Job Overview

To help carry out the mission of Ocean City Church: to invite anyone and everyone to experience the unending ocean of grace that comes through Jesus alone.

The Children's Director will provide vision, leadership, and pastoral care for OCC Kids (birth–5th grade), creating joyful, safe, Jesus-centered environments where children and families encounter the love of Christ and grow as disciples. This role requires a leader who loves Jesus deeply, builds strong teams, and leads from a place of humility, joy, and conviction.

Job Description

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide overall leadership and vision for OCC Kids, aligning ministry strategy with the mission, values, and culture of Ocean City Church.
• Create fun, engaging, and gospel-centered environments where children experience Jesus clearly and consistently.
• Lead, recruit, train, and develop volunteer leaders and teams, cultivating a healthy, joyful, and sustainable serving culture.
• Shepherd children and families with pastoral care, wisdom, and relational presence.
• Develop age-appropriate curriculum and teaching moments that put the cross of Jesus Christ on display and communicate biblical truth clearly.
• Identify, invite, train, and empower Anchors (serving team) to be a part of the OCC Kids.
• Partner with parents to equip them as the primary spiritual leaders in their children's lives.
• Oversee ministry systems, safety policies, scheduling, and communication to ensure excellence, clarity, and consistency.
• Schedule and equip children's ministry team members and paid contract child care providers.
• Manage OCC Kids Leadership Team by meeting 2-3 times a month for planning and discipleship.
• Teaching and Coaching in Kids Environments on Sunday mornings.
• Collaborate with other ministry leaders and staff to support church-wide vision, gatherings, and events.
• Develop and manage annual budget for the OCC Kids ministry
• Champion a team-first culture marked by humility, ownership, and service in the trenches.
• Participate in weekend gatherings and church life, helping set the tone through engagement, joy, and leadership presence.

Secondary Responsibilities

• Purchasing and stocking supplies for children's ministry
• Environments management: requisitioning updates, purchases, painting and enhancements.
• Tracking and scheduling family check-in process with First Impressions coordinator.

This job description does not state or imply that these are the only duties to be performed. The Children's Director is expected to perform any other reasonable duties as requested by church leadership.

WORK SCHEDULE

• Full-time
• Typical schedule includes weekday office hours and Sunday responsibilities
• Seasonal evenings and special events as required by ministry rhythms

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Kids Ministry Coordinators / Team Leads
• Volunteer Leaders (age-group and environment leaders)

REPORTS TO

• Lead Pastor or designated Executive Leadership role

AN IDEAL INDIVIDUAL

• Loves Jesus deeply and leads from identity in Christ, not for approval.
• Has 4+ years of experience in children's ministry or equivalent leadership in a church context.
• Demonstrated ability to build, train, and lead volunteer teams.
• Strong communicator—clear, warm, engaging, and relational.
• Organized and strategic, yet flexible and people-centered.
• Comfortable leading in a growing, evolving church environment.
• Bachelor's degree required; ministry training or seminary coursework a plus.
• Willing to serve joyfully in both visible leadership and behind-the-scenes roles.

EXPECTATIONS

• Actively lives out and champions the values and culture of Ocean City Church.
• Keeps Jesus central in all ministry philosophy, leadership, and decision-making.
• Leads from humility, joy, and generosity rather than recognition or platform.
• Sets the tone through engagement, positivity, presence, and ownership.
• Low drama, high trust, high initiative, and high follow-through.
• Willingness to serve under leadership and communicate clearly and proactively.
• Actively participates in the life of Ocean City Church as a member of the church family.

NEXT STEPS

Interested candidates should submit:

• Resume
• Cover letter