Job or Ministry Title:

Director of Family Ministries

FLSA Status: Exempt

Job Status: 30 hours/week, Salaried

Reporting Relationship: Reports to the Senior Minister

Start Date: August 1, 2025

To apply for this position, please send a cover email with your resume to: search@fplex.org. This position will remain open until filled. First Parish in Lexington is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse ministry team; people with disabilities, BIPOC individuals, and those who identify as LGBTQIA++ are encouraged to apply. 

Who We Are: First Parish in Lexington is a mission-centered, vibrant congregation currently with 250 members and 30 children and youth. We are located on the historic Lexington town green, and our forebears engaged in the first battle of the American Revolution; our members gave witness against the Vietnam war and began development of the UUA Women in Religion program in the mid-twentieth century.  Today our congregation is actively engaged in building bridges to a diverse interfaith community in Lexington. Today we focus on renewing the revolutionary roots we share through public witness and engagement in the struggle for equity and diversity in our community. We extend these core commitments to our Faith Formation program through hands-on learning and engagement of children, youth and adults in exploring the ways in which we can nurture our spirits and bring our faith into the wider world.

We seek to build our Family Ministry focus by deepening our faith, celebrating with music, community engagement, lifelong learning and lived values. We seek a creative and engaged Director of Family Ministries to help our congregation put love and the values of our faith at the center of our lives.

Who You Are: If you are an individual who believes in the power of an engaged community of committed people, we believe you’ll love First Parish in Lexington. We seek your creativity, your knowledge of learning programs for all ages, your skills as a team player, your organizational abilities, as well as your experience as a religious professional who values living into a covenantal relationship with your colleagues and this congregation. We are all part of the family that is First Parish in Lexington – and we hope that you’ll want to join us in celebrating our historic roots and our revolutionary future. If you are a Unitarian Universalist – or if you support our commitment to the saving power of Love at the center of our core values (Justice, Equity, Transformation, Pluralism, Interdependence, and Generosity) we believe you’ll love being part of the First Parish Community!

Job Summary: The Director of Family Ministries leads our critically important faith formation programs for all ages. The Director creates content and teaches, or directs other teachers, of all ages of the First Parish family, with particular focus on youth, families and adults. The Director reports to our Senior Minister and collaborates with the entire staff (Senior Minister, Minister of Music, Coordinator of Children’s Religious Exploration and the Director of Operations) to prepare, plan and implement services, events and activities across the church year.

Benefits: Retirement Plan; UUA Health Plan; Disability Coverage; Term Life Insurance; Dental; Professional Expense Allowance; Vacation; one Sunday off/month (excepting September, June); Sick Leave; Holidays.

Compensation: Salary base is 54,150 for 30 hours/week (reference the UUA Fair Compensation Guidelines for GeoIndex 6)

Essential Functions:

Design and implement youth programming (45%)

• Work with the lead teacher(s) for Sunday morning programs to make sure they align with the theme of Sunday worship.
• Lead Sr. High youth group, and promote engagement and participation
• Promote and nurture the Jr High youth program/participation
• Implement and promote an extended multigenerational program. (For the 25/26 church year, we are contemplating a program like Building Bridges or Crossing Paths (formerly known as Neighboring Faiths) as this program.)
• Communicate regularly and effectively with parents and youth about programming and worship opportunities. This would be at least a weekly communication supplemented with “special bulletins” as the need arises

Advise, develop and provide support to multigenerational programs (20%)

• Develop and promote programs which encourage multi-age engagement like Dinner Church, Solstice and cross-quarter holiday rituals and observances, vespers during all-church retreats, etc. 
• Develop and implement programs that will deepen faith and engagement of all ages (e.g., Coming of Age for adults as well as youth, an “Articulating YoUUr faith” program, or other similar endeavors.)

Develop and implement education for adults (15%)

• Focus on program development that will deepen the understanding of adults around Unitarian Universalist faith.
• Offer a comprehensive education and engagement program, over the course of the church year, for adults on a variety of timely topics (e.g., OWL for adults or Older adults, 

Building Your Own Theology, exploring the Bible and what it does – and doesn’t – say about values and behaviors, etc.)

Provide Pastoral Care to youth and parents as needed (5%). Be available to assist the Senior Minister in providing pastoral care services, including crisis intervention and visiting of the homebound, sick, dying, and bereaved members of the congregation 

Help administer the budget and resources for these programs in 2025/26 (5%+) Work with the Religious Education (RE) Committee and Children’s RE Coordinator to develop the budget and resource planning for FY 2026/27.

Work with the RE (Religious Exploration) Committee (5%) on issues and policies related to family, adult, children and youth RE programming.

Work with leadership of the congregation to advise, develop and administer safety programs (5%) for adults, youth and children.

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to move freely within church spaces, including classrooms and common areas.
• Occasional lifting of supplies and materials (up to 25 lbs).
• Flexibility to work evenings and weekends as needed for events, services, and programming.

Core Competencies:

Compassion and Care:
Exudes a natural sense of care for the well-being of others; responds with empathy to the life circumstances of others; communicates a sense of support in his or her very presence; demonstrates appropriate and boundaried expressions of care. Relates well to adults, children, youth and their families.

Integrity and Trust:
Is seen as trustworthy by others; practices direct, honest and transparent communication; keeps confidence; admits mistakes; doesn’t operate with hidden agendas; responds to situations with constancy and reliability. Works cooperatively with the staff team.

Administration: Is able to plan, implement and oversee programs that serve faith development for all ages, and offer them in synch with worship and music, and in a way that is timely, well documented and communicated. Partner with other church committees and task forces as appropriate.  

Program Management:
Identifies the key objectives and scope of a proposed program; garners needed resources and project support, develops a realistic and thorough plan for achieving key objectives, keeps team members briefed on progress (which includes monthly reports to the Board ahead of their meetings and regular meetings with the RE Committee), implements action plans, communicates progress to sponsors, identifies and resolves barriers and problems.

Spiritual Maturity:
Shows strong personal depth and spiritual grounding; demonstrates integrity by walking the talk, and by responding with constancy of purpose; is seen by others as trustworthy and authentic; nurtures a rich spiritual life; seeks the wisdom and guidance of appropriate mentors; can articulate a clear and consistent theology. Is proactive and has qualities of a Servant Leader.

First Parish in Lexington – Revolutionary Roots, Faith in Action, since 1692

Rev. Anne Mason, Senior Minister

Rip Jackson, Minister of Music

First Parish in Lexington, Unitarian Universalist is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants for employment and all employees are to be treated on the basis of their qualifications and performance and not based upon their race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, age, sexual orientation, or handicap or disability that does not prevent them from performing the essential components of the applicable position with or without reasonable accommodation.

-Must be legally permitted to work in the USA-