Seeking a full-time Director of Religious Education

 

Name and Address of Congregation: First Unitarian Church of Albuquerque,

3701 Carlisle Boulevard NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110

 

Size of Congregation: 650 members

 

Size of Religious Education Program: 150 children and youth

 

Title: Director of Religious Education (or Assistant Minister for Religious Education)

 

Time Frame: Full-time position, beginning August 2007

 

Goal: To provide professional leadership for a religious education program for children and youth.

 

Statement of Accountability: The Director of Religious Education reports to the Associate Minister.

 

Responsibilities:

  • Provide leadership for goal setting and development of philosophy of religious growth and learning
  • Coordinate curriculum
  • Recruit, orient and support volunteers
  • Advocate for and publicize the religious education program through the newsletter, website and other means of communication
  • Maintain resources, supplies, and equipment with the help of part time RE Assistant
  • Keep religious education budget, expenses, files, and records current, with support of the RE Assistant and office staff
  • Plan Children’s time in the worship service (monthly) with the Senior Minister
  • Lead Children’s chapel service on other Sundays
  • Provide leadership to the RE Committee
  • Attend weekly core staff meetings and bi-weekly church staff meetings, advocating for the Religious Education program and overall health of the church

 

Experience, Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

  • Unitarian Universalist
  • Experience or degree in education or religion, with considerable experience in the other
  • Knowledge of religious education philosophy and Unitarian Universalist curricula
  • Relational, organizational, administrative, communication and volunteer management skills
  • Comfort with a wide variety of religious views, initiative, ability to encourage others

 

Compensation:

            Salary: $40,000-50,000

            Benefits: $3,200 toward medical insurance expense and pension at 12%

 

Vacation: 20 days per year

 

Leave time for Denominational and Continuing Education events: 20 days per year

Time for Study and Continuing Ed projects included in work time.

 

We are seeking a Director of Religious Education to lead and develop our programs for children, youth, and families. We would also consider a parish minister who would like to develop a specialty in Religious Education.

 

The DRE will provide leadership and direction to our RE Committee and volunteers, helping all feel that their work is vital to the lives of children and the health of the church. Our belief is that children and youth have spiritual lives and we want an RE professional who will help our volunteer group leaders to be comfortable fostering that spirituality, as well as link it to things we know we do well, such as sexuality education, justice education, Coming of Age programs, and Camp.

 

We want someone who will lead and enable others to lead age-appropriate, spiritually-oriented children’s chapels, participate in the adult worship service monthly when the children are present, and occasionally at other times during the year, including the Family Christmas Eve service.

 

We seek a team player who understands programming for children and families to be at the heart of an integrated church program and ministry, and who can function comfortably in a complex and changing environment. The RE Professional participates in at least some New Member and Pastoral Care activities, the Program Leadership Team, and in thinking, with the Core Staff, about the health of the church program and administration as a whole. Currently the Associate Minister has responsibility for Adult Religious Education. This is negotiable in the future.

 

Our RE Professional is supported by a part-time RE assistant who provides logistical and organizational support (shopping, data base, set up, etc.)

 

We hope to attract someone who will love their work, us, and New Mexico... and stay a long time! 

 

Send letter, resume and three references by April 31  to

David E. Grimm
Associate Minister
First Unitarian Church of Albuquerque
3701 Carlisle Blvd NE
Albuquerque, NM 87110

Applications can be submitted electronically to dgrimm@uuabq.org