conferences, retreats, books, etc.)
• Monthly date night, childcare reimbursement (if applicable)
• And more

We’re praying for the right leader to join us in this exciting season of growth. If you’re passionate about reaching kids and families for Jesus and are energized by leading in a collaborative and innovative environment, we’d love to hear from you!

Please send your resume along with a cover letter to introduce yourself and explain why this position might be a good fit for you.