Children, Youth and Community Worker
Is God calling you to work for an evangelical, multi-ethnic Anglican church in North London? Do you have...
• A passion for nurturing the faith of children and families?
• A desire to share the faith with children and families in the community?
• A heart for developing our engagement with primary and secondary schools?
To share in this exciting challenge you will …
• Have a growing personal faith in Jesus Christ
• Have experience of working with children and Youth in a voluntary or paid role
• Be a excellent communicator with strong relational skills
• Be able to recruit, lead and develop a team of volunteers
This post provides a fantastic opportunity for someone who has a proven track record in pioneering and growing Children’s and families work and who has a strong desire for young people to fully engage with the Gospel and to come to Christ. The post-holder will work alongside a small yet supportive and passionate staff team and will serve a church which is eager to see younger lives transformed through a living faith in Jesus Christ. We’re offering a competitive salary with pension and a first-rate working environment in our modern church centre, which is a hub for a range of church and community-run activities. We are situated opposite a beautiful park, in the heart of a busy, diverse area of North London which is surrounded by schools, colleges, and a wide range of cafes, charity shops, and supermarkets.
This is initially a two-year, full-time position (with the possibility of extending this as the ministry grows) working 40 hours a week, including Sunday mornings, with a salary of £29,000 - £32,000 p/a depending on experience.
For an Application Pack,
contact Revd Jade Standley, our Vicar:
t: 020 8349 3792 | e: vicar@stpaulsfinchley.org.uk
w: www.stpaulsfinchley.org.uk
Closing date for applications: 12 noon on Monday 16th June 2025.
Assessment tasks: Friday 20th June 2025 at 10am.
Interviews: Sunday 22nd June 2025 at 2pm.
There is an Occupational Requirement that the post-holder is a Christian.
An enhanced DBS disclosure is required.
St Paul’s Finchley is committed to creating and sustaining a diverse and inclusive workforce that represents our context, ethos and wider community. We particularly encourage applications from those with the relevant skills and experience that will increase diverse representation. The appointment will of course be based on merit alone.
- Job Description
1. WHAT is the purpose of this job?
- to work as part of the St Paul’s staff team, contributing to the development of the church’s Mission Action Plan (vision, priorities, plans) and the delivery of our mission and ministry;
- to work with the Vicar to grow our ministry to children, youth and families in the church and community;
- to support parents, especially with regard to encouraging them to grow in their own Christian faith so that they are equipped to nurture the faith of their children and young people;
- to develop a vibrant, competent volunteer team for the children’s and youth work;
- to deepen the relationship between St Paul’s and St Mary’s, our Church Primary School (and, where possible, other local primary schools), supporting the school in fulfilling its Christian vision and enabling children, youth and young adults to explore the Christian faith and engage in activities that foster discipleship;
- to work with the Children’s Champion advocating within St Paul’s for ministry to children, youth and families, ensuring that their voices and needs are heard in every part of the church’s life;
2. TO WHOM do I relate in doing this job?
As the Children’s, Youth and Families’ Community Worker you will be responsible to the Vicar and ultimately to the PCC as the employing body. Within St Paul’s, you will need to liaise with various individuals and groups, including the clergy, other paid staff, principal office-holders, safeguarding officer, children’s champion and members of the volunteer team for children’s and youth work. Within the community, you will need to liaise with the Headteacher, staff, pupils, parents and governors of St Mary’s CE Primary School and other organisations and personnel, including local primary schools and the London Diocesan Children’s and Youth Ministry Support team.
3. WHAT am I involved in and expected to do?
In setting out the scope of the role in this document, we are conscious of the need to:
- have clear expectations without being too prescriptive so that we remain open to future possibilities and the unfolding purposes of God as well as utilising your gifts and talents to the maximum;
- be realistic as to what can be achieved within the available time and the importance of discerning and reviewing priorities, ensuring there is a clear focus to the work.
Notwithstanding this, we would expect your main tasks to involve the following roles and activities:
Church-based, internal Ministry
- building and maintaining positive relationships with children, youth, families and other members of the congregation, actively communicating with children, youth and their parents to ensure their perspectives and wishes are known and helping to continue to develop the church as a community in which children and families feel welcome, loved, valued and challenged
- planning and co-ordinating the work done in our Sunday morning groups using the Bible and other resources in line with our ethos (we currently use Energize, The Lectionary and Scripture Union’s Light material) and taking responsibility for rotas and registers
- working with the clergy in preparing children who are to be Baptised and to receive communion before confirmation
- being involved in the planning, delivery and evaluation of all-age worship services and our youth program.
- in partnership with the vicar, identifying, recruiting, training and supporting suitable volunteer leaders and helpers for ministry among children and youth
- initiating and leading short courses relevant to parenting
- encouraging parents to send their children and youth on Christian holidays such as those run by Scripture Union and CPAS Ventures
- having responsibility for the use of the children’s and youth ministry budget set annually by the PCC
- working closely and confidentially with relevant people (e.g. the Church’s Safeguarding Officer, the Clergy, the Diocesan Safeguarding Officer) to inform, report, and discuss any safeguarding concerns, seeking their support and advice as appropriate
- being a role model for parents, children and young people and their ministries
- keeping appropriate records, and ensuring that information relevant to the role and all events, groups and courses are on the church website
Pastoral Care and Nurture
- supporting and encouraging parents, grandparents and godparents in the nurture and faith development of themselves and those children for whom they have direct responsibility
- providing parenting advice (e.g. 1-1 mentoring and training courses)
- working with the clergy to provide pastoral care for children, youth and families
St Mary’s CE Primary School
- strengthening the partnership between the church and the school by your presence, participation and influence in the life of both communities
- being the public face of God and a praying presence in the school
- contributing to the spiritual and pastoral care of children and adults through purposeful listening and mentoring
- enabling children and adults to explore the Christian faith and develop spiritually, especially through prayer and by creating and maintaining a welcoming, engaging and reverential Prayer Space
- supporting teachers in the delivery of high-quality Christianity units within the RE curriculum and inspiring Acts of Collective Worship
- planning and leading extra-curricular activities that foster discipleship
- planning and leading our programme of educational workshops that take place in the church building or on the school premises
Community-based, external Ministry
- To lead, and line-managing a group of volunteers of a weekly toddler group and so ensuring its missional focus
- where possible, re-establishing the links between St Paul’s and local primary and Secondary schools and colleges in our parish, especially through educational visits to the church building
- plan and organise regular fun events for families, children and our youth, especially from the local community
Personal and Professional Development
- maintaining and developing your own spiritual growth, particularly by giving time to prayer and the study of the Scriptures
- engaging in on-going personal and professional development, for example attending the
Diocesan Children’s Workers’ network meetings as appropriate, reading the Diocesan
Children’s Ministry newsletter and attending relevant courses, such as those on children’s
and youth ministry, safeguarding and first aid
- Attending meetings
- Once a week with the staff team for Bible reading and prayer, business and review
- Once every week with the Vicar for line-management (initially this will be weekly to ensure good induction, but could lessen as the candidate grows in confidence)
- Annual staff appraisal, with six monthly review
- Occasionally for staff away days and meetings, such as with the volunteer children’s and youth ministry teams
You would also be expected to carry out such other work as may reasonably be requested by the Vicar.
4. What will we do to support and encourage you?
We intend to support and encourage you by:
- on arrival in post, commissioning you in a Sunday service and continuing to pray for you and with you throughout your time in post
- providing a mentor with whom you would meet on a regular basis for the purposes of
reviewing and reflecting upon your ministry
- providing opportunities to attend appropriate courses in work-time, for which the PCC (or St Mary’s School, as appropriate) will pay, for the purposes of personal and professional
development
- having a regular job review, usually every six months, and an annual appraisal.
B. Person Specification
The role has an important part to play in delivering on our God-given vision and in the growth and development of our work and witness among children, young people, families and our partnership with our church primary school. We are looking for someone who has an established and mature faith, who understands and practices the power of prayer, is willing to serve God and others, supportive of the church’s agreed purpose, vision and ethos, able to work hard and aware of the need for the church to engage with the missionary challenge of being ‘good news’ in a post-Christian context. The post-holder will need to secure and maintain a certificate issued by the Disclosure and Barring Service, indicating that they are not unsuitable for working with those aged under 18 or vulnerable adults and successfully complete any other checks that St Mary’s CE Primary School requires in line with its Single Central Record.
What follows is a portrait of the kind of person we are seeking to identify.
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Essential |
Desirable |
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Commitment |
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Calling |
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Has experience of and is confident in working with Youth |
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Character |
A trustworthy and loyal person who:
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Qualifications/ Experience |
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Skills/Abilities |
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Knowledge/ Understanding |
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Disposition |
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