Children's Pastor

Job Summary

Job Description

Willow Kids Ministry helps kids from birth to 5th grade explore, wonder, and belong so they can know and follow Jesus. As a part of our children’s ministry you will help ensure all our campuses provide a loving and exciting environment that spreads the contagious love of Jesus and to plant seeds of lifelong faith with every child.

As the Willow Kids Pastor you will lead and direct the weekend Willow Kids ministry for the entire campus, providing creative, engaging, safe, and age appropriate teaching for all children from birth to 5th grade. You will collaborate with the core team and campus leadership to set the direction, vision, goals, and initiatives of the ministry.  This includes collaboration with the core team on large & small group curriculum, large group teaching and programming, and volunteer recruiting and scheduling. You’ll engage volunteers so they are heavily involved in all aspects of this ministry, from small group leaders, to teachers, to assisting with the check-in process. In addition, you’ll be a key contact and support to all of the parents in our church as they teach children what it means to be a fully devoted follower of Jesus and will uphold the value of parent engagement and partner with other next gen ministries to provide support as well as speak into parent connection.

This position offers a competitive salary for the Chicagoland area as well as generous benefits package.

Job Responsibilities

• Work with campus staff and key leaders to recruit, train, and develop a volunteer team for each age group and each teaching environment and in collaboration with the Next Gen Core Team, develop a ministry with highly engaged and motivated volunteers, ensuring they are well equipped, supported, and encouraged.


• Prepare curricular materials and prepare the teachers and volunteers for excellent large group programs, small groups, plan for major events, and develop best practices around protection, volunteer and parent engagement.


• Bring your best ideas to the Core team and develop collaborative relationships with all the Willow Kids Pastors at each campus.


• Partner with other next gen ministries at your campus to help support parent engagement


• Through systems and teaching, ensure the kids are also being loved and pastored well.


• Serve as the primary support to all parents of young children at the campus as they help their kids take their next steps with God walking with families through the ups and downs of life -- celebrating with those who are celebrating, mourning with those who are mourning.


• Uphold the values of Willow Kids, ensure safety and correct ratios, and deliver a fantastic guest experience.


• Meet weekly with the Core Next Gen team to contribute to content, direction and decisions for Willow Kids at all campuses.


• Enthusiastically champion all-in church-wide efforts.


• Establish strong channels of communication with all Willow leadership and peers, serving as the primary advocate between your campus staff and Willow Creek Core staff.

Success is Defined As…

• Making Disciples - children are meeting Jesus and beginning to take their next step with God; and families are bought in to the importance of growing together in their faith journey as a family.


• Collaborative Creativity -- Willow Kids at our campus becomes a breeding ground for creativity and innovation, and shared with the Core team and other Willow Kids Pastors at the other campuses.


• Compelling Environment -- Parents are “dragged back to church” by their kids once they experience Willow Kids.


• Growing Intentionally -- the Willow Kids staff is excited when more people are attending, meeting Jesus, taking steps, and participating than were in the previous year.


• Passionate Alignment -- by your modeling, staff and volunteers at the campus are excited about the vision of Willow Creek, and grateful to be connected to something making a difference across Chicagoland.


• Volunteer Development -- there is a culture of high volunteer engagement, and Willow Kids is led by capable, trained and aligned volunteers.

Preferred Skills and Experience

Skills/Competencies:

• Team Building -- can build teams and identify high capacity leaders to build more teams.


• Developer -- proven track record of developing leaders.


• Talent Scout -- always on the lookout for new leaders and volunteers


• Total Quality Manager -- looking for ways to improve; sensitive to misses; committed to excellence.


• Cheerleader -- encouraging volunteers and staff constantly.


• Carrier of the DNA -- they bleed the mission, vision and values of Willow.


• Solution Specialist -- able to identify problems and find solutions.


• Staff Champion -- cares for the spiritual, emotional, and familial health of the Willow Kids staff


• Pastor -- has a heart to care deeply for your staff, parents, leaders, volunteers and kids.


• Organizer -- can effectively manage details personally, and recruit others to do the same.

Personal Characteristics: 

• Learner -- can take direction and feedback and has a great desire to learn.


• Aligned -- knows Willow, loves Willow, has bought-in to the method, philosophy, and direction of our “one church in multiple locations” model.


• Conflict Resolver -- unafraid to tackle interpersonal conflicts, ministry misalignment, or issues of sin.


• Leader at Home -- not concerning spiritual or emotional health issues within his or her family.


• Person of Integrity -- they are a leader worth following in habits, disciplines, and personal decisions.


• Self-Aware -- knows where they have weakness, and finds others to fill in those gaps.


• Disciple -- fully devoted to following Jesus in everything they do.

Education and Experience:

• Children Pastors likely have an undergrad degree or higher, ideally in the field of education. 


• Likely served in a leadership position at a church or campus size of 2,000 or more.


• Has proven experience leading teams.


• Has experience caring and shepherding others.