Whether you’re called pastor, minister, coordinator, or director, it can be challenging to get everyone in your kids’ ministry to understand what you actually do. In order for people to see why your job matters, you must clearly define what you do that matters. That’s why we have four ways to redefine your role and rewrite your ministry job description as a children’s pastor.

However, before you can redefine your ministry job description, it helps to build two practices into your own life . . .

• Own your own inspiration. The truth is . . . inspired people inspire people. You must first figure out what inspires you personally in order to effectively inspire the people you lead.
• Own your own identity. Your identity encompasses why and how you do what you do. And let’s be honest, no one knows what you do better than you! This is why you must define your own identity and help others understand what you do as well.

Rewrite Your Ministry Job Description

Once these practices are established, you are ready to rewrite your own job description. Perhaps your job description was written in the seventies and has been used year after year. It could be that it was written by someone who has never had this role or maybe it doesn’t even exist.

Truthfully, if you don’t define what you do in your job description, no one else will know what you do either.

This is where an identity crisis begins to happen. It’s when everyone else has a picture of what they think you do, and you’re flooded with expectations you can’t possibly meet. To avoid the identity crisis, you need to clarify what you do and don’t do. When you’re clear about your job, it changes everything!

Steps to Rewriting Your Role as a Children’s Pastor

1) Rewrite a one-sentence job description.

Think of this as an elevator pitch for your job. If you’re ever on a stage or in front of a large group of people and have less than one minute to articulate the basis of your job, you’ll be able to clearly explain your expectations and priorities in one sentence. An example one-sentence summary could be, “My job is to create experiences and communities where leaders, volunteers, and parents can influence kids to develop a dynamic faith.”

2) Rewrite the primary priorities that will help you accomplish your job. 

This step will be helpful at a lunch presentation or staff meeting to help define what success looks like in under five minutes. This part of your job description will list the priorities to your role as children’s pastor. We have defined five priorities to help you manage the relationships within every aspect of ministry:

• Align leaders
• Refine the message
• Elevate community
• Engage every parent
• Influence service

3) Rewrite a clear description for each priority. 

For a fitting presentation at a weekly meeting and solid basis for your annual review, defining your priorities as a children’s pastor is crucial. Doing this will help you define the success you’ve had in your role to your boss in easily measurable ways. Here are some examples of clear descriptions for each priority:

• Align leaders: Align leaders to work together around a common strategy, values, and language
• Refine the message: Design a messaging strategy that communicates strategic truths to kids
• Elevate community: Recruit and develop volunteers to lead kids in weekly small groups
• Engage every parent: Engage every parent and guardian to partner with your ministry
• Influence service: Influence kids to love and serve each other

4) Rewrite the key activities you should do to accomplish each priority. 

In order to bring excellence to each priority in your ministry, define the specific activities you must do on a regular basis. These are a few examples of some activities you might have to accomplish a few priorities.

• Align leaders 
  • Champion vision and values of kids’ ministry throughout church
  • Facilitate effective meetings to collaborate with leaders in your organization
  • Manage the budget and resources needed to make kids’ ministry successful
• Elevate community
  • Implement a system to recruit and train small group leaders
  • Manage group structure to connect kids relationally with peers and leaders
  • Leverage digital strategies to enhance learning and relationships

Free Ministry Job Description Guide

As you rewrite your role, we want to leave you with a few final reminders.

Remember that it’s important to be a generalist, not just a specialist. While you might specialize in a certain age group or ministry, be aware of the phases before and after that age group. A great resource for this thinking is our book It’s Just a Phase, which details the phases of a kid’s life and what the church can do about it.

Remember to recruit to your weakness by filling in the gaps of your weaknesses with people who excel in those areas. Don’t forget to keep clarifying the win! Something magical happens when everyone in the ministry is on the same page. As you clearly define your role, synergy begins to form.

Finally, rewrite your job description . . . because no one knows your role better than you do! Here is a free guide to help you redefine your role, and focus on the things and people that matter most.