Pastor to Kids and Families, the Grove

Pastor to Kids & Families

The Grove exists to make disciples of Jesus Christ.
This pastoral role contributes to that mission by leading the spiritual formation of children and equipping families to grow in faith together by creating safe, engaging, and Christ-centered environments where kids are known, loved, discipled, and connected to the life of the church.

Reports To: Operations Director

FLSA Status: Exempt (Part-Time)

Campus: The Grove

Work Schedule
Part Time: 10-20 hours per week

Includes but is not limited to:

• Sunday mornings
• Tuesday team meetings 
• Religious holidays (e.g., Christmas, Easter, Holy Week)
• Occasional evenings for family events, volunteer training, and ministry needs
• Summer VBS Programming 

Core Responsibilities

1.  Kids Ministry Leadership

Provide leadership, vision, and oversight for all Grove Kids environments and experiences.

Responsibilities include:

• Leading and overseeing Sunday morning Kids Ministry environments
• Helping create safe, welcoming, and engaging classrooms and ministry spaces
• Reviewing and overseeing curriculum implementation for preschool and elementary environments
• Helping children grow in Scripture, prayer, worship, and foundational faith practices
• Planning and supporting family-focused ministry experiences and special events throughout the year
• Working alongside the pastoral team to strengthen the vision and development of Grove Kids Ministry

2. Pastoral Presence & Care

Provide relational and pastoral leadership for children, volunteers, and families.

Responsibilities include:

• Building meaningful relationships with children and families
• Creating environments where families feel welcomed, supported, and known
• Providing pastoral encouragement and care during key life moments
• Participating in broader church ministry and pastoral responsibilities as needed
• Helping cultivate a warm, relational, and spiritually healthy ministry culture

3. Volunteer Leadership & Development

Recruit, train, equip, and encourage volunteer leaders within Grove Kids Ministry.

Responsibilities include:

• Building healthy volunteer teams and systems
• Recruiting and scheduling volunteers
• Creating clear onboarding, training, and appreciation processes
• Equipping volunteers for relational and spiritually meaningful ministry
• Developing emerging leaders and creating sustainable leadership pipelines
• Helping foster a healthy, encouraging, and mission-driven volunteer culture

4. Family Discipleship & Parent Partnership

Equip and encourage parents as the primary spiritual leaders of their homes.

Responsibilities include:

• Creating practical tools and resources for family discipleship
• Supporting milestone moments and faith conversations within the home
• Planning family-oriented events and teaching experiences that help parents lead their families spiritually
• Building strong relationships with parents through regular communication and pastoral presence
• Meeting with parents in a pastoral care or counseling capacity as needed
• Encouraging consistent family engagement in the life of the church

Qualifications

• Clear Christian faith and sense of pastoral calling
• Passion for children and family discipleship
• Strong biblical and theological foundation
• Alignment with Wesleyan theology and The Grove’s mission and culture
• Experience leading or supporting volunteer teams
• Experience in church, education, or family ministry settings preferred
• Strong relational warmth and emotional intelligence
• Ability to organize systems, people, and ministry environments effectively
• Ability to communicate clearly in both written and verbal form
• Ability to collaborate across ministry areas and support church-wide ministry alignment

Physical Demands

☒ Sitting ☒ Standing ☒ Walking ☒ Seeing ☒ Hearing ☒ Speaking ☒ Lifting/carrying up to 20 pounds ☒ Fine Motor Skills

Other Qualifications

Must be a Christian committed to living a life that reflects the Gospel, who feels called to the ministry of the church, and is comfortable working in a United Methodist Church environment.

Additionally, employees are expected to follow church policies, lead lives that embody the Gospel, and exhibit an appropriate demeanor both on and off the job.