Families Pastor

Elora Road Christian Fellowship; Guelph; On-site; CAD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Elora Road Christian Fellowship in Ontario seeks a Families Pastor to lead and develop our birth-through-grade-12 ministry. You will recruit and empower staff and volunteers, build a cohesive discipleship pathway, and partner with parents to raise children who know Jesus.

This full-time, salaried role requires about 40 hours weekly, including Sundays and evenings, and emphasizes safe, welcoming environments and effective ministry planning across Nursery, Kingdom Kids, Wildlife, and Amplified.

Qualifications

• Post-secondary education in ministry, theology, children, youth, or family ministry is preferred; equivalent ministry education and experience will be considered.
• 3+ years of leadership experience in children, youth, or family ministry is preferred, including volunteer leadership development.
• Strong communication, organizational, and collaboration skills across teams and volunteers.

Responsibilities

• Provide spiritual and strategic leadership for 0–18 ministries.
• Oversee the vision, programming, curriculum, calendar, environments, and leadership structure for Nursery, Kingdom Kids, Wildlife, and Amplified.
• Recruit, screen, onboard, train, coach, encourage, and retain volunteers and key leaders.
• Develop partnerships with parents and guardians to support family spiritual formation.
• Ensure safety, safeguarding compliance, and orderly ministry operations across all family ministries.
• Plan, budget, and report on family ministries with regular updates to leadership.

Skills

Team building

Coaching

Pastoral care

Conflict resolution

Organization

Time management

Communication

Budgeting

Program evaluation

Education

Ministry/theology education

Job description

JOB DESCRIPTION Families Pastor

A pastoral leader who equips families and develops leaders across ERCF's birth-to-graduation ministry pathway.

• Employment status Full-time, salaried
• Reports to Lead Pastor/CEO
• Works closely with Executive Director, ministry staff, and family ministry leaders
• Ministry scope Ages 0-18: Nursery, Kingdom Kids, Wildlife, and Amplified
• Typical hours Approximately 40 hours per week, including Sundays and regular evenings

About Elora Road Christian Fellowship

Elora Road Christian Fellowship (ERCF) is a non-denominational evangelical church committed to growing in faith and love, bringing hope to our community, and expressing the unconditional love of Jesus to everyone. Our ministry is shaped by three priorities:

• Encounter Jesus - creating environments where people experience the presence, love, and transforming power of Jesus.
• Become a Disciple - helping people grow in biblical faith, spiritual maturity, relationships, and obedience.
• Live on Mission - equipping people to serve, share their faith, and bring the hope of Jesus to their community.

Role Purpose

The Families Pastor provides spiritual, strategic, and relational leadership for ERCF's ministries to children, students, and their families from birth through Grade 12. The role builds a unified discipleship pathway across Nursery, Kingdom Kids, Wildlife, and Amplified so that every child and student can encounter Jesus, become a disciple, and learn to live on mission.The Families Pastor is a leader of leaders. Rather than personally carrying every program, this pastor recruits, equips, coaches, and cares for staff and volunteers who create safe, welcoming, excellent, and spiritually formative environments for children, students, and parents.

Primary Outcomes

• A clear and connected 0-18 discipleship pathway, including healthy transitions between each ministry stage and into young adult ministry after graduation.
• Healthy volunteer teams with capable leaders, clear roles, consistent training, appropriate care, and a sustainable leadership pipeline.
• Safe, welcoming, age-appropriate ministry environments where children and students are known, loved, taught biblical truth, and invited to take meaningful next steps with Jesus.
• Strong partnerships with parents and guardians that equip them as the primary spiritual influence in the lives of their children.
• Consistent ministry planning, communication, evaluation, budgeting, and compliance across all family ministries.

Key Responsibilities

1. Spiritual and Strategic Leadership

• Develop and implement an annual family ministries plan aligned with ERCF's mission, vision, three ministry pillars, and direction from the Lead Pastor/CEO.
• Provide spiritual leadership, prayer, pastoral presence, and theological guidance to children, students, parents, and ministry leaders.
• Create clear ministry goals, rhythms, roles, and measures of health for Nursery, Kingdom Kids, Wildlife, and Amplified.
• Model a mature life of worship, prayer, integrity, healthy family relationships, teachability, and active participation in the life of ERCF.
• Keep current with cultural trends, ministry practices, and issues affecting children, teenagers, and families, and help ERCF respond with biblical wisdom and pastoral care.

2. Oversight of the 0-18 Ministry Pathway

• Oversee the vision, programming, curriculum, calendar, environments, and leadership structure of Nursery (infants and toddlers), Kingdom Kids (preschool through Grade 5), Wildlife (Grades 6-8), and Amplified (Grades 9-12).
• Ensure each ministry provides age-appropriate biblical teaching, worship, relational connection, discipleship, serving opportunities, and outreach.
• Build intentional transitions between Nursery and Kingdom Kids, Kingdom Kids and Wildlife, Wildlife and Amplified, and graduating students and young adult ministry.
• Provide hands-on leadership during key weekly gatherings, Sunday services, retreats, camps, family events, mission opportunities, and special ministry seasons as needed.
• Review and approve curriculum and ministry resources for biblical faithfulness, developmental appropriateness, and alignment with ERCF's theology and values.

3. Volunteer and Leader Development

• Recruit, screen, onboard, place, train, coach, encourage, and retain volunteers and key leaders across every family ministry area.
• Build a leadership structure that gives leaders meaningful responsibility, regular feedback, spiritual care, and opportunities to grow.
• Lead regular huddles, training gatherings, and team meetings that reinforce vision, safety, consistency, hospitality, and ministry excellence.
• Identify and develop emerging leaders, including age-appropriate opportunities for students to serve and use their gifts under proper supervision.
• Address team health, performance concerns, and conflict promptly, graciously, and in partnership with the appropriate supervisor.

4. Discipleship and Partnership with Parents

• Equip parents and guardians with clear communication, practical resources, prayer, and opportunities to participate in the spiritual formation of their children.
• Develop follow-up pathways for new families, visiting children and students, salvations, baptisms, serving interest, pastoral care needs, and other spiritual next steps.
• Create opportunities for children and students to grow through small groups, mentoring relationships, retreats, mission experiences, and meaningful participation in the wider church.
• Provide pastoral care to children, students, and families within the role's competence and boundaries, making referrals when specialized care is needed.
• Be a visible and approachable support to families and, where appropriate, build relationships with local schools and community partners.

5. Safety, Care, and Ministry Environments

• Ensure all family ministries comply with ERCF's Safeguard Operating Standard, Plan to Protect requirements, privacy practices, emergency procedures, and other applicable policies.
• Ensure volunteers complete required screening, references, Vulnerable Sector Checks, orientation, and recurring safety training before serving independently.
• Maintain appropriate supervision ratios, check-in and release practices, attendance records, permission forms, medication information, incident reports, and emergency contacts.
• Regularly review ministry rooms, equipment, supplies, and service procedures so environments are clean, prepared, accessible, welcoming, and safe.
• Respond to incidents, allegations, or safety concerns immediately according to policy and legal reporting requirements, involving senior leadership as required.

6. Communication, Planning, and Administration

• Maintain an accurate family ministries calendar coordinated with the church-wide calendar and other ministry areas.
• Communicate consistently with parents, students, volunteers, staff, and the wider church through approved channels.
• Prepare and manage an annual family ministries budget; authorize spending only within approved limits and submit receipts and reports promptly.
• Use attendance, volunteer, guest, and next-step information to identify needs, celebrate growth, strengthen follow-up, and evaluate ministry health.
• Provide concise ministry updates and reports to the Lead Pastor/CEO and participate fully in staff meetings, planning processes, pastoral care, and church-wide initiatives.

Qualifications

Christian Character and Alignment

• A mature, biblically grounded, Spirit-filled follower of Jesus who has been baptized as a believer and demonstrates a consistent devotional life.
• Able to affirm and support ERCF's statement of faith, mission, vision, Leadership Covenant, Lifestyle Agreement, and ministry philosophy.
• An active member of ERCF, or willing to become a member and complete required ERCF formation courses within a reasonable period.
• Demonstrates integrity, humility, emotional maturity, healthy boundaries, teachability, and a servant-hearted approach to leadership.

Experience and Ministry Capability

• Post-secondary education in ministry, theology, children, youth, or family ministry is preferred; equivalent ministry education and experience will be considered.
• At least three years of proven leadership experience in children, youth, or family ministry is preferred, including the development of volunteer leaders.
• Able to communicate biblical truth with clarity and relevance to children, teenagers, parents, and adult leaders.
• Strong skills in team building, coaching, pastoral care, conflict resolution, organization, time management, communication, budgeting, and program evaluation.
• Able to work independently, take initiative, collaborate across teams, manage multiple ministry rhythms, and remain composed in changing or stressful situations.
• A satisfactory Vulnerable Sector Check and completion of all ERCF safeguarding requirements are conditions of employment.
• Appropriate ministerial credentialing or ordination, including through Anchor Ministerial Fellowship, may be required within a reasonable period.

How Success Will Be Evaluated

• Spiritual and relational health of children, students, families, volunteers, and key leaders.
• Strength, depth, retention, and development of volunteer teams and leadership pipelines.
• Safety, consistency, hospitality, and excellence of weekly and special ministry environments.
• Evidence that children, students, and families are taking age-appropriate discipleship and mission next steps.
• Quality and timeliness of planning, communication, follow-up, reporting, budgeting, and policy compliance.

Hours and Compensation

This is a full-time salaried ministry role, normally averaging approximately 40 hours per week. The role requires regular Sunday and evening responsibilities, occasional weekends away, and flexibility during retreats, camps, special events, and high-demand ministry seasons. Salary will reflect education and experience. Group benefits, retirement contributions, vacation, and professional development support are provided in accordance with ERCF policy and the employment agreement.

Employment Notes

A probationary period will apply in accordance with the employment agreement. ERCF may adjust responsibilities as ministry needs develop, following reasonable communication with the employee. This description identifies the role's primary responsibilities but is not an exhaustive list of every duty.ERCF is committed to fair, respectful employment practices. As a Christian ministry, ERCF requires employees to support its mission, beliefs, policies, and standards of conduct, subject to applicable law.