APPENDIX C

Draft of Job Description, Proposed by Nancy De Vries and Dan Love, October 10, 2007*

Title: Associate Pastor for Christian Education and Nurture

A third pastor in the life of Rye Presbyterian Church will have primary responsibility for the Christian Education program of the congregation.

The ministry of RPC is a shared one, with both current pastors working in various areas, and increasingly, with each pastor taking responsibility for specific areas in the life and ministry of the church, yet welcoming RPC clergy colleagues and lay persons into shared responsibility in those specific areas. Thus each pastor has areas of the life of the church for which s/he holds primary responsibility, while serving in leadership in other areas as well, always modeling collegiality grounded in the scriptural call to be the inclusive Body of Christ. Thus said, the Associate Pastor for Education and Nurture will have responsibilities beyond the scope of the Education Ministry of the congregation, and the Pastor and Associate Pastor will continue to carry Christian Education responsibilities, as well.

Purpose:

*To provide visionary leadership, administrative structure and personal support for Rye Presbyterian Church’s Christian Education program, serving persons of all ages within the life of the congregation.

*To participate in the overall pastoral and programmatic responsibilities of the congregation’s life, along with the Pastor and Associate Pastor.

Responsibilities:

To coordinate the Christian Education Program

1) To work with the other pastors and lay leaders for the development of an exciting and visionary educational curriculum that grounds children and adults in age appropriate ways in

*Bible,

*Theology,

*Divine Worship,

*Christian Spirituality,

*Christian Ethics,

*Church and Society,

*Church History,

*Mission, and

*Ecumenical and Interfaith Understanding and Goodwill sufficient for the twenty-first century,

and to do so with excellence.

2) To be a resource and staff support for the Christian Education Committee of the Session

3) To be a resource and staff support for teachers and youth advisors

4) To ensure excellence in the Confirmation program of Rye Presbyterian Church.

5) To ensure the provision of opportunities for mission and service for young people, including mission trips, and also service opportunities for children.

6) To work with pastors and musicians on the staff and parents to ensure meaningful and compelling worship experiences for young people and children.

7) To ensure the provision of excellent youth group experiences for middle and high school students.

8) To prompt the congregation to be grounded in the Reformed Tradition in every appropriate way, and to simultaneously think “outside the box” and to “take pieces of the education program outside the doors of the church.”

9) To provide pastoral support for children, families, teachers and others as is appropriate to the division of pastoral work amongst the pastors of the congregation.

10) To participate in membership outreach efforts, especially with families with children and teens, and as regards the Education Ministry of the congregation.

11) To oversee the resource center and the viability and excellence of teaching spaces in congregational life.

12) To communicate in an inviting and compelling manner the foundation and specific programs of the Education Ministry of Rye Presbyterian Church, including the development of interactive and attractive offerings on the RPC web site and other electronic media.

13) To attend staff meetings, Session meetings, and Presbytery meetings.

Accountability: Accountable to the Pastor as Head of Staff, and works in close cooperation with the Associate Pastor, other staff members, the Session, lay leaders and parents.

Evaluation: Performance reviews will be conducted annually by the Session Personnel Committee and Pastor as Head of Staff. The Personnel Committee will annually review the fairness of compensation.

* Prepared at the request of the Christian Education Committee