Congregational Life and Education Coordinator

Congregational Life and Education Coordinator

ABOUT US 

North Shore Unitarian Church is a vibrant, welcoming liberal religious community in Chicago’s northern suburbs. As a member congregation of the Unitarian Universalist Association, we are a pluralistic faith grounded in love, guided by reason, committed to spiritual growth, and striving for justice. Our current congregational membership of 270 continues to grow as we reimagine how to live our principles and values in today’s world. We celebrate historic Unitarian Universalist values of radical inclusion, freedom of conscience, and bringing love and justice to the public square. We don’t ask anyone to leave their beliefs at the door; we are welcoming, queer-friendly, anti-racist, and we care for the earth and work on behalf of its future. 

Our members follow their talents and interests in making a difference in the world through ongoing projects around environmental and racial justice, fundraising for local non-profits, efforts to increase voter turnout, and participating in meaningful and moving church services. Our religious education program for children and youth is growing as families move out of the pandemic and seek intergenerational community experiences. We are excited to see how our new CLEC and our members, including many new young families, help us to connect to each other and to the broader world in creative and meaningful ways. 

ABOUT THE POSITION 

The Congregational Life and Education Coordinator (CLEC) develops and implements the plan for educational programming, in collaboration with the Religious Education Team and Minister. This person will oversee the children’s religious education program and lead Sunday religious education (“RE”) lessons and activities (including the weekly Time for All Ages storytelling portion of our worship services) with the support of volunteers and hired assistants, as well as creating regular multigenerational worship services and recruiting and training teachers. 

This position will also help create our loving and compassionate community by engaging and nurturing connections with prospective new members, including oversight of Membership Team volunteers and new member orientation and creating opportunities for new and current members. This team member will also provide organization and communication to support member participation in programs, including the coordinating and producing the weekly newsletter and Order of Service and announcements insert. Finally, the person in this position has the opportunity to contribute to the ways we connect to each other and take action and make change in the world. 

ABOUT YOU

You are passionate about the potential for liberal religion grounded in love and striving for justice to transform our hurting world. You love working with children, youth, and adults in support of progressive faith formation and diverse worldviews. You thrive engaging with visitors and new members as well as leading weekly story-telling activities for children. In addition, you’ll make sure the work of the congregation runs smoothly by supporting our use of technology, as well as helping NSUC reach new audiences through social media and other digital outreach. You love working collaboratively internally and externally and liaising across multiple, complex project dimensions. You hold yourself and your work to a high bar of excellence and take personal responsibility for achieving your goals. 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

You have a college or equivalent education; experience teaching, curriculum selection, and/or classroom management; capacity working with public communication and social media applications; familiarity with graphic design software (i.e. Canva); public speaking experience; comfort in a worship setting; experience in Unitarian Universalist communities preferred. We recognize that hiring with inflexible requirements can reproduce racist and ableist structures baked into conventional practices. We encourage all excellent applicants to apply.

SALARY & BENEFITS

Job Type: Full-time (hybrid available)

Pay: $55,000.00-$60,000 per year

Benefits: 401(k), Dental insurance, Flexible schedule, Health insurance, Paid time off, Parental leave, Professional development assistance

HOW TO APPLY

Position open until filled. People with disabilities, people of color, indigenous people, Hispanic/Latinx, and LGBTQ candidates are encouraged to apply. NSUC is committed to developing a diverse and talented staff team. If you are excited about this role but are unsure whether you meet 100% of the requirements, we encourage you to inquire and/or apply. Email Cover Letter and Resume to hiringmanager@nsuc.org. Cover letters can be in video format, if preferred. Additional materials, such as portfolio materials, or other A/V, are welcome.