Director of Family Faith: Thriving Congregations

The Minneapolis Area Synod works together so that all experience gracious invitationinto life-giving Christian community and live in just and healthy neighborhoods.

Position description

Thanks to a generous grant from the Lilly Endowment, the Director of Family Faith will convene parents and caretakers from the Minneapolis Area Synod’s New and Strategic Ministries to learn and develop practices for faith formation in the home. Family Faith: Deepening Roots, Strengthening Families seeks to equip parents from culturally specific, ethnically specific, and multicultural congregations to share their faith and cultural traditions with their children, to create opportunities for families to connect with one another, and to develop faith formation resources in the cultural context and language of the congregations. With input from the leaders of the Synod’s New and Strategic Ministries, the Director of Family Faith will develop curriculum, convene and coordinate learning cohorts, plan retreats and large group gatherings, and work with partners to develop faith formation resources. This person will be grounded in spiritually centered faith practices and a commitment to collaborative education models. The Director will work with individuals and congregations from a diverse range of ethnic and cultural backgrounds and will demonstrate experience working in intercultural settings and communicating across cultures.

The job description of the Director of Family Faith includes the following responsibilities:

Proven ability to convene and coordinate opportunities for shared learning.

• To convene and facilitate cohort meetings and peer meetings where participants learn faith formation practices and share existing wisdom with one another.
• To lead with a posture of listening, humility, intercultural competence, and asset-based attention.
• To convene and coordinate cohort meetings and peer groups from a variety of culturally appropriate learning models and practices. An ability to speak Spanish, Oromo, or Swahili is a plus.
• To learn, curate, celebrate, and communicate faith formation practices shared by participants and congregations.
• To build a network of spiritual directors, congregation leaders, and faith-formation specialists to serve as resources for the cohorts.
• To gather and share tools and resources for spiritual growth and expanding “faith-at-home” practices within congregations and among learning cohorts.
• To equip, encourage, and empower participants to experiment with faith formation practices in their own home and congregation.
• To provide coaching for parents and caretakers in learning cohorts and peer groups.
• To articulate one’s own faith practices and faith story, and model authentic spirituality.
• To model and move religious experience of cohort participants beyond personal therapy and moralizing – using the gift of Lutheran theology.
• To train participants to share faith-formation practices with other leaders in their congregation and community.

• To support the identification, recruitment, training, and development of parents and caretakers in the congregation.
• To work strategically with leaders and congregations to deepen the experience of Family-based faith formation practices.
• To develop a culture of intentional communication through 1-on-1 conversations in search of common ground and shared passion

Demonstrated ability and experience to direct this effort.

• To articulate a deep understanding of the nature and culture of Christian congregations.
• To articulate a deep understanding of the relationship between faith, culture, ethnicity, and language.
• To hold cohorts accountable for the essential between-meetings work.
• To coordinate with institutional partners such as Total Inclusion!, 1517 Media, and others to coordinate faith formation opportunities and develop faith formation resources.
• To coordinate a team of resource people and/or consultants who will evaluate the program’s outcomes.
• To recruit parents and caretakers from new and strategic ministries to participate in learning cohorts.
• To produce content for online and print materials to support the synod’s commitment to family-based faith formation.
• To stay within the financial bounds of the Thriving Congregations grant and provide regular reports to the Lilly Endowment.
• To work with a support staff person to plan successful and innovative events, including monthly meetings, annual retreats, and program summits.
• To create a development plan for the Family Faith work to continue after the Thriving Congregations grant is exhausted.

Participate as a team member on the synod staff.

• To serve faithfully and with competence in representing the Bishop and the Synod Office.
• To serve as a collegial member of the synod staff, attend staff meetings, and work with the synod staff in preparation for major “all-hands-on-deck” events such as Synod Assembly.
• To work closely with the Synod accountant, providing financial information in a timely manner.
• To participate and offer leadership in building a framework for Family Faith.
• To visibly connect the work of Family Faith with the synod’s mission.

• To support the on-going cultural competency work of the synod.

Success for the Director of Family Faith would be guiding parents and caretakers to develop practices for faith formation in the home, connect with their children around faith and culture, and identify ways to communicate across cultural differences among parents and their children.

The Director of Family Faith will oversee a full-time administrative assistant and will report directly to the Director of Evangelical Mission. Salary (with excellent benefits) will be determined based on experience and the funding limits of the Lilly Endowment grant. A bachelor’s degree is encouraged but not required. Some funds are available to cover relocation expenses.

Submit your resume, cover letter, and three references to Pastor John Hulden, j.hulden@mpls-synod.org.

The Minneapolis Area Synod is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from people who represent the many diverse voices in our synod and state: people of color, persons with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and women.