Job Title: Director of Faith Formation (DFF)
Name of Congregation or Employer: Shoreline Unitarian Universalist Society
Address: 297 Boston Post Rd., Madison, CT 06443
Time Requirement: Half-time (20 hours/week)
Compensating at UUA Fair Compensation Guidelines: Yes
Status: Permanent
Contact Email: dffsearch@shorelineunitarian.org
About Shoreline Unitarian Universalist Society
Shoreline Unitarian Universalist Society is a small church serving the shoreline of Connecticut with about 90 adult members and 12 children currently in the religious education program. We are a certified Welcoming Congregation, with four social justice teams and a membership dedicated to our vision of nourishing spiritual growth, working for justice, and promoting peace. Our new minister will be Reverend Craig M. Nowak in July 2023.
We seek to provide regular, high-quality, and transcendent worship, educating and meeting the spiritual needs of the whole congregation. We strive for opportunities for all ages to engage together in the life of the congregation, meaningful justice work, and service to the community. This is done through a variety of educational opportunities, both within and beyond the traditional worship service and “Sunday School” framework. In the process, we explore morals and values and learn about ourselves, our Unitarian Universalist faith tradition, and other faiths and perspectives.
Job Title:
Director of Faith Formation (DFF)
Job Summary:
The DFF, supervised by the Minister, serves as the overarching supervisor of faith formation at SUUS, and provides leadership in collaboration with the Minister, an extensive group of volunteers, parents and members of the church.
The job responsibilities listed below reflect faith formation activities that SUUS anticipates for the 2023- 2024 church year. The responsibilities will vary according to SUUS’s priorities and volunteer availability. Other than attendance on site during most Sundays, responsibilities as specified below can be performed remotely after an initial period of integration to be determined between the DFF and the SUUS Minister
Roles and Responsibilities:
The DFF will work in collaboration with a group of volunteers in the following areas. Specific tasks will depend on volunteer capacity.
- Oversee Faith Formation programming for children and youth, including special programs such as Our Whole Lives and youth groups.
- Recruit, train, and support volunteer teachers*.
- Oversee lesson planning*.
- Collaborate with minister and staff to provide whole congregation worship experiences includingrites of passage, as needed.
- Oversee and train volunteers in Safe Congregation policies and practices and ensure compliance.
- Attend weekly staff meetings.
- Maintain administrative records, including Faith Formation calendar.
- Develop, with the help of SUUS leadership and Minister, the annual faith formation budget, andmaintain supervision of budget throughout the year.
- Communicate, in a timely manner, with Minister, Staff, teachers, volunteers, parents, thecongregation and the wider community regarding FF programming*.
- Welcome new families*.
- Provide, when necessary and in collaboration with the minister, individual pastoral care.
- Pursue professional development.
- Oversee volunteer planning of activities (including social justice) that include children, youth,and families*
- Coordinate childcare*
- Explore and oversee opportunities to collaborate with other area congregations on faith formation/religious education activities and projects.
*With volunteer collaboration
Professional Skills:
The DFF is an emotionally and spiritually mature team player and consensus builder, a “people person” who likes children of all ages, is flexible, organized, time-efficient, is able to prioritize demands and hours with an attention to detail, and is comfortable with public speaking. The DFF is open to learning/building in community and identifying different approaches, willing to experiment, and comfortable with the possibility that experiments might fail. Additionally, we seek a DFF skilled in writing and communicating to a variety of audiences. Computer proficiency, especially in Microsoft products, is necessary. The DFF will abide by the code of professional conduct and guidelines set forth by the Liberal Religious Educators Association and the SUUS Staff Covenant.
Qualifications:
Required:
- Experience working with children and families
- Teaching experience (volunteer or professional);
- Familiarity with and comfort teaching Unitarian Universalism (i.e. polity, history, and theology);
- Sunday availability on site with one Sunday off per every two months;
Preferred:
- Experience with children who have special needs;
- Experience supervising (either volunteers or professionals);
- Experience in religious education in a liberal religious congregation;
- Familiarity with Unitarian Universalist curricula for children and youth, and evolving UnitarianUniversalist faith formation;
- UUA religious educator credentialing or willingness to pursue.
Salary and Benefits: Salary will depend upon experience and qualifications but will be commensurate with UUA guidelines for a 20-hour position. Benefits include retirement, medical, disability, life insurance, and professional expenses.
To Apply:
Please send a cover letter and résumé, along with 2-3 professional references to dffsearch@shorelineunitarian.org Shoreline Unitarian Universalist Society does not discriminate based on race, color, gender, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental ability, genetic pre-disposition, ancestry or national origin.
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