Director of Service Development & Operations

Lakewood Church; United States; On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Lakewood Church seeks a Director of Service Development & Operations to lead service planning, staffing, and guest experience for weekend services, conferences, and events. This role fuses leadership with ministry partnerships to scale operations efficiently while maintaining a welcoming environment.

The position reports to the Senior Director of Pastoral Ministries and requires overseeing Service Team Ministry staff and volunteers, implementing systems, training, and budgets to ensure safe,

Qualifications

• College degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum five years of related ministry operations or leadership experience.
• Experience leading staff and volunteer teams in complex environments.
• Proven ability to develop systems, procedures, and staffing models.
• Proficiency with scheduling and communication platforms like Planning Center.

Responsibilities

• Lead operational planning and readiness for weekend services and events.
• Develop service plans, staffing models, schedules, and communication systems.
• Coordinate volunteer coverage for services, events, and environments.
• Establish clear escalation and accountability practices among teams.
• Oversee staff and volunteer leadership development and retention.
• Partner across departments to improve guest experience and ministry operations.
• Monitor performance and implement improvements for scalability.

Skills

Leadership

Staff development

Operational planning

Project management

Communication

Guest service

Multitasking

Problem solving

Recruitment

Coaching

Education

College degree

Tools

Planning Center

Microsoft Office

Job description

Job Title

Job Title Director of Service Development & Operations Department Volunteer Teams Classification Exempt Employment Type Full Time

Position Summary

The Director of Service Development & Operations provides strategic and operational leadership for Lakewood Church services special services ministry environments and the Service Team Ministry. This position develops the systems staffing strategies training resources and operational standards necessary to support consistent safe and excellent service execution and a welcoming guest experience. The Director leads Service Team Ministry staff and volunteers while partnering across departments to strengthen operational readiness and continuously improve service practices. This role combines people leadership ministry partnership and operational strategy to help Lakewood services and ministry environments operate effectively at scale.

Reports To

Senior Director of Pastoral Ministries

Essential Job Functions

Service Planning & Execution

• Lead operational planning and readiness for weekend services special services conferences and church wide events in partnership with Events ministry teams and other responsible departments
• Develop and maintain service plans procedures schedules staffing models and communication systems that ensure teams and resources are prepared and aligned
• Coordinate Service Team Ministry staffing and volunteer coverage to support effective execution of services events and ministry environments
• Anticipate operational needs identify potential gaps and coordinate solutions before and during services and events
• Establish clear communication escalation and accountability practices among teams supporting service execution

Service Team Ministry Leadership & Volunteer Operations

• Lead develop and empower Service Team Ministry staff and volunteer leaders to build healthy teams and cultivate a consistent culture of ministry service accountability and excellence
• Develop and implement strategies for Service Team volunteer recruitment onboarding training scheduling leadership development engagement and retention
• Oversee Planning Center and other applicable systems used for Service Team scheduling staffing communication and ministry coordination
• Equip volunteer leaders to effectively lead teams communicate expectations resolve issues and support the ministry needs of volunteers
• Evaluate staffing models and volunteer deployment practices and recommend adjustments based on ministry needs service activity and available resources

Operational Standards & Continuous Improvement

• Establish and maintain operational standards processes checklists and best practices that promote consistency across services and ministry environments
• Evaluate service execution ministry protocols staffing practices and operational processes through observation data feedback and measurable outcomes
• Identify operational challenges and implement practical improvements that strengthen effectiveness efficiency consistency and scalability
• Develop and test new approaches to service operations team deployment communication and ministry practices
• Monitor operational performance and provide recommendations to ministry leadership regarding emerging needs risks and opportunities for improvement

Safety Training & Resource Stewardship

• Partner with Safety Security Facilities Events and ministry teams to support effective safety emergency response crowd flow and operational procedures
• Develop and coordinate operational training that equips staff ministry leaders and volunteers for safe consistent and effective execution
• Ensure Service Team leaders and volunteers understand applicable procedures expectations and emergency response responsibilities
• Manage assigned budgets equipment supplies and other ministry resources with responsible stewardship

Guest Experience & Ministry Partnership

• Develop operational systems and service standards that contribute to a welcoming organized intentional and consistent guest experience
• Partner with ministry leaders to identify service related barriers or operational challenges affecting guests volunteers or ministry effectiveness
• Collaborate across departments to promote unity consistency and effectiveness throughout Lakewood services and ministry environments
• Partner with Lakewood leadership and ministry teams to support initiatives that advance the vision and mission of the Church

Team Leadership

• Provide leadership coaching and development to Service Team Ministry staff volunteer leaders and assigned project teams
• Support hiring onboarding performance management and ongoing development of assigned staff
• Foster a positive respectful accountable and ministry focused team environment
• Other related duties as assigned

Ministerial Duties

• As an employee of Lakewood Church you are a part of an over 60 year legacy of faith
• As a part of the Lakewood team you are a key part of our mission in taking the hope found in Jesus to the world
• This means that as part of your job responsibilities you are considered a spiritual leader in the Church
• You are responsible for communicating the Churchs beliefs and our mission to our congregants to maintain a lifestyle consistent with the Scriptures and are required to belong to the Church as part of our faith community
• This will also include Regular attendance at Church services and classes
• Serving as a Prayer Partner or as a volunteer in any ministry of the Church and
• Serving our community through local outreaches from time to time when needed by the Church

Qualifications

• Uncompromised commitment to Lakewood Churchs vision values and core beliefs
• Demonstrated Christ like character and spiritual maturity
• Strong leadership and team development skills with the ability to lead staff and volunteer teams in a complex ministry environment
• Strong operational planning organizational and project management skills
• Demonstrated ability to develop and implement effective systems procedures staffing models and operational standards
• Ability to coordinate effectively across multiple departments ministry teams staff members and volunteers
• Strong problem solving and decision making skills with the ability to anticipate needs respond to changing circumstances and resolve operational challenges
• Ability to recruit train coach develop and empower staff and volunteer leaders
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate operations using observation feedback data and measurable outcomes and translate findings into practical improvements
• Strong interpersonal communication and guest service skills
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and high activity ministry environments while maintaining attention to detail and service excellence
• Proficiency with Planning Center or similar church management and scheduling platforms
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and applicable digital communication and virtual meeting platforms

Education & Experience

College degree preferred or equivalent combination of relevant education and experience

• Minimum five 5 years of related experience in ministry operations service planning event operations organizational leadership or a related field
• Demonstrated experience leading staff and volunteer teams
• Experience supporting large scale church services conferences events or similarly complex operations preferred
• Experience developing operational systems training programs procedures and service standards preferred