JOB DESCRIPTION Independent Tasks • Team Tasks • Qualifications
Position: Family Support Staff (FSS)
Description: Full-time entry-level position working with ministerial team to develop new and expanded ministries to serve family needs among church members.
Salary: Salary range $25,265 to $27,285 with benefits including additional education preparation for the role.
Qualifications: Bachelor's degree in Social Work, Education, Church/Camp ministries, Child development, Counseling or other related programs.
Participant of the Lutheran faith required. Experience in articulating the Lutheran faith and strong organizational skills highly desired.
Time Frame: Deadline for applications 4/20/98
Interviews 4/15-5/10
Selection between 5/15-6/1
Start date 6/1-7/1
Contact: Request job description & application materials from Chris (available 3/20)
Background: The region:
Mondovi (in northern Buffalo county of northwestern Wisconsin) had 1997 populations of 6,386 (zip code), 14,314 (county) and 2,500 (city). It is located 20 miles southwest of Eau Claire, WI (90 miles east of Twin Cities, Minnesota off I-94). Mondovi services include K-12 school system, library, clinic facility, nursing home, residential facilities and grocery, hardware, drug, variety, and other stores/services. A community day care facility is being planned. The region provides much recreation and includes community theater, bike/snowmobile trails, hunting, fishing and access to boating on the Chippewa & Mississippi Rivers. (Check the Mondovi, WI and Eau Claire, WI websites re: major employers and growth in the region).
The church: Central Lutheran Church is a 90-year old, 900 member ELCA congregation originated by Norwegian Lutherans. Its members' age distribution is well balanced. The 125 Sunday Schoolers range from pre-school to 6th grade. Graduating confirmation classes average 18. The senior pastor is a 1977 graduate of Luther Seminary-St Paul, serving Central since 1984. The associate pastor serves Central at half-time in his retirement. The team also includes a full-time secretary and a 3/8 time music coordinator.
General description: The Family Support Staff (FSS) uses services and support systems to assist families in nurturing faith. This will happen within two types of activity. In the first, congregational programming will be developed and implemented which meets identified needs. Identification of needs will come through assessment of individual families throughout the congregation. Development and implementation will happen by mobilizing congregation-wide resources (through the church's existing organizational structures). The second type of activity for this person will be to work with families as centers of Christian faith during both times of growth and times of stressful change. Growth times would include the natural course of primary, intermediate, confirmation, and secondary periods of Christian education, as well as milestone events in the lives of both children and adults. Times of stressful change would include family deaths, loss of income, divorce, injury, etc. The FSS will work closely with the pastors as well as the rest of the pastoral team in accomplishing the goals of this position.
Church's ministry goal for the FSS: Ultimately the goal of this role, as well as the entire church's, is to create a next generation of adults which will: value prayer, participate in public worship, give themselves in service to others, support ongoing ministry of the church, seek opportunities to grow spiritually, and act responsibly to nurture a next generation of adult believers. Supplemental to this, the FSS will cultivate family's roles in accomplishing this goal.
Responsibilities:
The FSS will:
Independent Tasks
• Mobilize exemplary adult believers to interact with youth through mentoring and small group work.
• Connect family ministry concerns with the operations of church-wide ministries such as Sunday School, Confirmation classes, CLCW, Committees such as Social Concerns, Congregational Life, Evangelism, Worship and others.
• Develop a system of congregational outreach acts designed to encourage families in faith at specific times of their developmental life.
• Train parents to be more effective first-line Christian educators/mentors in their homes.
• Train individual volunteers to be youth mentors, teachers, and small group leaders.
• Create broad-based intergenerational events which will deepen faith among all participants using the areas of worship, fellowship and service.
• Implement one-to-one and other interventions to assist adults and families during family changes, recruiting/training others to do the same when appropriate.
• Implement all of the above with continuous interaction with the pastoral team.
• Implement all of the above through acts such as:
- Calling on and interacting with individuals and specific families
- Bringing family concerns/issues to committees and the church council
- Keeping co-staff members updated re: specific family's concerns/issues
Team Tasks:
• Participate in weekly/quarterly staff meetings
Identify useful resources for family ministry
• Work with team members to provide input on publications and records maintenance
Provide all information as requested for church records
Creational promotional material re: family programs; cooperate with church administrative assistant to accomplish timely publication
• Following existing office procedures and participate in refining them
• Coordinate efforts with church leaders
• Attend Church Council meetings and all other events related to job performance
• Assist with worship services and other Sunday morning programs as coordinate with pastors and appropriate committees
Qualifications:
Required:
•Strong Christian faith in the Triune God
•Participant of the Lutheran faith, subscribing to the ecumenical creeds and the Lutheran Confessions
•Bachelor's Degree in a field such as Social Work, Education, Church/Camp ministries, Child development, Counseling or other related programs
•Strong organizational skills
•Ability to maintain confidentiality
•Ability to take direction and respond rapidly
•Ability to supervise volunteers and match volunteer skills with appropriate specific tasks
•Ability to keep senior and associate pastors informed about key issues in specific family's situations
•Strong ability to communicate effectively and clarify member/leader/pastor's requests
•Ability to appropriately refer individuals to correct channels
•Self-directed and able to effectively prioritize tasks/meet deadlines
•Seek continuing education as directed
•Adherence to ELCA and synodical sexual conduct expectation documents
Highly desired:
• Experience in articulating the Lutheran faith
• Ability to stay on task in the midst of distraction
Desired:
• Experience leading worship
• Experience with song leading and/or use of musical instrument
• Knowledge of family theory and intervention methods
• Training or experience in counseling
Compensation:
This is a full-time salaried position requiring evening and weekend work based on the needs of families and the church's scheduled meetings, programs and worship times. A regularly scheduled weekday off is provided along with compensation time as needed.
Vacation/Holidays:
• 10 weekdays and two weekends paid vacation per year
• 5 negotiated holidays per year
Personal/Sick:
Annual 6 days paid sick/personal time per year
(may accumulate days from one year to the next up to 120 days maximum)
Salary Range:
$25,265 to $27,285
ELCA Benefits:
Benefits available include medical, dental, pension & disability
Position Type:
This position is for an employed staff member and does not involve a letter of call.
Application Materials:
Applicants should submit a completed application, resume, and two work-related references no later than 4/20/98. (For new graduates a preceptor or other supervising faculty is acceptable for reference.)
Application Means:
Materials may be sent by mail to: Central Lutheran Church, Box 9, Mondovi, WI 54755
Fax or e-mail
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