Administrative Assistant

First United Methodist Church of Houston; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 55,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

First United Methodist Church of Houston in Houston, TX seeks an Administrative Assistant to support the Senior Pastor, enabling focus on preaching, pastoral care, and leadership. You will handle calendars, communications, and confidential records with discretion in a faith-based context.

The role requires 5+ years in executive administrative support, a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent), and proficiency with Google Suite and Microsoft Office.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.
• Minimum of five (5) years of progressive experience in executive administrative support.
• Exceptional organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and maintain meticulous attention to detail in a dynamic environment.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills.
• High degree of emotional intelligence and the ability to navigate sensitive pastoral and organizational matters with discretion and maturity.
• Proven ability to maintain strict confidentiality and exercise sound judgment.
• Proficiency in Google Suite and Microsoft (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint) and familiarity with church management software and video-conferencing platforms.
• Prior experience in a church, nonprofit, or ministry organization.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate ministry teams, staff leadership, committees, governing bodies, and key lay leaders, ensuring alignment and follow‑through on commitments.
• Track action items, decisions, and ministry initiatives arising from pastoral and leadership meetings; follow up with responsible parties to ensure timely completion.
• Identify emerging issues requiring the Senior Pastor’s attention and proactively surface them with relevant context and recommended responses.
• Manage the Church Calendar in both Google Calendar and Touchpoint.
• Manage the Senior Pastor’s calendar, scheduling appointments and meetings, while protecting adequate time for sermon preparation, prayer, and pastoral care.
• Screen communication—responding on behalf of the Senior Pastor as appropriate and routing matters to the appropriate staff.
• Coordinate all travel, itineraries, accommodations, ground transportation, conference registrations, and expense reporting for executive leaders.
• Maintain organized filing systems for the Senior Pastor’s correspondence, sermon archives, confidential records, and ministry resources.
• Maintain accuracy of the church database, troubleshoot issues, and ensure data integrity.
• Maintain accurate, up‑to‑date records of church membership.
• Lead the preparation and compilation of annual UMC Charge Conference reports and end‑of‑year statistics.
• Oversee daily office tasks, including managing mail, tracking office supplies, arranging meals for meetings, and handling the allocation and distribution of parking passes.
• Prepare agendas, supporting materials, and minutes for meetings.
• Coordinate with denominational bodies, the Texas Annual Conference, and its Metro District leadership on matters requiring the Senior Pastor’s involvement.

Skills

Organizational Skills

Communication Skills

Confidentiality

Emotional Intelligence

Google Workspace

Microsoft Office

Church/Nonprofit experience

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience

Tools

Google Workspace

Microsoft Office

Job description

Administrative Assistant

First United Methodist Church of Houston, Houston, TX, United States

About this position

Position Summary The Administrative Assistant supports the Senior Pastor, enabling the Senior Pastor to focus on preaching, pastoral care, education, vision‑casting, and spiritual leadership. The Assistant must be deeply committed to the mission of the church, exercise excellent judgment, maintain the highest standards of confidentiality, and act as a gracious and competent representative of the pastoral office in all interactions. They must be a proactive problem‑solver, exceptional communicator, tech‑savvy, adaptable, and possess a desire to get to know the congregation.

Core Responsibilities

• Coordinate ministry teams, staff leadership, committees, governing bodies, and key lay leaders, ensuring alignment and follow‑through on commitments.
• Track action items, decisions, and ministry initiatives arising from pastoral and leadership meetings; follow up with responsible parties to ensure timely completion.
• Identify emerging issues requiring the Senior Pastor’s attention and proactively surface them with relevant context and recommended responses.

Administrative Support

• Manage the Church Calendar in both Google Calendar and Touchpoint.
• Manage the Senior Pastor’s calendar, scheduling appointments and meetings, while protecting adequate time for sermon preparation, prayer, and pastoral care.
• Screen communication—responding on behalf of the Senior Pastor as appropriate and routing matters to the appropriate staff.
• Coordinate all travel, itineraries, accommodations, ground transportation, conference registrations, and expense reporting for executive leaders.
• Maintain organized filing systems for the Senior Pastor’s correspondence, sermon archives, confidential records, and ministry resources.

Congregational Support

• Maintain accuracy of the church database, troubleshoot issues, and ensure data integrity.
• Maintain accurate, up‑to‑date records of church membership.
• Lead the preparation and compilation of annual UMC Charge Conference reports and end‑of‑year statistics.
• Oversee daily office tasks, including managing mail, tracking office supplies, arranging meals for meetings, and handling the allocation and distribution of parking passes.
• Prepare agendas, supporting materials, and minutes for meetings.
• Coordinate with denominational bodies, the Texas Annual Conference, and its Metro District leadership on matters requiring the Senior Pastor’s involvement.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.
• Minimum of five (5) years of progressive experience in executive administrative support.
• Exceptional organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and maintain meticulous attention to detail in a dynamic environment.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills.
• High degree of emotional intelligence and the ability to navigate sensitive pastoral and organizational matters with discretion and maturity.
• Proven ability to maintain strict confidentiality and exercise sound judgment.
• Proficiency in Google Suite and Microsoft (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint) and familiarity with church management software and video‑conferencing platforms.
• Prior experience in a church, nonprofit, or ministry organization.

Work Environment Culture

The ideal candidate will possess a servant’s heart, a collaborative spirit, and a high level of professionalism. They must be comfortable working in a faith‑based environment and interacting daily with clergy, lay leaders, volunteers, and the public.

Working Conditions

• This is a full‑time, on‑site position based at the First Houston UMC downtown campus.
• Regular schedule is Monday–Friday, with Fridays being remote; flexibility required for occasional evenings and weekends to support worship services, major church events, and pastoral needs.

This position description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required. First Houston United Methodist Church is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating an inclusive and welcoming workplace.

Salary Information

$55,000 - $60,000