Job details
Job type full-time
Full job description
Description:
About the elca
The evangelical lutheran church in america (elca) is one of the largest christian denominations in the united states, with nearly 3.3 million members in more than 8,900 worshiping communities across the 50 states, caribbean and u.sVirgin islandsWith a vision to live in a world experiencing the difference god’s grace and love in christ makes for all people and creation, the elca strives to be a welcoming, thriving and connected church that introduces people to jesus so they can discover community, justice and love.
The lutheran center (national office) is located in chicago, illinoisA staff of 400, under the leadership of the presiding bishop, serve as administrators, advisors, conveners, partners, and resource people for the elca and its ministriesStaff lead the work of national, domestic, and global ministries and programs including lutheran disaster response, elca world hunger, service & justice, christian community and leadership, and innovationWe are also home to five of our separately incorporated ministries: the mission investment fund of the elca, women of the elca, lutheran men in mission, the elca foundation and the elca federal credit union.
About this position
Grounded in our purpose and priorities, the christian community and leadership (ccl) home area helps the elca reach and engage new, younger, and more diverse people, welcoming them into the christian faithWe invite all to create conditions so that we can strengthen our existing congregations and grow younger, ethnically diverse, economically diverse, and among the lgbtqia+ communityTo this end, we will activate and engage our core membership and work with the whole of the elca to recruit, develop and deploy the leadership, both lay and rostered, that the church needs to fulfill its purpose of establishing and growing christian communities and spreading the gospel of jesus christ and building the church.
The new ministry training & development team seeks to shape work with new congregations through the prism of vitality and will be deeply rooted in relationships, collaboration, creative and redundant innovation, a commitment to accountability and for learning and sharing that learning throughout the church.
This position serves to support the ccl congregational vitality, new ministry training and development team in its management of congregational vitality ministry entry points of anchor churches and synod vitality strategies by overseeing training and development, learning and evaluation of program activities, monitoring and reporting on the impact of the partnership grants process and supporting the ccl home area to improve learning opportunities for external staff and constituentsThis position works in support of the elca’s commitment to be in ministry with ethnic communities and those experiencing poverty.
This is a full-time, regular position and reports to the senior director, congregation vitality, new ministry training & development.
Connects and engages with leaders who are involved in, and, who give guidance to the `synod vitality strategies` and `anchor church` programmatic areas in the congregational vitality team; develops working teams for these programmatic areas; develops strong working relationships with directors for evangelical mission (dem) and other synodical leaders; collaborates with and accompanies dems towards congregational vitality initiatives in the public arena.
Manages and collaborates with contract staff who will facilitate in-depth training for synod vitality strategies teams and anchor church initiatives; accompanies holy innovations programmatic areas in consultation with senior advisor, new ministry development.
Facilitates and manages the r1 visa process for mission developers.
Assists dems with the incorporation processes for new ministry development.
Manages the annual budget for related programmatic areas; process transactions in financial and granting systems; initiates exploration of new projects and initiatives.
Participates in other programmatic areas that are developing cultural competencies and multiethnic christian communities in collaboration with the congregational vitality team.
Perform other duties as required.
Requirements:
3+ years of experience initiating and/or revitalizing elca congregations, organizational change, and collaboration with partners in ministry and other church leaders.
Bachelor’s degree and/or equivalent combination of experience and education required.
Knowledge of lutheran theology and familiarity with the ecclesiology and structures of the elca.
Demonstrated leadership and experience with new congregations, vital and growing ministries, and the ability to relate well to all congregations.
Appreciation for and commitment to the mission, vision, and values of the elca including poverty and justice ministry and experience with and among ethnic multicultural ministries or ministry contexts.
Excellent communication skills, including the ability to present and speak in public.
Demonstrated ability to build and maintain effective relationships of trust and mutual accountability; ability to work collaboratively within the churchwide organization.
Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills; ability to manage and follow through on many complex ministry areas at one timeExperience working with microsoft office applications as well as virtual platforms like zoom.
Physical effort
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear, use hands and fingers to operate a computer and telephoneThis position requires sitting for long periods of timeEmployee will occasionally need to lift boxes or materials up to 15 poundsReasonable accommodations can be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Travel
Occasional travel may be required via air or vehicleValid driver’s license is required.
Benefits
The elca offers a competitive benefits package for eligible employees, including employer paid health premiums for employees, health and dependent care fsa’s, a health savings account (hsa) with an employer contribution, life insurance, and a substantial employer contribution to 403b retirement plan (no match required)We also offer a generous paid time-off policy including 11 paid holidaysAll benefits commence on your start date.
