Center Kids Director

The Salt Network; Charlottesville, Northern (VA, KY); Hybrid; USD 60,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Center Church seeks a Center Kids Director to lead our children’s ministry with gospel-centered vision, building healthy leaders and volunteers. You’ll shape ministry strategy, recruit and train volunteers, partner with parents, and oversee Sunday environments with excellence.

Reporting to the Executive Director of Operations, you’ll cultivate safe, engaging classrooms, develop systems, and collaborate across church teams to multiply disciples through kids, families, and volunteers.

Qualifications

• Experience leading a kids ministry or similar setting.
• Strong leadership and mentoring ability to develop volunteers and teams.
• Ability to design and implement healthy ministry systems and processes.
• Excellent written and verbal communication with families and volunteers.

Responsibilities

• Provide vision, leadership, and oversight for Center Kids ministry.
• Recruit, onboard, and develop volunteers and leaders across roles.
• Lead volunteer trainings, huddles, and ongoing leadership development.
• Care for volunteers spiritually, relationally, and practically.
• Oversee Sunday logistics, classrooms, and safety policies.

Skills

Kids ministry leadership

Volunteer development

Operations & systems

Effective communication

Team building

Biblical gospel-centered instruction

Job description

01 / Role Overview

At Center Church, we believe every child deserves to be known, loved, and consistently pointed to Jesus in an environment that is safe, biblical, clean, fun, and relational. Everything we do—and every responsibility in this role—exists to make that vision a reality.

The Opportunity

The Center Kids Director exists to lead a ministry where kids encounter the love and truth of Jesus, parents are equipped to disciple their families, and volunteers grow as disciples and leaders.

Through intentional leadership, healthy systems, and Gospel-centered environments, this role helps fulfill Center Church’s mission of making, maturing, and multiplying disciples by ensuring every child who walks through our doors is known, loved, safe, and consistently pointed to Jesus.

Reporting to the Executive Director of Operations, the Center Kids Director provides vision, leadership, and oversight for every aspect of Center Kids while building leaders, developing volunteers, and creating a ministry that continues to grow healthier as it grows larger.

02 / Core Competencies

• We’re looking for someone who is…
• Passionate about helping kids know and follow Jesus.
• A humble leader who naturally develops and empowers others.
• Has a bent toward operational excellence.
• A self-starter who takes initiative and owns outcomes.
• Organized, detail-oriented, and dependable.
• An excellent communicator and relationship builder.
• Creative, adaptable, and solution-oriented.
• Comfortable leading in a fast-paced ministry environment.
• Committed to building healthy teams rather than simply accomplishing tasks.

03 / Primary Responsibilities

Ministry Leadership

Healthy ministry doesn’t happen by accident. The Center Kids Director is responsible for setting direction, developing leaders, and building a ministry that grows healthier as it grows larger.

• Champion the mission, philosophy, and culture of Center Kids.
• Cast vision and inspire volunteers toward meaningful ministry.
• Establish goals and evaluate the overall health of Center Kids.
• View every volunteer not simply as someone who fills a role, but as someone God is shaping through serving in Center Kids. Develop leaders who increasingly take ownership of the ministry and invest in others.
• Build healthy systems that support long-term ministry growth.
• Collaborate with church leadership to advance the mission of Center Church.

Volunteer Leadership

Center Kids is built through people. This role exists to recruit, equip, encourage, and develop volunteers who are not only serving children but also growing as disciples and leaders themselves.

• Recruit, onboard, and retain volunteers.
• Develop Classroom Leads, Service Leads, Teacher Coaches, and future leaders.
• Lead volunteer huddles, trainings, and leadership development.
• Care for volunteers spiritually, relationally, and practically.
• Oversee volunteer scheduling and communication through Planning Center.

Sunday Ministry

Every Sunday is an opportunity for a child to experience the truth of the gospel. The Center Kids Director ensures every environment reflects the heart of Center Kids by creating spaces where children feel known, families feel confident, and volunteers are equipped to serve with joy.

• Ensure every classroom is safe, biblical, clean, fun, and relational.
• Oversee curriculum, classroom preparation, and Sunday logistics.
• Lead and support volunteers throughout Sunday gatherings.
• Continually improve classroom environments and teaching strategies.
• Maintain safety policies and ministry standards.

Parent Partnership

Parents are the primary disciplers of their children. Center Kids exists to partner with families by building trust, communicating well, and providing meaningful opportunities for spiritual growth beyond Sunday mornings.

• Build strong relationships with Center Kids families.
• Communicate ministry updates and upcoming opportunities.
• Equip parents with practical resources for discipleship at home.
• Celebrate spiritual milestones such as child dedications, baptisms, and Move-Up Sunday.

Ministry Operations

Strong systems create space for strong ministry. This role develops and maintains the organizational foundation that allows Center Kids to grow with intentionality and excellence.

• Lead staff and contractors within the Center Kids ministry.
• Oversee curriculum planning and ministry administration.
• Manage Planning Center, volunteer records, and background checks.
• Coordinate childcare and ministry logistics.
• Steward ministry purchasing and budget needs.
• Collaborate with other ministries to support church-wide initiatives.
• Perform additional responsibilities as needed.

04 / The Win

Success in this role isn’t measured simply by filled volunteer positions or well-executed Sundays. It’s measured by a ministry that is becoming healthier, stronger, and more Gospel-centered every year.

The Center Kids Director succeeds when…

• Every classroom is consistently safe, biblical, clean, fun, and relational.
• Children know they are loved, hear the Gospel clearly, and take meaningful steps toward following Jesus.
• Parents trust Center Kids and feel equipped to disciple their children throughout the week.
• Volunteers are recruited, cared for, equipped, and continually developed into leaders.
• Service Leads, Classroom Leads, and Teacher Coaches increasingly own the ministry alongside staff.
• Sundays are joyful, organized, and marked by preparation rather than scrambling.
• Healthy systems allow Center Kids to continue making, maturing, and multiplying disciples through children, families, and volunteers.

05 / Our Team Culture

More than anything, we’re looking for someone who loves Jesus, loves the local church, and believes the next generation matters deeply. The ideal candidate is energized by building teams, developing people, creating systems, and establishing environments where children and families encounter the hope of the Gospel every week.

These five commitments shape the way we serve, make decisions, and lead alongside one another. They’re more than staff values—they describe the kind of teammates we’re striving to become.

Spiritual Vitality

We follow Jesus before we lead others. Ministry flows from our relationship with Christ—not the other way around. We serve out of an overflow of time spent with Him and depend on God through both prayer and thoughtful planning.

100% Ministry Aligned

We think deeply about why we do what we do because we believe methodology matters. We love how we do church at Center, wholeheartedly embrace our mission and ministry philosophy, and joyfully build the church God has called us to lead. We are a church for anybody, but we recognize we will not be a church for everybody.

High Impact, Low Drama

We are highly driven and work hard to take ground for the Kingdom. At the same time, we seek to be emotionally intelligent, assume the best in others, and bring a non-anxious presence to every situation. We talk to people—not about them—and pursue unity by addressing conflict directly, graciously, and truthfully.

Committed to Excellence

We believe excellence honors God and serves people well. We do what we say we’re going to do, build systems and structures that honor God, and continually look for ways to improve. We welcome candid feedback because we believe healthy leaders are always growing.

Extreme Ownership

Serving Christ through His Church is a privilege, and we approach it with gratitude. We willingly go above and beyond to accomplish the mission, take ownership of both problems and solutions, and lead with the mindset that this is our church, not someone else’s.

06 / Position Details

This is a full-time, exempt, benefited position. The typical work week is Sunday–Thursday, with additional evenings, weekends, and special events as ministry requires.

The anticipated salary range for this role is $60,000-75,000 per year, commensurate with education and experience. The successful candidate is expected to be or become a covenant member of Center Church, faithfully uphold the membership covenant, and generously support the ministry of Center Church.